Ash Scattering in Yellowstone National Park
Unaccompanied Ash Scattering Service | Family Owned & Operated
Discover Yellowstone’s most beautiful ash scattering locations from Old Faithful to Lamar Valley and Artist’s Point. BONAVENTURE handles permits, coordination, and photography with care.
Yellowstone is a place where the world feels alive where steam rises from ancient earth, waterfalls thunder through canyons, and herds move across endless valleys. For families who choose to scatter ashes in Yellowstone National Park, it’s more than a destination. It’s a return to something timeless.
Our family has spent years living, guiding, and working within this extraordinary landscape. We know the quiet overlooks and hidden trails where beauty and peace still meet, and we’re honored to help you lay your loved one to rest here, in nature’s grandest sanctuary.
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Featured Scattering Locations in Yellowstone National Park
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A guide to Yellowstone’s most meaningful and awe-inspiring places for ash scattering
Old Faithful Overlook: A Place Where Earth Breathes
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Old Faithful Overlook is one of the most meaningful places to scatter ashes in Yellowstone National Park, offering panoramic views of the park’s geothermal landscape.
High above the Upper Geyser Basin lies a quiet rise where the land opens to a view unlike any other. From here, you can see Old Faithful erupt in the distance, a rhythmic heartbeat of steam and stone that has pulsed for centuries.
The overlook is bordered by lodgepole pine and open meadows that come alive with color each summer. Wildflowers nod in the breeze. The air smells faintly of pine resin and warm earth. At sunrise, golden light pours through the mist; at sunset, the steam drifts violet in the cooling air.
It’s a landscape that humbles you, alive, eternal, and symbolic of renewal. For many families, scattering ashes here feels like letting go into the rhythm of something far greater, where life and time move in harmony.
🌋 Old Faithful Overlook — Why Our Family Team LOVES It
Few places capture the spirit of Yellowstone like Old Faithful. This geyser, one of the most iconic natural wonders in the United States, has erupted with rhythmic precision for centuries — a living symbol of the Earth’s power and constancy.
rom the quiet rise of the overlook, you can watch its column of steam rise hundreds of feet into the air, framed by forests of lodgepole pine and meadows alive with color.
Our team loves this site for the way it humbles you. Beneath the calm surface, an entire world of heat and motion thrums unseen, a reminder that the ground beneath us is as alive as memory itself.
📍 Old Faithful Overlook — Upper Geyser Basin
Best time to scatter: Early morning or late evening in late summer or early fall.
Atmosphere: Quiet, powerful, filled with warmth and light.
Lamar Valley & Calcite Springs Overlook: The Heart of the Wild
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To the east of the park lies Lamar Valley — a vast, untamed wilderness where wolves roam, bison graze, and the river carves through stone in a ribbon of silver and green.
Calcite Springs Overlook, perched above this valley, offers one of the most moving panoramas in all of Yellowstone. Below, the Yellowstone River rushes through emerald-colored cliffs veined with golden mineral deposits. The sound is constant, steady — a reminder of motion, endurance, and grace.
This is a place where families often speak softly. The air feels sacred, alive with the same energy that once moved through the ancestors of the land. It’s a stunning choice for those whose loved ones found peace in wilderness or felt most themselves beneath open skies.
🐺 Lamar Valley — Why Our Family Team LOVES It
Known as “America’s Serengeti,” Lamar Valley is one of the few places where the wild heart of Yellowstone beats openly. It’s here that wolves were first reintroduced to the park, and today their howls echo across sweeping plains cut by the Yellowstone River.
Our team treasures this valley for its energy — the way mist rises over the river at dawn, the flash of bison herds moving through golden grass, the fierce beauty of life in motion. Standing at Calcite Springs Overlook, with the river carving through volcanic stone below, you can feel both the permanence and the pulse of this remarkable place.
📍 Calcite Springs Overlook — Lamar Valley
Best time to scatter: Autumn, when aspens burn gold and wildlife gathers near the river.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone – Artist’s Point: The Eternal Waterfall
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Few views in America compare to Artist’s Point, where the Lower Falls plunge more than 300 feet into a canyon painted in shades of ochre, rose, and gold. The sound of water fills the air, powerful yet steady, like the voice of the earth itself.
