YELLOWSTONE - Explore Big Sky

38 July 1, 2011
opInIon
fOrBiddEN fruiT:
paddling in Yellowstone National park
bY tYLeR aLLen
Yellowstone National Park has over
2,000 miles of rivers and streams coursing
through its boundaries. From slow,
meandering flatwater to steep, boiling
whitewater and giant waterfalls, the
park offers many hydrologic marvels.
But aside from a five-mile stretch of the
Lewis River between Lewis and Shoshone
Lake, boating is prohibited on
the rivers and creeks of Yellowstone. To
experience these waterways one must
casually observe from shore.
Three parks in the National Park
System prohibit paddling on most of
their rivers: Yellowstone,
Grand
Teton and Yosemite.
The latter two
have designated
stretches (of the
Snake and Merced,
respectively) that allow commercial
operations to run whitewater
trips on a regulated basis, but Yellowstone
doesn’t allow commercial or
private boaters on any of the whitewater
stretches within the park.
Boating in Yellowstone was outlawed
in 1950 as a reaction to the park’s
depleted fisheries. The rationale was
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that bank anglers could not access as
much water that anglers from boats
were able to reach. Whitewater
kayakers and flatwater canoeists have
suffered the consequences of that
decision ever since.
Yellowstone has stretches of water
that, coupled with the exciting runs
on the Gallatin, Yellowstone and
Beartrap section of the Madison, could
make Southwest Montana an international
destination for paddlers. The
Black Canyon of the Yellowstone has
beckoned boaters for decades with its
miles of continuous
Class IV and
V water. In the
late ‘70s the fine
for poaching was
around $25, and
kayakers tell stories
of floating past park officials who
smiled and waved.
In 2008, four bozeman paddlers
were arrested and
charged with “attempt to
kayak” after a failed poach
of the black Canyon.
The relaxed policy changed in the
‘80s, and penalties have been much
stiffer since. A park study conducted in
1988 - instigated primarily by pressure
from kayakers - recommended the park
continue its ban on river running in
Yellowstone. The study identified im-
pacts on endangered
species, important
geothermal features,
historical and
archaeological sites,
conflict with other
users, and safety as
the major concerns of
park managers. In 2008, four Bozeman
paddlers were arrested and charged
with “attempt to kayak” after a failed
poach of the Black Canyon. They were
fined $335 apiece, given six months
probation and banned from the park for
a year.
Al Nash, Yellowstone’s Chief of Public
Affairs, says safety is a paramount
concern for park managers. The water
tends to be cold, access can be difficult,
and there are large rapids and waterfalls
that present hazards. Although these
concerns are legitimate, Yellowstone
was created as the nation’s first National
Park for “the benefit and enjoyment of
the people.” The current policy does
not honor this original statement.
Motorboats are allowed to churn the
waters of Yellowstone Lake, outfitters
lead strings of pack animals on the
park’s trails, and motorists tour the
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The Lamar River in Yellowstone
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photo bY eMILIY StIfLeR
roads Yellowstone’s scenic roads. With
enough regulation, floaters would leave
a minimal impact on the landscape;
however, the impact left on someone
experiencing such an impressive
landscape from a river would be lasting.
As budgets are being cut for federal and
state lands, we need more advocates to
keep our public lands public.
Backcountry users are heavily regulated
within the park; permits are required
for snowmobilers in the winter and for
backpackers in the summer. Couldn’t
use of Yellowstone’s rivers be regulated
in a similar fashion? Whether your intent
is an overnight flatwater canoe outing
with the family, or an exhilarating
day-trip whitewater kayaking, the park
could issue permits dictating where
boaters put in and take out, how long
they’re on the river, and where they’re
allowed to camp along the way.
Tyler Allen writes from Bozeman.
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