100-Foot Cell Tower To Be Built In Yellow Stone National Park

If you have ever visited the beloved Yellow Stone National Park and tried to make a call then you might have noticed that the cell phone reception wasn't very good. Currently there is only cell phone service in the Mammoth, Old Faithful, Canyon, Tower-Roosevelt and Grant areas. However, just this past week the National Park Service has granted Verizon Wireless permission to build a 100-foot rower near Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone National Park.

The Billings Gazette reported that, “The new cellular site will be located next to a buried water tank on a 100-foot rise above the Lake administrative area and 700 feet below the top of Elephant Back Ridge. This site already has access via an existing service road and is near electrical and phone lines. Antennas will be configured to minimize spillover coverage into Yellowstone’s backcountry.”

Yellowstone was established as America’s first national park in 1872 as a way to preserve the majority of the world’s geysers. With the news of this cell tower being placed in the oldest national park, people wonder whether or not this will affect the magnificent views of the park. The National Park Service reassured patrons that the tower will not be visible from the nearby Lake Hotel, Fishing Bridge, Lake Lodge Historic Districts or the hiking trails.