Standing at the overlook, you feel both small and infinite, a witness to beauty that transcends words. The canyon walls seem to glow from within, and rainbows shimmer in the mist that rises from the falls.
For generations, this has been a place of awe and reflection, where artists, poets, and travelers have come to feel the presence of something eternal. Scattering ashes here feels like returning to that same current, to the beauty that never ends.
🎨 Artist’s Point — Why Our Family Team LOVES It
If there is one view that defines Yellowstone’s grandeur, it may be this. Artist’s Point overlooks the Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone — a cascade twice the height of Niagara, thundering into a canyon painted in gold, rose, and rust.
This is the very landscape that inspired 19th-century painter Thomas Moran, whose vivid works helped convince Congress to establish Yellowstone as America’s first national park.
Our team loves this site for its sheer majesty. The air feels charged with light and history; every color and sound a testament to nature’s artistry. It’s a place that holds both awe and stillness, an unforgettable canvas of remembrance.
📍 Artist’s Point — South Rim Trail
Best time to scatter: Late summer, when sunlight illuminates the canyon walls.
Atmosphere: Majestic, contemplative, timeless.
Choosing the Right Location
🎒 Insider Visitor Tips
Plan for back‑country access — Many of the most meaningful sites are in undeveloped, less‑trafficked areas. Bring proper gear, check trail conditions, and be ready for variable weather. Bonaventure+1
Choose optimal timing — Late summer and early fall tend to have fewer crowds, clearer skies, and more golden light. It improves privacy and mood for a memorial ceremony. Bonaventure
Wildlife awareness is critical — In valleys like Lamar Valley you may encounter wolves, bison, and elk. Make noise when hiking, carry bear spray if appropriate, and keep distance from animals. Bonaventure
Low‑impact ceremony matters — Since scattering must happen in undeveloped zones and leave no trace (no markers, urns, flowers left behind), plan your personal touches accordingly—nothing permanent, nothing disruptive. The Compassionate Memorialist+1
Account for terrain and weather — Some sites require hiking, and weather can change fast. Arrive early and build in buffer days so the ceremony isn’t rushed or compromised by bad conditions. Bonaventure
📄 New Permit & Regulation Notes
You must submit a Special Use Permit application for ash scattering in Yellowstone. The form must be emailed and signed. National Park Service+1
There is no required fee for the permit. Altogether+1
Ashes must be fully processed (not visibly distinguishable) and completely dispersed — no containers left, no piles, no markers. National Park Service+1
Scattering must occur in undeveloped, non‐thermal areas and be well away from roads, buildings, campsites, trails, and thermal features. Bonaventure+1
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🌟 Meaningful Ash Scattering Ceremony Ideas
Select a site connected to the person’s passions — e.g., a ridge they hiked, a valley they loved. It deepens the memorial’s significance.
Use moment‐before the scattering for reflection—perhaps a favorite poem, song, or simple silence as nature envelops the moment.
Capture the experience—Even if you’re unable to be there, consider how photography, GPS coordinates of the site, or a memorial keepsake can help future visits and remembrance.
Leave the land as you found it—Clean up, carry out all items, and don’t leave any memorial objects. The landscape should remain natural and undisturbed.
Whether your loved one was a traveler, a dreamer, or a lover of wilderness, Yellowstone holds a corner of its heart that can reflect their story.
For families uncertain which location best captures that essence, BONAVENTURE offers gentle guidance, personalized suggestions, and full coordination of permits and logistics.
📞 (515) 205-4548
✉️ bonaventurememorial@gmail.com
👉 Explore Yellowstone Scattering Packages
Custom Location Ash Scattering in Yellowstone National Park
A personalized guide to choosing a meaningful final resting place in one of the world’s most sacred landscapes
Why Choose a Custom Scattering Site
Some lives don’t fit neatly within the boundaries of a map. They were lived in motion, defined by favorite trails, hidden lakes, quiet meadows, or summits where the horizon stretched without end.
For families who wish to honor that spirit, a custom location scattering offers the most personal and meaningful farewell. Instead of selecting from pre-designated overlooks or popular sites, you can choose a place that truly mirrors your loved one’s story, whether it’s where they hiked, camped, or simply felt most alive.
