In June 2022, unprecedented amounts of rainfall caused substantial flooding, rockslides, and mudslides within Yellowstone National Park. Historic water levels caused severe damage to roads, water and wastewater systems, power lines, and other critical park infrastructure. (Video includes natural sounds only: no narration.)
Less than three weeks after this major flood event, the south and north loops of the park opened to the visiting public. Approximately 93% of paved roads and 94% of Yellowstone’s backcountry is currently open to the public.
Please visit Operating Hours and Seasons for the most up-to-date information on facility dates and operations. More details about current park road access can be found below or on the Park Roads page.
Visitors with a day-use ticket can drive to Tower Junction via the West, South, and East entrances. Visitors cannot drive from either the North Entrance in Gardiner, MT, or the Northeast Entrance at Cooke City/Silvergate, MT, as those entrances are closed to visitor vehicles.
The Tower Junction to Slough Creek corridor is a popular area to fish, hike, and watch wildlife.
Effective August 3 through Oct. 31, 2022, visitors with a day-use ticket will be able to drive the road corridor from Tower Junction to Slough Creek, accessible only via Tower-Roosevelt. No day-use ticket is needed for visitors wanting to park at Tower-Roosevelt and bicycle, hike and fish between Tower Junction and Slough Creek.
Visitors can book a day-use ticket here: Recreation.gov. Tickets are only available at Recreation.gov. There is a $2 non-refundable reservation fee.
For those who want to access this road corridor with their vehicle, tickets can be reserved two days in advance from recreation.gov and are valid for one vehicle for one day (max 3 tickets per transaction). Two ticket windows are available for each day:
8 a.m. window
Visitors booking this window may enter the Tower-Slough Creek road corridor between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. and must exit that same day by 4:30 p.m.
12 p.m. window
Visitors booking this window may enter the Tower-Slough Creek road corridor between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. and must exit that same day by 4:30 p.m.
Visitors must print or screenshot their ticket prior to arriving in the park as there is no cell service or connectivity at Tower Junction.
Approved stock outfitters, guides with a commercial use authorization, and backcountry overnight permit holders do not need a ticket to access the road corridor. The road has been open for them to provide public access by vehicle since July 13.
The North Entrance Road (Gardiner, Montana to Mammoth Hot Springs) and Northeast Entrance Road (Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana to Tower-Roosevelt) remain closed to visitor vehicular traffic while temporary repairs are completed.
Visitors may access the park on foot and bicycle through these entrances in order to recreate (fish and hike) in areas not identified as closed:
From the North Entrance, pedestrians and bicyclists can travel 1 mile to the Rescue Creek Trailhead.
From the Northeast Entrance, pedestrians and bicyclists can travel 2 miles to the Warm Creek Trailhead.
Approved guides and outfitters are being granted as much access as possible to opened sections of the park through the North and Northeast Entrance Roads. Park staff will continue to work with commercial guides and outfitters in Gardiner and Cooke City/Silver Gate to further expand park access where possible.
Reconnecting the park to Gardiner and Cooke City/Silver Gate remains Yellowstone's highest flood recovery priority. These communities are open with access to the park as described above.
Backcountry campsites or Indian Creek, Lewis Lake, and Slough Creek Campgrounds:
If your reservation was impacted, you're encouraged to re-book at one of the campgrounds that are currently open. Otherwise, Yellowstone National Park staff will reach out to you soon about reservation cancelations and refunds.
