The National Parks' Lodging Problem

Above, how does $600/night to stay at Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn sound to you? Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Years ago, my family and I stayed at Zion National Park Lodge and Bryce Canyon National Park Lodge. At the time, I never heard any complaints of any high lodging prices from my parents.

But that was then.

Today, concessionaires who run national park hotels and lodges seem to be gouging the public with outrageous prices of accommodations.

The National Parks Traveler reported:

There are, across the National Park System, rising lodging rates that likely block a wide segment of Americans from experiencing a night or two in the some of the system's most iconic lodges and cabins. Places like Lake Hotel and the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone, El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, the Ahwahnee in Yosemite, Cavallo Point at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Jenny Lake Lodge in Grand Teton, the Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier.

These are places where nightly rates can quickly climb past $400, with some approaching and surpassing $1,000 a night, depending on the season and occasion. And with the National Park Service's willingness to allow concessionaires to charge whatever the market will bear for some accommodations, rates will only go higher.

But where do you — can you? — strike a balance between a company's right to make a profit and the right of Americans to visit the national parks their tax dollars help support?

That question surfaces in the wake of a story from WyoFile, a nonprofit news organization in Wyoming, that looked at the cost of spending a night in one of the historic lodges in Yellowstone National Park. In roughly half the lodging rooms in the park, at the Old Faithful Inn, Lake Hotel, and Canyon Village, the Park Service lets concessionaire charge whatever they can get. That approach has led to dizzying nightly rates that have climbed above $400 a night — a 55 percent increase in just the past five years — at the historic Old Faithful Inn, according to WyoFile.

"Sadly the average American will be priced out of our national parks," wrote one Traveler follower on Facebook after reading the Wyofile story.

The practice to let concessionaires charge whatever they like for some lodgings dates at least to 2017, when it surfaced at Yellowstone as part of an unannounced five-year pilot project.

To read more, go here. 

National Parks Remain Open Through Mid-November

Above, Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The compromise funding agreement will allow the national parks to remain open, at least through mid-November.

According to National Parks Traveler:

An 11th-hour compromise Saturday averted a shutdown of the federal government for at least 45 days, allowing the National Park System to remain open through one of the most popular tourist seasons of the year.

With the agreement, reached by the House on Saturday afternoon, approved by the Senate that evening, and sent to President Biden for his signature, the Congress bought time to try to come to terms on government funding for Fiscal 2024, which opens October 1. As a result, the National Park System will remain open at least through mid-November, allowing for Fat Bear Week to run at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, enabling leaf-peepers to flock to the hardwood forests of Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah, and Acadia national parks to marvel at fall's vibrant coat of leaves, and allowing tens of thousands of sky gazers to flock to the National Park System from Oregon through Texas to catch the annular solar eclipse on October 14.

Just in case an agreement on the Continuing Resolution wasn't reached, officials in Utah and Arizona were prepared to keep national parks in their states open with state funding, and Colorado officials were working to do the same.

To read more, go here. 

Mask Mandates Return To Some National Parks

Above, masks must be worn inside Yellowstone indoor facilities such as Old Faithful Inn. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Well, here we go again.

Supposedly, COVID-19 cases are on the rise again. This is prompting some national parks to reimpose mask mandates on park visitors in indoor facilities. 

According to an article in RV Travel:

If you are planning a trip to a national park, you’d better pack a mask.

Several national parks in the U.S. are now requiring that face masks be worn in all indoor facilities due to a rise in COVID-19 cases. Yellowstone National Park was the latest to institute an indoor mask mandate this week.

The National Park Service (NPS) had already implemented a mask mandate on public transit in all the nation’s parks.

Yellowstone National Park is the fourth park to add the indoor mask requirements. The others area Grand Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Grand Tetons National Park. All visitors must wear a mask indoors, regardless of their vaccination status.

To read more, go here. 

Yellowstone Having A Birthday Party Today

Above, the Old Faithful Inn, where today's birthday party is to be held. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yellowstone National Park celebrates its 150th birthday today. The park itself is millions of years old, but it has only been a national park for 150 years.

