She is three.  I haven't been to Yellowstone in years and years.  

When wandering around the pools and stuff how well guarded are they?  She is adventurous.  Do people do that there at all?  Is there a need?

What happened to "Now, you have to hold onto mommy or daddy's hand, while we're here, because that water is very hot, and will burn you."

I would say yeah, if you can't control your kid, better on a leash than boiled.

I was there a few years back, the wood paths around the pools had really no rails to keep you from walking into the dirt areas. One moron did so to get a hat that had blown off his head, despite warnings to not step off the wood decks. I kept waiting for a cave in or something, but he made it back on the deck with a little yelling from a ranger. No way I would step off the paths for any reason, animals/people have fallen through from what I understand.

Interesting, your three year old must love life.

Mine listens very well, but thanks for your advice on how to raise my child.  Next time we go hiking, I'll just tell her not to fall off the cliff.  It should suffice.

In the memorable words of one of our guides at the Grand Canyon, this is a national park, not Disneyland. You can end up dead here very easily.

You need to be prepared to keep her safe.

Everytime I see kids on leashes I wonder how the hell I survive to adulthood without one

Take them to the pools, hold their hand or carry them (they'll probably get tired walking anyway) and have a great time.

Yellowstone is a tremendously dangerous place. A tether isn't a bad idea.

Plank boardwalks in some areas are a tripping hazard.  I'd put a handle on the back of my kid.  She'll be worn out by the third stop anyway, you'll be carrying her.  

I've been there and I've raised kids.  The 'leash' is a GOOD IDEA.

Tieing kids up for their own safety is not a new concept.  If you're worried that she'll wander into a pool of boiling acid, a leash is probably a good idea.

They are still 3.

I have a three year old and really dont understand your problem.

Not all 3 year olds are equal.

that's racist.

You started this thread asking for advise on how to raise your child...

The butthurt is strong with this one

Hmm, no. I asked if the boardwalk was guarded. Not how to raise my child.

I'm not butt hurt and this isn't GD.

this is not a new idea. My dear mother used one for me when I was 3 or so. I acted fast and moved where I wanted.
Damn near drove her crazy. It was a yellow web harness and a snap on leash. There, I said it, a leash. Works for
dogs, works for unpredictable kids.
I have been to the hot springs in Yellowstone, and if I took a kid I wanted to bring back, there would be an action
limiter on that kid. You only have to boil one youngun to mess up a whole vacation.

my two cents
scruff

Some sort of restraint would be a good idea.  Toddlers are very ingenious about getting into places they shouldn't be.

Watched little Johnny one time running out in front of mom and dad.  Little Johnny was running over to a momma bear and her cubs.   I didn't read about it in the paper the next day so I assume nothing bad happened.

There are plenty of hot springs that would boil up a person to well done in no time and no shortage of rivers, streams, cliffs to work with either.

do not get out of the boat.

hold hands...maintain constant vigilance...if you cant do that...don't take child to where the buffalo and boiling water roam...

You'll be fine, just keep a close eye on her and don't let her run loose.  Keep her close.

Avoid Uncle Tom's trail, and the Brink of the falls trail.

Watch out for a certain nationality with a propensity to take lot of pictures, sometimes they can be a little pushy.

Do be stupid and approach the animals, this is a national park, not a zoo.

Source: Just got back from four days of camping in Yellowstone with 3 boys, ages 5 to 12.

The pools near and around the boardwalks can have high temperature water.  I think the park rule is if there's boardwalks people must stay on them. The Firehole River does have designated swimming areas.  Some of the other areas have water coming in straight from the geysers and can be incredibly hot.  

A tether might not be such a bad idea.

I have two year old twin boys.
When we leave the house, I duct tape their handS & feet, hogtie them and cut a small vision slit in their headbags so the world can't get them.

Almost forgot to mention, we use an iron lung to transport them in dangerous areas like Costco, in a hell on earth like Yellowstone, I'd probably just keep them in their dog carriers at the hotel & show them video later.

I thought this was in the Outdoors forum....seems like GD in here. Who are all of these people, they sure don't post in here normally

Strange set of posts

Anyway, OP, from what I remember from my trip to Yellowstone, a leash may not be a bad idea. There are boardwalks in many of the dangerous areas, and usually railings around the really dangerous stuff, but there are plenty of places where there is no railing and you could walk out onto a crust which may collapse. Plus, there's geothermic activity everywhere, crap can start bubbling up one week where there was nothing the week before. You'll see stuff bubbling up right next to the road as you are driving. Also, the boardwalks can be a bit slippery if they get wet, so make sure everyone wears some shoes with decent soles.

