Yellowstone National Park maintains 157 vault toilets throughout the park and they are proud that tourists are “never further than 10 minutes from a bathroom along the road.”
Yellowstone favors vault toilets (buried concrete vault that holds waste) as they do not leech toxins into the ground. Maintaining these toilets is a monumental job that requires a septic truck the park affectionately calls “The Honeywagon” that ravels 18,000 miles and pumps 330,000 gallons of human waste each year.
Keeping these bathrooms clean for the more than 4 million tourists that visit Yellowstone every year is a logistical challenge, so is exiting one when resident wildlife is in the area. The following scene unfolded outside of roadside bathroom near a Yellowstone thermal feature where an unlucky tourist was trapped for 8 minutes waiting for bison leave so he could safely exit.
This may have been an uncomfortable situation but the man was wise to wait and give the bison the minimum of 25 yards recommended distance before making his move. Bison can appear to be docile grazing animals, which can provide tourists with a false sense of security but they are extremely dangerous when approached and have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal.
“Some would say it’s the most important job in Yellowstone. Well, if it’s not number one, it’s definitely number two.” –Tony Aiuppa, Honeywagon Driver
Yellowstone Bison Safety Guidelines:
Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal. Bison are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans. Always stay at least 25 yards (23 m) away from bison.
- Give bison space when they are near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area. If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity.
- Approaching bison threatens them, and they may respond by bluff charging, head bobbing, pawing, bellowing, or snorting. These are warning signs that you are too close and that a charge is imminent.
- Do not stand your ground. Immediately walk or run away from the animal. Spray bear spray as you are moving away if the animal follows you.