A birthday party is going to be held today at the Old Faithful Inn.

According to Cowboy State Daily: 

Yellowstone National Park turns 150 years old Friday — and park staff and concessionaires are throwing an appropriately exuberant party to celebrate.

Friday’s public celebration of the birthday of the world’s first national park will be held at Old Faithful Inn, kicking off the 150th summer season of America’s first national park. 

To commemorate the event, a ceremony will be held with remarks from representatives of the National Park Service and Xanterra Travel Collection – but after the pomp and circumstances, the fun begins.

Much like a child’s birthday party, there will be rides (free historic Yellow Bus tours in the Old Faithful area), colorful decorations (a Native American art exhibit) and food (from the concessionaires), as well as free walking tours of the historic Old Faithful Inn.

To read more, go here. 

Top 5 Places To Stay At Yellowstone National Park

Above, Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Lodging in and near Yellowstone National Park is a new topic at Travel Off Path. They spotlight the top five places to stay.

While lodging within the park is limited, the alternate option is staying at a town near the park.

The article begins with:

Yellowstone National Park was America’s first National Park and is one of the country’s most beloved vacation destinations. If you’re planning a trip there, figuring out where to stay will be one of the most important parts. Here are the top 5 places you’ll want to stay – both inside and outside of the park – as well as some specific tips for each. 

To read more, go here. 

Travel + Leisure: 8 Most Beautiful National Park Lodges

Above, Yosemite's Ahwahnee Hotel. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Over the years, the only times I've stayed at a national park lodge was Zion National Park (twice) and Bryce Canyon National Park. Each time we were lodged a cabin at the lodge. 

Travel + Leisure posted an article on the 8 most beautiful lodges in America's national parks. The article was posted last April (somehow I missed it).

They begin it with:

One hundred years ago, America's national park lodges were some of the country's finest architectural treasures — grand records of the moment when luxury and nature first met. They brought their lucky guests experiences they'd likely never had — and they still do just that. 

These historic spots, host to a century of presidents and visionaries, still remain some of the national parks' best lodges, but now they share space with remote resorts and modern retreats, each vying to rest among the country's most scenic destinations. Should you wish to stay in any of the lodges below, one thing is for certain: Plan well in advance.

Somehow, the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park didn't make the list, but the Ahwahnee in Yosemite National Park did. Go figure.

To see the lodges, go here. 

TravelAwaits: 10 Best Places To Stay In National Parks

Above, the historic Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Camping in my own RV is my preferred way of staying in a national park, but I have stayed at Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks in their lodge cabins.

TravelAwaits has 10 of the best places to stay in national parks. The top place in their readers survey was the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park.

They begin with:

Rustic charm in beautiful surroundings — what more could you ask for from national park lodging? How about a location with easy access to nearby attractions, rich history, and perhaps some tasty cuisine? That’s what our Best of National Park Lodging winners promise.

TravelAwaits readers voted in our Best of Travel Awards 2021 to help us determine everything from the best beaches to the best national parks. When you’re trying to decide where to stay for your next national park experience, check out our readers’ top picks below.

Above, the main dining room of the Old Faithful Inn. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

Your National Park Vacation Has Gotten More Expensive

Above, Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Remember when the senior national parks lifetime pass jumped from $10 to $80 four years ago? Well, that's not the only thing connected with the National Park Service that has jumped in price. Luckily, I got my senior pass a year before at $10. Still, even at $80, it is still a bargain, provided that it is used.

Entry fees and other things have risen in cost and National Parks Traveler has posted an article on what has risen in price and where.

They begin it with:

You’re not mistaken. A national park vacation is more expensive than it was 20 years ago. Considerably more expensive in some costs once you get to the entrance gate.

Not all units within the National Park System collect admission fees, but for those that do the cost to visit the taxpayers’ treasures has outpaced inflation – as much as sixfold - over the past two decades. But entrance fees weren’t alone in their increases, as the cost of camping, climbing lighthouse stairs, and even paddling a boat is also more expensive (see table below).

