Lone Star Fire closes Grand Loop Road near Old Faithful

UPDATE: The new Lone Star Fire temporarily closed the Grand Loop Road south of Old Faithful — between Old Faithful and West Thumb, including the Craig Pass — on Saturday night at 10:30 p.m. due to smoke.

The road remains closed as of this morning. Currently, staff are implementing protection measures for the Old Faithful area in the event the fire moves in that direction. Visitors can only access Old Faithful from the north. 

As of last night, this fire was estimated at 300 acres and not burning towards Old Faithful. The lightning-ignited wildfire comes at a time when the fire danger at Yellowstone National Park is rated as very high, with campfires in the backcountry now prohibited and lightning activity heavy throughout the park this past week. Two small fires caused by lightning have already burned out.

Additional closures include Lone Star Geyser Trail and:

• The following trailheads are closed due to the Lone Star Fire: Lone Star, Howard Eaton, DeLacy Creek.
• The following trails are closed due to the Lone Star Fire: Howard Eaton, Lone Star, Bechler River Trail north of campsite 9D4, North Shore Shoshone Lake Trail, DeLacy Creek Trail, Shoshone Lake Trail north of campsite 8T1 (no travel through the Shoshone Lake Geyser Basin), East Shore Shoshone Lake Trail (north of campsite 8S1).
• The following campsites are closed due to the Lone Star Fire: OA1, OA2, OA3, 8G1, 8R1, 8R2, 8R3, 8R4, 8R5, 8S2, 8S3, 8S4, 8S5.

You can read more about the Lone Star Geyser here.

RELATED STORIES: Yellowstone fire danger now rated very high; If it’s August, it’s Yellowstone fire season