Yellowstone National Park - Operating Hours & Seasons (U.S. National Park Service)

Yellowstone is open every day of the year. Most entrances (except the North and North East entrances) close in November while roads are being prepared for the winter season and again in the late March and early April months to clear the roads for the summer season. Interior park roads are only open to over-snow vehicles during the winter season.

Check News Releases or Current Conditions for any unscheduled entrance closures due to adverse weather conditions. Throughout the park, this summer expect traffic delays and road closures. See the Road Construction Schedule and Travel Alert! for more information.

Please refer to our Opening and Closing Dates for Facilities for information about available services in Yellowstone.

Check here for Visitor Center dates and hours.

ROAD OPENING AND CLOSING DATES

Some park areas, entrances and roads are not open year-round!

Winter:

Only two park roads are plowed in the winter and remain open for wheeled-vehicle use

the road between the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, to the Northeast Entrance at Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana.
From Mammoth Hot Springs to the parking area at the Upper Terraces (approximatedly 1/2 mi. of road)

They are maintained only during daylight hours and may close during severe storms. Expect snowpack, ice, frost heaves, drifts. Mud/Snow tires or tire chains may be required and are recommended always. Speed limit for all vehicles is 45 mph (73 kph), or lower where posted—such as from North Entrance to Mammoth. Do not stop on the road or block traffic when viewing wildlife or scenery. Use pullouts. Trails and overlooks may be snow-covered, icy, and dangerous. Obey all trail closures. Walk cautiously at all times and watch your children.

2009-2010 Winter Oversnow Vehicle Road Opening and Closing Schedule

Winter Opening Dates are Snow Permitting and all dates are subject to change!! See our Winter Use Planning page for current information.

December 15, 2009—Most roads open to oversnow travel (weather and snow conditions permitting).
December 22, 2009—East Entrance Road (between East Entrance and Fishing Bridge) opens to oversnow travel.
Winter Road Map

Oversnow travel ends in March:

March 1, 2010—Sylvan Pass closed.
March 15, 2010—All groomed roads in the park are closed.

Refer to Winter Daily Weather Reports for information about temperatures, snowfall, road conditions and Sylvan Pass.

Only commercially guided oversnow vehicles are allowed on other park roads. Best Available Technology snowmobiles are required, and there is a daily limit on snowmobile and snowcoach entries. Off-road use of snowmobiles and snowcoaches is prohibited. The park is open for oversnow vehicle travel from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (the East Entrance opens at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 9:00 p.m.). For more information, go to Winter Activities and Winter Use Planning.

Spring Road Openings:

The North Entrance to Northeast Entrance at Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana is open all year. Please note that this road is closed to east/west travel just east of Cooke City from late fall to early spring.

Once an Entrance/Road opens, it is open 24 hours a day. The only exceptions are caused by road construction and weather-related restrictions.

Roads will open to motorized, wheeled vehicles as follows:

April 16, 2010—Weather permitting, west-side roads open to motor vehicles. Mammoth to Norris Junction to Madison Junction to Old Faithful; Madison Junction to West Entrance. In addition, Norris Junction to Canyon opens to wheeled vehicles.
May 7, 2010—Weather permitting, Canyon to Lake, Lake to East Entrance opens to wheeled vehicles.
May 14, 2010—Tower to Tower Fall opens to wheeled vehicles. Lake to West Thumb, West Thumb to Old Faithful, and South to Old Faithful opens to wheeled vehicles. Cooke City via Colter Pass to the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway intersection to the Long Lake gate shall open as soon thereafter as possible.
May 21, 2010—Long Lake Gate over the Beartooth, and Tower Falls to Canyon will be open.

In the spring, before park roads open to motorized vehicles, some roads are open to non-motorized recreational vehicles such as bicycles, roller skis, and roller blades. There will be some administrative vehicles traveling the roads at this time so be careful. See the Spring Biking Page for a map and more information.

Fall Road Closures:

October 12, 2010—Roads close to the public at Tower Fall to Canyon Jct. and Long Lake via Beartooth Pass to the Montana Stateline. (GATES CLOSE AT 8 A.M.).
November 8, 2010—all park roads closed to the public at 8 a.m. except from the North Entrance to Upper Mammoth Terrace, and Mammoth via Tower Junction to Northeast Entrance. Cooke City via Colter Pass to the Long Lake gate is not maintained for wheeled vehicle travel.

Fall weather is unpredictable; roads may be closed temporarily by snow or other weather conditions. Snow tires or chains may be required. Please Note: The section of the Beartooth Highway (Highway 212), between the junction of Highway 296 and Red Lodge, Montana, closes in winter on a schedule determined by amount of snowfall. Travel between Red Lodge and the Northeast Entrance is not possible on Highway 212 until it opens again in the spring.

Summer:

Park Areas, Entrances and Roads open on different dates. Detailed information is listed above and on the Opening and Closing Dates for Facilities. The summer season runs from approximately mid-April to the beginning of November. Opening and Closing Dates for Facilities includes scheduled opening and closing dates for areas, campgrounds, entrances, lodging, roads, and more.

We recommend that visitors check the following resources before traveling:

National Weather Service forecast for Yellowstone and Grand Teton: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/riw/?n=ynp_gtnp
WYDOT Road Information 888-WYO-ROAD or http://www.wyo.road.info/
M-DOT Road Information 800-226-7623 or http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/

Colored map of Yellowstone detailing roads.