Lone Star Fire Threatens Old Faithful Area

A Yellowstone road closes for fire – temporarily.

A lightning strike ignited a fire 3 miles south of Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park, around 5:15 pm Saturday evening. The so-called Lone Star Fire – due to its proximity to the Lone Star Geyser and Trail – is not burning in the direction of Old Faithful, but has expanded to an approximate size of 300 acres.

This has prompted a series of temporary but indefinite changes to the park. The Grand Loop Road south of Old Faithful between Kepler Cascades and West Thumb was closed on Saturday night at 10:30 p.m. due to the smoke billowing in the area and reducing visibility. The closure was expanded to include the entire road between Old Faithful and West Thumb. 3 backcountry campsites (OA1, OA2, and OA3) and the Lone Star Geyser Trail were all closed as well. As of this morning, the road and all the aforementioned areas remain closed, with additional backcountry campsite and trail closures around Shoshone Lake and Lone Star Geyser added last night. Meanwhile, Yellowstone staff are working fervently to implement protection measures throughout these areas and other to prepare should the fire change course and threaten the Old Faithful area.

There have been 3 fires in the park this year, all of them fairly minor and caused by lightning strikes. Fire danger remains at “Very High” throughout the entire park, and increased lightning activity make the possibility of additional fires high. For the latest updates of on the fire and road status, check out: https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/management/current-fire-activity.htm?fbclid=IwAR2nNuW2G1rWMaQHn3Mm6Tr-HGKoDFI_6GuJUXKZc5HCW4H3jWE1J56V7oU.