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A car travels at night on a winding Yellowstone road near three bison, beneath the moon and rising geyser steam

Park news · Yellowstone

Yellowstone: Two Bison Collisions in One Night, Drive Carefully After Dark

Two vehicles hit bison within 24 hours at Yellowstone, where the animals are nearly invisible in headlights after dark.

By Victoria Boissonade,

If you're planning a fall trip to Yellowstone, here's a warning worth your full attention. In less than 24 hours, two vehicles hit bison on the park's roads, according to Cowboy State Daily, KTVQ, and foxnews.com. Two incidents this close together send a single, clear message: driving at night in the park demands your sharpest attention.

The first collision happened on October 9, 2026, around 2:45 a.m. near Mud Volcano, between Canyon Village and Fishing Bridge, per Cowboy State Daily and foxnews.com. The driver walked away unhurt, but the truck took a beating (hood, bumper, clearance light). The night before, on October 8 around 6:45 p.m., another vehicle struck a bison near the Storm Point Trailhead, KTVQ reports. Its two occupants were slightly injured, the truck was destroyed, and the animal was killed.

An SUV drives at night near a bison beside the road, under a full moon, with forest, mountains and geysers in the distance

The detail that stuck with us is the speed. According to KTVQ, the second vehicle was going 40 mph, below the posted limit of 45 mph, and the collision still happened. The reason comes down to the animal's biology. Unlike deer and elk, bison don't have a tapetum lucidum, so their eyes don't reflect headlight glare, Cowboy State Daily explains. A bison on the road at night stays almost invisible until the last second.

The season is working against you right now. With roughly 5,300 bison in the park, according to NPS figures cited by KTVQ, and animals that readily wander onto the pavement once it's dark, the odds of an encounter are real. The general limit is 45 mph across most of the park, but the NPS itself recommends going slower, Cowboy State Daily notes.

For now, here's our advice. After dark, drive well under the limit and watch the shoulders. To plan your trip with peace of mind, lean on the Yellowstone National Park guide, and if you're stringing together stops, on our road trip itinerary through the park.