Based on data provided by the National Park Service and using the Consumer Price Index at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to account for inflation, we reviewed park admission rates for individuals, vehicles, and annual passes from 2000 through today (see PDF attached below). Of the 126 park units surveyed, entrance fees increased above the rate of inflation (2.07 percent/year) at 83 parks.

The largest increase occurred at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in southern Utah and northern Arizona, where the vehicle entrance fee jumped 500 percent from $3 in 2000 to $30 today. During the same time period, the cost of an annual pass at Glen Canyon rose about 244 percent – from $10 to $55.

Records show a 400 percent uptick in entrance fees from $2 in 2000 to $15 in 2021 for individuals visiting Adams National Historical Park in Massachusetts, Colorado and Oregon Pipe Cactus national monuments in Colorado and Arizona, respectively, and Pinnacles National Park in California.

Slightly less, but still high, is the 316 percent price surge from $4 in 2020 to $25 today for automobile entrance fees at Lava Beds National Monument in California and the Wright Brothers National Memorial on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Fees increased 200 percent or more since 2000 at about 27 parks surveyed, including Golden Spike and Harpers Ferry national historic parks, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and Saguaro National Park.

A survey of Traveler’s Facebook audience found a variety of opinions on the costs of a national park visit, from those who considered things getting too expensive to those who thought higher fees should be charged. Most thought entrance fees were reasonable, but a few took issue with the cost of lodging and quality of dining in the parks.

To read more, go here. 

Yellowstone Prepares For Busy Season With More Staff and Open Facilities

Above, the Old Faithful Inn. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yellowstone National Park will be well-prepared for the coming summer vacation season.

Already, steps are being taken to open the park's facilities with more staff to handle the busy season.

The Billings Gazette reported:

After last spring’s delayed opening of Yellowstone National Park, as the nation struggled with a burgeoning pandemic, superintendent Cam Sholly is looking at a much more optimistic scenario this year.

“I would say I feel a lot better than I did last year at this time,” he said. “We’ve had a whole year of refining mitigation procedures and protocol. Last year was all so foreign.”

Along those lines, the park has a goal to vaccinate all of its permanent frontline workers by the middle of next month and will supply vaccines for seasonal workers, as well.

“The vaccines are a big deal,” Sholly said. “That gives us a huge boost in confidence.”

The agency is also well stocked with COVID-19 tests, personal protective gear and cleaning supplies. All three of the park’s medical clinics will be open. In addition, there is a mask mandate in place for all national parks.

 To read more, go here.

Save 40% On Your National Park Bucket List Trip

Above, Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful Inn. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Are there national parks in your "bucket list" of places to see?

If so, you're in luck! Xanterra, a concessionaire of several national parks has a deal that can make that bucket list dream come true.

According to The Points Guy:

Socially distanced vacations and road trips are all the rage in the age of coronavirus. National park vacations are especially popular.

If you’ve always dreamed of doing a bucket list trip to a national park, there may not be a better time to plan one.

Xanterra is the concessioner for all accommodations inside some of the best U.S. national parks, including Yellowstone and Grand Canyon. They are currently running a “Bucket List Travel” sale that could save you as much as 40%. 

For more details, go here. 

Fire South of Old Faithful Closes Grand Loop Road

Above, Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Wildfires have been breaking out throughout the western United States, many of them have been caused by lightning igniting dry brush.

One such fire is about 3 miles from Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park.

According to the Jackson Hole News & Guide:

Smoke from the Lone Star Fire, ignited this weekend by lightning in Yellowstone National Park, has closed the Grand Loop Road to traffic. 

The fire was reported around 5:15 p.m. Saturday about 3 miles south of Old Faithful geyser. It’s estimated at 300 acres and at this time is not burning directly toward the complex of buildings at Old Faithful.

Park Service staffers are implementing protection measures for the Old Faithful area in case the fire moves that way, and resources have been ordered, according to a release sent Sunday morning by the park’s public communications department. 

