Accessibility

 
Two people, one in a wheelchair, read a wayside exhibit on a boardwalk
A 1/2-mile boardwalk starting at the Forces of the Northern Range parking area is wheelchair-accessible and includes wayside exhibits.

NPS/Jacob W. Frank

The National Park Service and its concessioners strive to make Yellowstone National Park universally accessible. Many facilities are more than a century old and accessibility is not always ideal. Through an on-going self-assessment and transition plan, Yellowstone National Park is identifying and eliminating barriers to accessibility in its facilities, programs, and services. Extra obstacles will be encountered because of the remote, wilderness nature of this special place. Facilities described as accessible do not necessarily comply fully with federal standards and some accessible facilities are not marked with the international symbol.

 

 

The official NPS app includes up-to-date accessibility information for facilities and some trails. Many outdoor park exhibits and all of the entrances to visitor centers are audio described. The app includes alternative text for images, combined with your device’s built-in accessibility features. Download it for free before you arrive.

Access Pass

The America the Beautiful - The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass Series includes the Access Pass: a free, lifetime admission and discount pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities. Access Passes are available online and at Yellowstone's entrance stations and visitor centers.

Audio/Visual Assistance

Sign Language Interpreters

Available for ranger programs with three weeks notice. Call 307-344-2251 or email us. This length of time and specificity is needed because we contract for this service with people who may live hours away from the park.

Captioning

  • The films shown at Canyon, Old Faithful, and Grant visitor centers are captioned.
  • The Albright Visitor Center at Mammoth Hot Springs has open captioning on silent videos associated with displays and tactile exhibits.

Assistive Listening

  • Films shown at the Canyon and Old Faithful visitor centers include assistive listening devices.
  • The Albright Visitor Center has induction loop technology at the information desk.

Audio Description

  • Download audio description for the Official Yellowstone Map & Guide.
  • Tour of the Albright Visitor Center at Mammoth Hot Springs.
  • In the NPS Yellowstone app, find the Fort Yellowstone National Historic Landmark District and Forces of the Northern Range self-guiding trails for audio-described wayside exhibits.
  • Films at the Canyon and Old Faithful visitor centers.
  • The UniDescription App audio describes many National Park Service official map and guide publications, including Yellowstone's (available for free on the App Store and Google Play).

Large Print & Braille

Large print and braille versions of the official Yellowstone Map & Guide are available at visitor centers, contacting the park, or download a copy in a Braille Ready Format (BRF).

Service Animals

Qualified service animals assisting people with disabilities are allowed and must be leashed. A service animal is defined as a dog that performs some of the functions and tasks that the individual with a disability cannot perform such as carrying a pack for persons with mobility impairments, assisting persons with balance, or alerting medically-dependent persons of specific conditions such as oncoming seizures. Companion dogs that are used only to provide comfort or emotional support (“therapy animals”), or other pets are not allowed in buildings, the backcountry, on nature trails, or on boardwalks. Read more about service animals in Yellowstone.

Wheelchairs and Mobility

We offer general information about wheelchairs and mobility in Yellowstone, as well as location-specific information.

 
 
A wheelchair rests on the boardwalk behind a crowd of people sitting on benches.
Wheelchairs and Mobility

Learn more about wheelchairs and mobility options in the park.

A site next to a bare ground path indicates the location of a backcountry campsite.
Backcountry Accessibility

Learn about the backcountry accessibility options.

Visitors sitting around tables eating and kids playing on furniture.
Accessibility in the Canyon Area

Learn about the accessible opportunities and options around Canyon Village and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.

Bright yellow, three-story hotel building standing in the conifer forest next to a deep, blue lake.
Accessibility in the Lake Area

Learn about the accessibility options in the Lake area.

A visitor used a mobility aid to travel along the boardwalks at Midway Geyser Basin.
Accessibility in the Madison Area

Learn about the accessibility options in the Madison area.

A terraced hot spring of whites, yellows, and oranges with steam rising from it.
Accessibility around Mammoth Hot Springs

Learn about the accessibility options in the Mammoth Hot Springs area.

A boardwalk winds through a forested area, providing views on a stark, gray, steaming landscape.
Accessibility in the Norris Area

Learn about accessibility options in the Norris Geyser Basin area.

Wheelchair-bound visitor and his family take a picture while Old Faithful Geyser erupts.
Accessibility in the Old Faithful Area

Learn about the accessibility options in and around the Old Faithful area.

Bison and pronghorn grazing in green, grassy plains of with forested hills in the distance.
Accessibility in Tower–Roosevelt Area

Learn about accessibility options in the Tower–Roosevelt area.

Visitors walk along a boardwalk between hydrothermal features and a lakeshore.
Accessibility in the West Thumb Area

Learn about accessibility options in the West Thumb, Grant Village, and southern part of the park.

Steam rises from hot springs and runoff flowing in front of a wooded hillside.
Service Animals

Qualified service animals assisting people with disabilities are allowed and must be leashed.

A brochure with the word Yellowstone sits on top of another unfolded brochure.
Yellowstone Map and Guide

The park brochure is available in a variety of formats: Braille, audio description or text-only.

Last updated: January 11, 2024

Park footer

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

PO Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190-0168

Phone:

307-344-7381

Contact Us