Is it safe to visit Yellowstone and Tetons Gun Crime

Visiting Yellowstone or Grand Teton usually isn’t like visiting a city. These are huge wilderness areas, mostly visited for nature, not nightlife — and that changes what “safety” looks like. Crime involving firearms, especially violent gun crime between visitors, is extremely rare in these parks. The primary threats come not from other people, but from natural hazards: wild animals, rugged terrain, unpredictable thermal features, and challenging roads. 

Yellowstone & Grand Teton Safety & Crime Quick Reference

Category	Yellowstone National Park	Grand Teton National Park	Notes / Context
Visitor Deaths (Total)	74	Data not consolidated	Leading causes: vehicle accidents, falls, drownings, thermal feature accidents.
Wildlife-Related Injuries	Grizzly/bear: 37 documented (1980–2014)	Rare	Most wildlife incidents involve visitors approaching animals too closely.
Gun Crime / Violent Crime	Extremely rare; no confirmed pattern	Extremely rare; no confirmed pattern	Few, if any, recorded incidents involving firearms; no data suggesting high risk.
Theft / Property Crime	Occasional	Occasional	Mostly car break-ins at trailheads or parking areas; preventable by securing valuables.
Accidents from Environmental Hazards	Very common relative to crime	Very common	Includes slips near geysers, sudden falls, icy roads, boating accidents.
Legal Quirks / Theoretical Risks	Zone of Death (Idaho portion) – theoretical loophole	None notable	No evidence of crimes exploiting this; only a constitutional anomaly discussed in legal literature.
Visitor Guidance	Stay on trails, maintain safe distances from wildlife, follow park rules	Same	NPS emphasizes environmental awareness over fear of interpersonal crime.
Overall Crime Risk	Extremely low	Extremely low	Most reported safety issues are environmental or wildlife-related, not criminal.

One legal wrinkle sometimes cited as a possible danger is a theoretical loophole in part of Yellowstone known as the Zone of Death (Yellowstone) — a remote, roughly 50-square-mile portion of the park in Idaho where constitutional jury-selection rules might complicate prosecution of serious crimes. 

That has led some to warn of a “no-man’s land” inside Yellowstone. But it’s important to emphasize: as of 2025, no known violent crime has been conclusively committed — or prosecuted/unprosecuted — under this loophole. So while the legal theory is unsettling, there is no evidence that this “loophole” has actually made the parks unsafe in practice.

Indeed, the vast majority of injuries and deaths in Yellowstone stem from accidents or environmental factors — not crime. Between 2007 and 2023, the park recorded 74 fatalities. Many resulted from vehicle crashes, drowning, falls, thermal-feature accidents, or other natural causes.  Only a small fraction, historically, involved violence or firearms. 

What that means for a visitor: the odds of encountering gun crime on a Yellowstone or Grand Teton trip are very, very low. Most park guidance focuses not on theft or assault, but on wildlife safety, road safety, and respecting natural hazards. 

That said, the parks are federal lands, and wildlife and environmental protection laws are strictly enforced. The agency responsible for safety and law enforcement — National Park Service (NPS) — is also charged with policing visitor behavior, enforcing wildlife-protection laws, and responding to any serious crimes.  So even though incidents are rare, legal authority exists to handle them.

If you visit someone claiming Yellowstone or Grand Teton is “dangerous because of gun crime,” you’re almost certainly better off turning your concern toward wildlife risks, thermal-feature danger, vehicle safety, and general wilderness preparedness. Stay alert, follow park rules, keep a safe distance from wild animals, stay on designated paths, drive carefully — those are the real safety behaviors that matter.

In short: Yes — you can visit Yellowstone and the Tetons with confidence. Gun crime is not the problem people often worry about. The real hazards are nature itself. And with respect, awareness, and good choices, those hazards can be managed — giving you a chance to enjoy one of the most breathtaking places on Earth with minimal risk.