The Grand Loop Road is closed between Kepler Cascades and West Thumb. The Lone Star Geyser trail is closed as well, along with backcountry campsites OA1, OA2 and OA3. The road between Canyon and Tower Junction is also closed this season. 

Lightning has been prevalent throughout the park this week, and fire danger is very high. Campfires are not allowed in the backcountry.

To read more, go here. 

More 2020 Yellowstone Lodging Opening This Month

Above, there's a chance that Old Faithful Inn will reopen later in the season. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There's some good news coming from Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone Insider reported:

If you plan on a July-October visit, you’ll have more options when it comes to 2020 Yellowstone lodging, as concessionaire Xanterra plans on opening Lake, Canyon and Old Faithful Snow Lodge rooms for the rest of the season. 

So far so good when it’s come to COVID-19 mitigation in Yellowstone National Park, with the latest test results showing no positives from NPS and concessionaire employees in the latest period–adding to no positive results in previous testing, also. And with visitors flocking to the park at levels close to 2019 visitation levels in June 2020, it looks like park officials and concessionaires are balancing safety concerns with access. 

So, as Xanterra promised, we’ll see new 2020 Yellowstone lodging options come July, as offerings other than standalone cabins and cottages with bathrooms will be available.

Still closed are Grant Village, Old Faithful Inn and Roosevelt Lodge. There is a chance that they open later in the season. Keep your fingers crossed!

To read more, go here. 

Yellowstone's Largest Concessionaire Starting Operations June 15

Above, Old Faithful Inn does not have an opening date at present. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Now that the pandemic is starting to taper off (well, somewhat), decisions for openings by national park concessionaires are beginning to be made.

The latest is at Yellowstone National Park.

From the Gillette News Record:

CODY (WNE) —Yellowstone National Park’s largest concessionaire has announced it will not begin operations until June 15, and some of its most iconic structures may not open at all this summer. 

The Park itself is also closed, with likely delays to opening the east gate. 

Xanterra Travel Collection, operator of more than 830 buildings, nine hotels and more than 30 food service facilities and tour operations, said when operations do begin lodging and service operations will be limited. Its operations at other parks are also delayed. 

Rick Hoeninghausen, a media representative for Xanterra, said initially, lodging operations will be limited to cabins with private bathrooms – meaning only Frontier Cabins, Western Cabins, and Cottages at Old Faithful, Canyon, Mammoth and Lake areas will open. 

The Old Faithful Inn however, does not have an opening date, along with Grant Village, and Roosevelt Lodge. Those with reservations at any of these lodging facilities during the closure will have their reservations canceled and refunded their money.

To read more, go here. 

Most Beautiful National Park Hotels

Above, Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A lot of people camp in our national parks in tents or RVs, but some national parks have lodges to stay in comfort.

Conde Nast Traveler has a list of the "most beautiful" national park hotels in the U.S.

They begin with:

In 1864, with Abe Lincoln’s endorsement of the Yosemite Grant, one of the nation's first protected public spaces was established—and the groundwork was laid for more U.S. national parks. But did you know that many of these American treasures also have luxe lodgings where you can sleep on-site? Check out ten of the most amazing cabins and hotels within parks like Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon. 

To read more, go here. 

Outside: Ultimate Yellowstone National Park Travel Guide

Above, Old Faithful Inn is a short walk from Old Faithful Geyser. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It there is one national park in the United States that should be on everyone's "bucket list", that would have to be Yellowstone National Park. I have been to Yellowstone three times and it never fails to captivate.

Although things are now winding down at the park in preparation for the winter season, it is not too early to begin planning a visit to Yellowstone next year. Because, if you don't, lodges and campgrounds get booked up pretty fast.

Above, Old Faithful Geyser during eruption last July. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I visited Yellowstone last summer and, as I expected, it was jamb-packed with people.

Thankfully, Outside magazine's website has posted their "Ultimate Yellowstone National Park Travel Guide" to help in the planning.

