From drafting wildlife management plans, rehabilitating historic park buildings, to planning large-scale road improvement projects, the National Park Service (NPS) prepares a variety of planning and environmental documents to guide the management and protection of park resources for future generations. Yellowstone National Park is unique and complex because it’s not only home to thousands of hydrothermal features and species of animals and plants across 2.2 million acres – it's also home to a community of about 4,500 NPS employees, volunteers, and concessions workers during the peak summer season. The park also stewards almost 900 historic structures that require additional considerations and coordination when planning park projects. With more than 4.5 million visitors each year, the park must also consider construction timing, potential closures, and other factors that could impact the visitor experience. Glossary of TermsNot another acronym! You might notice some unfamiliar lingo when looking into park planning efforts. What does it all mean? The NPS PEPC website is the official site for public involvement in the National Park Service’s planning process. On this site, you can submit comments and find documents, projects, policies, and guidance for various projects across the National Park Service system.
A CE is a brief document prepared when a proposed project is determined to not, under normal circumstances, significantly impact the environment.
Scoping is the procedure of identifying important issues and determining the level of analysis necessary for an informed decision on a proposed project. Scoping is an important part of environmental analysis and includes early involvement of the public and internal and external agency contacts. Although formal scoping occurs for a specific time period, we welcome public comments on park projects while we are in the process of preparing plans.
An EA is a detailed document prepared to determine if a proposed project could significantly impact the environment. If it’s determined during analysis that a project could significantly impact a resource, an environmental impact statement (EIS) is prepared.
A FONSI is a document prepared to record a decision made based on the analysis in an EA that, if implemented, would not significantly impact the environment.
An EIS is a detailed document prepared when a proposed project has the potential to significantly impact the environment.
A ROD is a document prepared to confirm a decision based on an EIS. It includes a statement of the decision made, a detailed rationale for the decision, and the mitigations that would be implemented as part of the proposed project.
Current Projects
North Entrance Road Reconstruction EANext public comment period: Fall 2025Learn more about this project on the NPS PEPC website During a 500-year flood event in June 2022, multiple sections of the North Entrance Road in the Gardner River Canyon were washed out and destroyed, preventing access to and from the park through the North Entrance. Public access was restored by the end of October 2022 by making emergency improvements to the Old Gardiner Road, a historic one-lane, dirt road along the hillside that was originally established in the late 1800s as a stagecoach route. The NPS, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, is considering the construction of a new permanent North Entrance Road to restore long-term access to and from the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana. The North Entrance is the only park entrance open year-round, providing vehicular access between Gardiner and Mammoth Hot Springs for staff, visitors, and residents of Silver Gate/Cooke City, Montana. The goal for this project is to construct a road that is more resilient to floods and other natural hazards while protecting natural and cultural resources to the greatest extent practical. Planning ProcessIn February and March 2024, the NPS began the environmental compliance process by hosting virtual meetings to present three preliminary road alignment alternatives and solicit public comment. A draft EA will likely be released for public review and comment in fall 2025, with a final decision expected in spring 2026. More information about the North Entrance Road Reconstruction project, including newsletters and recordings of past public meetings, can be found on the NPS PEPC website.Step 1: Define project purpose/need and develop preliminary alternatives Step 2: Public review and comment on preliminary alternatives Step 3: Analyze public comments and refine alternatives Step 4: Identify environmental impacts and select preferred alternative *Step 5: Prepare draft EA Step 6: Public review and comment on draft EA Step 7: Analyze public comments Step 8: Prepare final EA Step 9: Release final EA and FONSI to the public *Indicates current step in the planning process 
Recently Completed Projects This updated plan responds to new scientific information, changing circumstances, and recent litigation involving bison management in Yellowstone and sets conditions for supporting partners’ efforts outside the park.
The NPS announced the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for this EIS in July 2024. View all project documents on the NPS PEPC website and learn more about bison management in Yellowstone. This project includes the installation of 187 miles of buried fiber optic cable in previously disturbed areas along park roads to improve telecommunications systems in the developed areas of Yellowstone. The park’s existing microwave radio system is highly unreliable and does not support the park’s needs for emergency communications, operations, and other forms of communications.
The NPS signed a FONSI in 2021 for this EA. View all project documents on the NPS PEPC website. This project includes replacing the structurally deficient Lewis River Bridge, located along the heavily used South Entrance Road. Parking and pedestrian areas located north and south of the existing bridge would be redesigned and reconstructed as well. This project is anticipated to be completed in summer 2025.
The NPS signed a FONSI in 2018 for this EA. View all project documents on the NPS PEPC website and view photos of this project on our Flickr. This project includes replacing the 1963 Yellowstone River Bridge near Tower Junction and modernizing 3.5 miles of roadway, pullouts, and ancillary facilities. Replacing the Yellowstone River Bridge will help maintain safe visitor access from the park’s Northeast Entrance, as the bridge is on the only road corridor in the park open year-round and plowed during winter seasons. Project completion is anticipated to be in fall 2026.
The NPS signed a FONSI in 2020 for this EA. View all project documents on the NPS PEPC website and view photos of this project on our Flickr. Planning ArchivesAn archive of all completed and ongoing planning projects in Yellowstone and other national parks can be found on the NPS PEPC website.More Information
Planning & Environmental Compliance News |
Last updated: August 7, 2025