Plows are out preparing for this Friday's opening of the Yellowstone National Park road system on the west side of the park, marking the official opening of the Summer 2011 season. Slated to open: the roads from West Yellowstone and Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris, Canyon, Madison and Old Faithful.

Visitation to Yellowstone National Park was down slightly this past winter, as heavy snows and bad weather deterred visitors from driving or busing to the North Entrance for day trips.

Using an analysis of the electrical conductivity of the Yellowstone volcano, researchers at the University of Utah say the plume is larger than previously assumed, descending at a 40-degree tilt from Yellowstone National Park and extending some 400 miles from east to west.

With Congressional leaders and President Barack Obama reaching a budget agreement late last night, there will be no shutdown of Yellowstone National Park, as the NPS preps for the seasonal opening April 15.