Be careful if you have plans to head out to Yellowstone National Park before the month is over… July happens to be the deadliest month of the year for the tourist destination.
Over 4 million people visit the world’s first national park each and every year. Yellowstone – which stretches across Montana, Wyoming and Idaho – is one of the premiere places on the entire planet to take in beautiful landscapes, geothermal geysers, and roaming wildlife. But with all of its beauty, there also comes a good amount of danger.
There’s a lot that plays into Yellowstone being especially dangerous in the hottest part of the summer. According to a study from Beck, Amsden and Stalpes PLLC, July accounts for “24% of all recorded deaths in the park since 2007, more than any other month by a wide margin.” Interestingly enough, since 2007, the month of March is the only period where a death at Yellowstone has never been recorded.
The national park has been the site of 75 deaths in the past two decades or so. The study provided some statistics about those fatalities, and some of it… quite surprising. It includes:
-Driving is the deadliest activity, responsible for over 45% of recreational deaths. The roads are more dangerous than the wildlife.
-Men account for 77% of all fatalities
-Visitors 65+ make up over 32% of deaths, and over 70% of medical deaths.
-Medical emergencies are the single leading cause of death, just ahead of motor vehicle crashes
So basically, those last two points thread together. With Yellowstone National Park being a remote area, anyone that suffers from a medical emergency is at higher risk of death, just because they are often harder to access. And obviously, those that are older are more prone to experience medical emergencies.
But what makes July the most dangerous month of the year? A couple of things work together to create a relatively more hazardous atmosphere. For one, there are more cars on the road in Yellowstone in July, since the summer months are when most of the visitors make their way to the national park. That leads to more driving accidents.
Then you’ve got the heat of the summer, which naturally drives people to the water to cool off. The study sites that “rivers and lakes see the most swimming, fishing, and boating activity of the year in July, which lines up with drowning being one of the bigger causes of death overall.”
And speaking of the heat, physical exertion in the outdoors makes for a very dangerous mixture for older Yellowstone visitors. Remember, medical emergencies are the single leading cause of death in the national park. Those that are 65 and older account for 70% of those emergencies. Those trying to hike and walk in the heat of July (especially in elevation) might not realize they are overdoing it until its too late.
So in other words, July is only the most dangerous month at Yellowstone because more people are visiting, it’s the hottest period of the year, and many who are visiting are getting out into the great outdoors… and then unknowingly straining themselves.
Everything overlaps in July at Yellowstone National Park. I know I warned potential July visitors earlier in this story… but in reality, you can keep yourself from being added to the statistics of this study by paying attention to the road, staying cool in the heat of the summer, and (drum roll please) practicing common sense.
Or you could just avoid the peak season in the first place.