This is more than a service. It’s a journey toward belonging, remembrance, and peace — one that unfolds in harmony with Yellowstone’s vast and living landscape.
Click Choose This Location for Your Loved One
Guided by Experience and Care
Your scattering will be guided by Sarah-Marie, who has spent years leading visitors through Yellowstone’s backcountry, and Joe, a mountaineer and longtime park resident who knows its wild terrain by heart.
Together, they bring a deep reverence for both people and place. Their goal is to help you find a setting that feels authentic whether that’s a riverside bend where elk graze at dawn, a windswept ridge above the tree line, or a grove of ancient pine where sunlight filters like prayer.
Each custom scattering is approached with profound respect and a sense of ceremony. Every movement from the carrying of ashes to the final gesture is done by hand, with intention and quiet care.
How the Custom Scattering Process Works
1. Personal Consultation
Your journey begins with a phone or email conversation. We’ll listen to your loved one’s story — their favorite places, colors, memories, and values — and help identify the area that best reflects them.
2. Site Research & Permit Coordination
Once a location is chosen, we’ll handle all necessary logistics. This includes National Park Service coordination, scattering permissions, and confirmation that your chosen site complies with all legal and environmental guidelines.
3. The Scattering Ceremony
On the day of scattering, the ashes are carried to the site and released by hand — always with reverence and in accordance with park standards. You may include a personal reading, song, or symbolic item if you wish.
4. Documentation & Keepsakes
Afterward, you’ll receive:
Exact GPS coordinates of the scattering site for future visits.
A collection of high-resolution photographs capturing the ceremony and surrounding landscape.
A written reflection on the day’s conditions — light, season, atmosphere — to preserve the memory in story form
Examples of Meaningful Custom Sites
While the park is vast, certain landscapes hold particular resonance for families:
Hayden Valley: Wide, golden, and rich with wildlife. Perfect for those who loved peace, nature, and open horizons.
Specimen Ridge: A place of fossils and deep history, echoing with stories of endurance and time.
Shoshone Lake: One of the park’s quietest and most untouched areas — accessible by trail, beautifully private, and full of stillness.
Mount Washburn: For adventurers and climbers, this summit overlooks almost the entire Yellowstone Plateau — a breathtaking testament to life’s grandeur.
Each site is chosen not just for its view, but for how it feels — timeless, alive, and deeply connected to the person being honored.
Yellowstone Ash Scattering Locations by Personality Type
Selecting a scattering site that reflects your loved one’s personality can make the ceremony more meaningful. Here’s a guide to match spirit with landscape.
1. Ash Scattering for The Water Lover
Recommended Site: Yellowstone Lake
Why it fits: Yellowstone Lake is the largest high-altitude lake in North America, with deep blue waters framed by forests and mountains. Ideal for someone who loved calm, reflection, and the gentle rhythm of waves. A scattering here mirrors the serenity and depth of a life spent near water.
2. Ash Scattering for The Color Enthusiast / Creative Spirit
Recommended Site: Grand Prismatic Spring
Why it fits: Vibrant blues, oranges, and golds make this Yellowstone icon perfect for someone drawn to color and wonder. The swirling thermal patterns evoke energy and creativity. Scattering ashes here honors a life that celebrated vibrancy, uniqueness, and awe.
3. Ash Scattering for The Historian / Storyteller
Recommended Site: Theodore Roosevelt Arch** (North Entrance)
Why it fits: This historic arch symbolizes the beginning of the Yellowstone story and honors the legacy of the park’s founder. For someone passionate about history, tradition, and storytelling, this location connects a personal farewell to the park’s heritage.
4. Ash Scattering for The Adventurer / Mountain Climber
Recommended Site: Electric Peak
Why it fits: For those who loved rugged terrain and breathtaking vantage points, Electric Peak offers high elevations and sweeping views. This remote site represents a life lived boldly and adventurously.
5. Ash Scattering for The Wildlife Enthusiast
Recommended Site: Lamar Valley – Calcite Springs Overlook
Why it fits: Renowned for wolf sightings and bison herds, Lamar Valley provides an immersive natural experience. Perfect for someone whose heart was drawn to wildlife, the sounds of the river and calls of animals enhance the sense of living continuity.