They (with tongue firmly in cheek) begin with:

Yellowstone is a trippy place. Its 2.2 million acres are dotted with bubbling mud pots, steaming hot pools of concentric rainbow hues, and some 500 geysers that spew water—and, occasionally, cinderblocks and decades-old pacifiers. Among it all are elk, bighorn sheep, and 1,000-pound bison that would just as soon toss you 10 feet in the air as look at you. 

The people are just as strange. More than 4 million pour in from around the globe every year, causing mile-long bear jams on the park’s two-lane roads, in addition to petting bison, challenging bison to fights, loading them into their cars, and peeing directly into Old Faithful. (Luckily, the park has its own jail.) Yellowstone visitors have been boiled to death in thermal pools, drowned while searching for hidden treasure, and, of course, eaten by grizzlies.  

Personally, I find the mayhem fascinating (apart from people throwing garbage into geysers—honestly, what the hell?) and indicative of just how wild the landscape is. When president Ulysses S. Grant designated the area the country’s first park in 1872, Yellowstone took hold in the modern imagination as the quintessential portrait of the American West and, despite its recent news coverage, has largely remained that way. Spanning the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into parts of Montana and Idaho, the park’s sheer magnitude means that, with the right planning, you can have the unspoiled experience that made our forefathers awestruck enough to preserve it. 

To read more, go here. 

Hauntings: Old Faithful Inn

Above, the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since we're now in October, a.k.a. the Halloween month, here's a story of alleged hauntings at America's first national park.

At Yellowstone National Park, one of the most popular attractions is not a natural one, but man-made. It is the Old Faithful Inn that is near the geyser of the same name.

An article was posted by KGAB AM 630 on some spooky happenings at the Old Faithful Inn.

They begin with:

Today on Haunted 307, where we explore a different haunted location in the Cowboy State, we're travelling all the way to the first United States National Park, Yellowstone. Nearby the geyser it's named for, the Old Faithful Inn is a stunning work of architecture, but the 85 ft lobby may be hiding something sinister at the peak of it. 

Built on the same location as the Upper Geyser Basin Hotel that burned down, the "Old House" of Old Faithful Inn was the first structure erected in 1903, with more additions being added to keep up with the increased demand for lodging in Yellowstone National Park. The interior of the structure contains four stories of balconies and a chimney and "crow's nest" centered in the mammoth room. 

The hotel boasts being on the National Register of Historic Places, a National Landmark, and has had many notable guests, including Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt. 

But the hotel also has it's legends, and those who stay in the picturesque tourist lodge claim to see guests that never checked out. One guest woke her husband up in the middle of the night while staying in room #2, claiming to see an apparition of a woman dressed in 1890s attire floating above their bed.

Above, the Crow's News above the main lobby of the Old Faithful Inn. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

That's not the only legend of the Old Faithful Inn. There's another one that involves the Crow's Nest above the hotel's main lobby

But you'll have to go here to read about it! 

Old Faithful: Drinking and Geysers Don't Mix

Above, Old Faithful geyser erupting. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There's been a spate of reports of yo-yos walking up to Old Faithful Geyser at Yellowstone National Park lately. The latest is about a guy who had been drinking and fell into thermal water at the geyser.

According to NBC News:

A 48-year-old man suffered severe burns at Yellowstone National Park after falling into a hot spring at the Old Faithful geyser. 

Rangers were called to the Old Faithful Inn on Sunday after Cade Edmond Siemers, a U.S. citizen who resides in India, suffered severe burns to a significant portion of his body, the park service said. Siemers told rangers that he went for a walk without a flashlight and tripped and fell into the thermal water. 

Rangers found evidence that Siemers may have been drinking alcohol at the time, according to the National Park Service. 

When they went back to the scene Monday, authorities found Siemers' shoe, hat, and a beer can along with footprints leading to and from the geyser.

This guy got off lucky. A tourist was killed about three years ago when he fell into a hot spring and the heat and chemical composition of the water dissolved him.

