You are here

Home » Wildfires Burning In Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Parks

Wildfires Burning In Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Parks

Share
By Kurt Repanshek - August 18th, 2016

The Berry Fire in the backcountry of Grand Teton National Park has been sending up a lot of smoke, but isn't threatening any front-country areas/NPS

Lightning-sparked fires burning in the backcountry of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks are kicking up a lot of smoke but currently are not posing a threat to visitors or front-country areas.

Yellowstone National Park Fires

The largest of the fires, the Maple Fire, has spread across more than 12,000 acres along Yellowstone's western boundary, about 8 miles north-northeast of West Yellowstone. Spotted on August 8, the fire is burning in short grass and timber "located in a 1988 burn scar with moderate to heavy lodgepole regeneration." At this point, fire bosses are keeping an eye on the fire and will react to specific threats to structures and roads if they arise.

The Maple Fire in Yellowstone has been burning through an area that burned in 1988/NPS

The Fawn Fire was first spotted on August 4 and since has spread to about 1,000 acres 10 miles west-southwest of Mammoth Hot Springs.

"The fire has not been producing enough smoke to be visible from the Mammoth Hot Springs and Gardiner areas. However it is still burning, just at a lower intensity. Fire activity has been minimal on the Fawn Fire the past several days," officials reported.

The Buffalo Fire, ignited August 13 by a lightning strike, has burned across more than 2,000 acres some 5 miles northeast of Tower Junction. It also is burning in a scar left from the 1988 fires that swept the park, and was being monitored, not actively fought.

Grand Teton National Park Fires

The Berry Fire was set by a lightning strike on July 25, but only recently has grown significantly. As of Wednesday it was estimated at 617 acres, burning in the vicinity of Elk Ridge about 19 miles northwest of Moran. For the public's safety, the following trails have been temporarily closed:

  • Glade Creek trail
  • Owl-Berry Cutoff trail
  • Berry Creek trail from Glade Creek to Hechtman Creek
  • Owl Creek trail three miles west of Cutoff to Webb Canyon junction

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.