6. Ash Scattering for The Peace-Seeker / Meditative Spirit
Recommended Site: Mystic Falls
Why it fits: Nestled in a quiet canyon, Mystic Falls is a serene waterfall surrounded by lush greenery. The gentle cascade encourages reflection, meditation, and a sense of calm — ideal for those who sought inner peace.
7. Ash Scattering for The Explorer / Trail Lover
Recommended Site: Mount Washburn**
Why it fits: Famous for panoramic views over Yellowstone, Mount Washburn rewards effort with expansive horizons. It’s perfect for someone who loved hiking, exploration, and the perspective that comes from being on high ground.
Tips for Choosing the Right Match
Match the site to the personality or passion of your loved one.
Factor in accessibility — some sites require hiking, while others are roadside or overlook locations.
Consider season and time of day — sunrise, sunset, or fall colors can create unique moments.
Use professional services like BONAVENTURE to manage permits, legal compliance, and logistics, ensuring a safe and respectful ceremony.
Planning Your Custom Scattering
We recommend scheduling your custom scattering between late June and early October, when trails are clear and access is safe. Winter scatterings are possible but require special coordination due to snowpack and wildlife closures.
All logistics, park fees, and legal filings are handled by BONAVENTURE. Families need only ship the cremated remains using the USPS Cremated Remains Kit — a free, secure option provided by the U.S. Postal Service.
Contact Us to Begin
If you feel drawn to a specific ridge, river, or grove — or simply want help finding the right place — we’ll walk this process with you from start to finish.
📞 Call or text: (515) 205-4548
✉️ Email: bonaventurememorial@gmail.com
👉 Explore Yellowstone Scattering Packages: Click here
What’s Included in Every Yellowstone Ash Scattering
👉 All logistics coordination – We handle every permit, detail, and schedule on your behalf.
👉 Required park permits and fees – All ceremonies comply fully with National Park Service regulations.
👉 Filing of legal paperwork – Documentation is managed seamlessly for your records.
👉 High-resolution photography – You’ll receive beautiful photos of the scattering site and moment.
👉 GPS coordinates – Provided for future visits and personal reflection.
👉 Respectful hand scattering – Each ceremony is private, individual, and performed by hand.
We never combine ashes from multiple families. Custom sites are chosen within 200 feet of a public path — honoring both legal and ecological standards. Families are welcome to include personal touches such as a poem, song, or special time of day.
Plan Your Yellowstone Farewell
If you’d like help choosing a location or learning more about what’s included, we’d be honored to guide you.
👉 Explore Yellowstone Scattering Packages
A Yellowstone ash scattering is not an ending — it’s a return to the rhythm of the wild, where every sunrise and river keeps the story alive.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ash Scattering in Yellowstone
Is it legal to scatter ashes in Yellowstone National Park?
Yes. The National Park Service allows ash scattering in Yellowstone with prior written permission. BONAVENTURE handles the full permit process for you, ensuring your ceremony follows all federal and environmental guidelines.
Do I need to be present for the scattering?
No. BONAVENTURE offers unaccompanied ash scattering services, so families can honor their loved one’s wishes even if travel is not possible. You’ll receive high-resolution photos and GPS coordinates of the exact location.
Can I choose where the ashes are scattered?
Absolutely. You can select a location that holds personal meaning — or choose from our curated list of approved, meaningful sites such as Artist’s Point, Lamar Valley, or Old Faithful Overlook.
What happens after the scattering?
You’ll receive a keepsake digital photo set, the coordinates of the scattering site, and a completion confirmation once the ceremony has taken place. Each service is conducted privately and respectfully, by hand.
How do I start the process?
Simply reach out to our team. We’ll help with every step — from permits and paperwork to selecting a site that reflects your loved one’s spirit.
📞 (515) 205-4548
✉️ bonaventurememorial@gmail.com
🔗 Resources for Further Reading
Permit info: National Park Service — Scattering of Ashes Permit in Yellowstone National Park Service
Article with deeper context: Is It Legal to Scatter Ashes in National Parks? What You Should Know Bonaventure
Step-by-step guide: Planning a Beautiful Ash Scattering at Yellowstone National Park Bonaventure