To read more, go here. 

Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks

Above, a view from Jackson Lake. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today's plan was to tour around Grand Teton National Park. I had been there twice, but never have done anything beyond just driving through.

We roamed around and stopped at different viewpoints and looked for a place to have breakfast. We found one, the Jenny Lake Lodge. However, it was priced for rich snobs: $34.00 per person for breakfast. We said, "No thanks!" We drove on.

Above, another view of the Tetons. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

We did manage to find a restaurant at the Signal Mountain Lodge area, which was situated next to Jackson Lake (a reservoir). We had a good breakfast that was reasonably priced.

Above, Mitch and I at a restaurant at the Signal Mountain Lodge. 

After that, we did more exploring. We saw a crowd of people at a viewpoint, so we stopped and joined them. They were looking at a large herd of elk in the distance. They were gathered in a circle as a defense to protect their young. There was a bear in the area.

Mitch Geriminsky had been to Yellowstone National Park before, but had never seen Old Faithful Geyser. Yellowstone was not in my plans for this trip as hordes of people would be there and many of them aren't the best drivers. Plus, parking can be next to impossible to find. But, I agreed to take him up to Old Faithful.

Above, Old Faithful erupts. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

We got there and found a parking space (a miracle!) and went to see the geyser. Within 20 minutes of our arrival, the geyser erupted.

After that, we went inside the nearby Old Faithful Inn and wandered around there. We then left Yellowstone at around 1:30 to get back to Jackson.

When we got back to Jackson, the hordes of people were all over the place. We were considering some shopping, but the traffic was horrendous and we decided to head to camp instead.

We'll be leaving Jackson tomorrow morning for the first leg of our trip home. We should be somewhere in mid-Utah by tomorrow evening and then in Lake Havasu by the next night. I'll be staying there that night before heading back to New Mexico.

All in all, not a bad day. It kept us busy.

2018 Yellowstone Quakes Aftershocks From 1959?

Above, the Old Faithful Inn dining room fireplace today. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A big earthquake hit Yellowstone National Park in August 1959 and scientists think current earthquakes are aftershocks from that event.

KSL.com reported:

SALT LAKE CITY — A magnitude 7.3 earthquake which shook Yellowstone National Park in August 1959 may have seen continuing aftershocks as late as 2018, according to a study published by University of Utah geoscientists. 

The original earthquake, known as the Hebgen Lake earthquake, jarred Yellowstone for around 30 seconds, according to a University of Utah press release. The dining room fireplace in the Old Faithful Inn toppled, the ground dropped 20 feet in some places and 28 people died. In 2017, the researchers said the Hebgen Lake quake rippled through Yellowstone once again. 

More than 3,000 small earthquakes swarmed through the national park between June 2017 and March 2018, localized in the Maple Creek area, according to the study.

To read more, go here. 

Input Sought From Yellowstone Visitors

Above, a view from the Old Faithful Inn. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This summer, visitors to Yellowstone National Park will be asked for their input on how to improve their park visit experiences better.

According to KPAX:

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK - Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk says that the only way to solve overcrowding problems in the world’s oldest national park is to learn more about the people using it. 

Park Service officials are beginning a new project to help collect that information this summer. 

When Yellowstone National Park hit 4 million visits in 2015 complaints about overcrowding started to be heard. “How do you feel if you can pull right into a parking space at Old Faithful or if you have to wait three-to-five minutes or 10 to 15 minutes?” asked Wenk. 

“The problem was people wouldn’t leave the parking area until they would use the restroom and there weren’t enough restrooms,” said West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Marysue Costello. 

“We brought in more restrooms to alleviate some of the pressures, some of the concerns,” said Yellowstone National Park spokeswoman Morgan Warthin. 

That was a direct result of people speaking out, but Yellowstone doesn’t want to wait for complaints. [We want] t understand from our visitors what their experience is like and how they move through the park,” said Warthin. 

This summer, some visitors to Yellowstone National Park will be asked questions about their visit. 

To read more (including a video), go here.