COVID-19 Health and Safety

Yellowstone Forever’s goal is to provide clear and concise information about what we are doing to protect our participants, guests, volunteers, and staff. We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic with information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in consultation with local authorities and partners such as county health departments and the National Park Service. The information provided on this website is not intended to be all-encompassing and should not be considered medical or legal advice.

These guidelines have been updated as of February 2022.

• Program participants should stay home if they are experiencing any of the COVID-19 as listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or have been a close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
• At the beginning of each program, participants will be asked the following screening questions. If a participant answers “yes” to any of these questions they will not be permitted to attend a Yellowstone Forever course.
  • “Have you had a loss of smell or taste, experienced shortness of breath or developed a new, unexplained cough in the last 10 days?”
  • “Have you had a fever of over 100.4 °F, experienced muscle or body aches, congestion, sore throat, headache or nausea in the last 10 days?”
  • “Have you been a close contact with an individual known to have tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 14 days?”
• Each participant will have their temperature taken upon arrival of each program day. If a participant has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, they will not be permitted on the program.
• Face masks or coverings are required for everyone in all indoor spaces and vehicles. Masks will not be required during hikes but will be recommended during outdoor stops where six feet of distance cannot be observed.
• Participants are required to bring their own mask(s). They can be either cloth masks, disposable procedure masks, or respirators (i.e. N95s); but they must be well-fitting with no gaps along the edges or around the nose.
• Participants will be asked to maintain current social distancing practices during the program.
• Drivers and passengers are not allowed to eat or drink on Yellowstone Forever vehicles.
  • Only the program instructors are permitted to serve lunch, snacks, and drinks to participants. No food or drink self-service will be available while on the program.
• Each vehicle will be disinfected before and after each trip.
• Spotting scopes and binoculars will be disinfected between programs.
• Digiscoping (phone or tablet attached to a scope) will be available so that participants can view without touching the scope, if so desired.

Related content