Oh, I forgot one thing... lots of times I wondered how hot all those different pools actually were... If I were to go back, I'd want to bring one of those laser thermometers. That would have been fun to play with

You know your kid.

She wanders.

The boardwalks are steamy, crowded, uneven, and in places slippery.  You can walk out onto the "crust" very easily around the pools/vents/mudpots.  She will naturally want to peer down into the pools at Yellowstone.

You already have your answer = go with your instincts.

Watch for bears.



Child on a leach = bait on a string.

Here is a reason to step off the path at Yellowstone, A tether would be a good idea for some.

Leash or no leash, the kids must be closely supervised.  I'd suggest getting whatever will let you enjoy the trip the most and forget what other people think.

My wife purchased the book, "Death in Yellowstone" that details some fairly gruesome demises.

That said, we've been through Yellowstone multiple times without leashes, but lots of hand-holding and carrying.

This was a few months back when we went, but since it popped up on my list I'll tell you what I found.

We did some hand holding and sometimes I carried her, no tether, but......   I would still say it isn't a bad idea.  If the pathways around the pools, ponds, geysers, etc. are busy you have to watch out for you kid pretty closely so that they are not inadvertently knocked into/off something in those areas.  For general hiking and what not obviously it's not needed, but the common attractions can get busy and crowded.

It is a tourist trap as expected, but....  The fuel isn't at inflated prices, beer and snacks are cheap.  Basically normal prices everywhere we went.
It's busy and the traffic will make you want to vomit. Just know that you are there to see the sights and going SLOW is part of that.

One thing I did like is we found a place that sold showers. So after a few days of hiking and what not it was nice to get clean with hot water.

As for the wildlife.
Buffalo be buffalo ,no real hurry for anyone.  We did see some wolves chowing down on a dead one, that particular buffalo provided me some entertainment.  I hoped for a good trampling of people that like to get close, but didn't get lucky.

Wolves are far less impressive that I though they would be.  My dogs would give a pack of them a serious run for their money.  The first morning we woke up we had one next to our tent and got some close up pics.  I argued it was a big coyote, my wife was saying wolf.  Then later we were hiking and found a black one with a collar on it and I admitted I lost the argument.  They are little shits IMO.  We talked to a park ranger guy and he said there is supposedly only one or two black ones.  I can't remember now, but the collar black one is supposedly an Alpha male or female.

Bears.  I tried hard to hike and find a grizzly bear, but didn't have success.  Saw some fat black bears, but meh.

A lot of the pools are very clear and inviting, but are either scalding hot and/or full of various nasty minerals.

Not to mention all the boiling mud, crusts and such that she could get into.

When around the geothermal features, if there is any doubt at all in your mind, either carry stroller or tether her.  She simply isn't old enough to fully understand what the dangers are.  But there are tons of other nice areas where she can run about until she's worn out.

OP, it's your kid and you have the final say so.  I think that kids need to learn, not necessarily the hard way, but they need to.  Let her go without, she gets out of line, tether her up.  I'm sure the people that "can't believe they made it through life without a leash" wear there seatbelts when in a car...  Maybe they were old enough to have been around when seatbelts weren't in every car, but they can't deny the fact that we make advancements in life that make things safer.  Who gives a crap what ANYONE else thinks about what you should or shouldn't do for your own child.  Your family is your responsibility...  Do what makes you feel more comfortable and piss on everyone else

Ohhh...  Have a great time there and I'm very jealous that you get to go  Never been...  Take lots of pics, enjoy the fact that you are getting your child out and seeing versus watching on TV and make memories.  Learn something new while there and teach it to your kid

After listening to David Paulides a few times on Coast 2 Coast, i vote for tether the next time you go.

Now if you dont know what im talking about here is his web site. Home of the missing 411

trust your gut if you think its a good idea go for it.

Pretty much what most of the boardwalks in the Old Faithful Basin look like as well as the other areas.  

Some of the outlying boardwalks are also potentially dangerous as the hotspots move under them.  People have sunk in getting scalded while still on the boardwalk itself.  

Please don't forget the chrome spiked collar while your child is on the leash. I've heard it's quite the fashion statement

It's your kid, do what you think is best.  Different strokes for different folks.  I have never seen a kid on a leash and thought that their parents didn't love them, but I have seen plenty of other public incidences where I have wondered what it must be like to be that kid.

Those vents are really dangerous in Yellowstone.  I think a tether would be a great idea.