Yellowstone National Park Access

Latest Updates and useful information.

The roads from Tower Falls to Canyon Jct and Long lake via the Beartooth Highway are now closed for the season.

ALL Park roads will close on November 7th.

Park Opening:

Yellowstone is open every day of the year through the North & North East Entrances only.
The West entrance is closed from mid November to Mid December 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.

Fall:

November 7, 2011—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.

Winter:

2011-2012 Winter Oversnow Vehicle Road Opening and Closing Schedule
Winter Opening Dates are Snow Permitting and all dates are subject to change
December 15, 2011—Most roads open to oversnow travel (weather and snow conditions permitting).
December 22, 2011—East Entrance Road (between East Entrance and Fishing Bridge) opens to oversnow travel.
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 (approximately 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.
Oversnow travel ends in March. Roads close at 9 PM on the days listed:
March 1, 2012—East Entrance to Lake Butte (Sylvan Pass.)
March 6: Mammoth to Norris
March 8: Madison to Norris to Canyon
March 13: Canyon to Fishing Bridge
March 15, 2012—All other groomed roads in the park are closed.
Only commercially guided over-snow vehicles are allowed on other park roads. For information on snowcoach tours and snowmobile rentals, call SeeYellowstone.com at 1-800-221-1151 or visit www.seeyellowstone.com

Spring:

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.

The approximate dates that roads will open to motorized, wheeled vehicles are as follows:

April 15, 2012—Weather permitting, west-side roads open to motor vehicles. Visitors will be able to travel by car through the park’s North & West Entrances to Norris, Madison, Canyon, & Old Faithful beginning at 8:00 a.m.
May 6, 2012—Weather permitting, the road linking Canyon, Fishing Bridge, & the East Entrance opens to wheeled vehicles.
May 13, 2012—Travel from the South Entrance to Grant, West Thumb, Fishing Bridge, & Lake over Craig Pass to Old Faithful open to wheeled vehicles. Also, Tower Junction to Tower Fall opens to wheeled vehicles. The road from Cooke City over Colter Pass to the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway intersection to the Long Lake gate shall open as soon thereafter as possible. For information on roads outside of the park from Cooke City via the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, travelers in Wyoming may dial 511; those outside of Wyoming may call 1-888-996-7623, or visit the Wyoming Department of Transportation website at http://www.wyoroad.info/ .
May 27, 2012—Dunraven Pass (Tower to Canyon); Long Lake Gate over the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge, Montana. For information on the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge, Montana, which usually opens the Friday before the Memorial Day Holiday weekend.

Travelers in Montana may dial 511; those outside Montana may call 1-800-226-7623, or visit the Montana Department of Transportation website.

Additionally 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.

Summer:

The summer season runs from approximately mid-April to the beginning of November.
Park Areas, Entrances and Roads open on different dates and are dependent on weather condition. Once an Entrance/Road opens, it is open 24 hours a day. The only exceptions are caused by road construction and weather-related restrictions.

We recommend that visitors check the following resources before traveling:
National Weather Service forecast for Yellowstone and Grand Teton
WYDOT Road Information 888-WYO-ROAD
M-DOT Road Information 800-226-7623

2012 free access days

The National Park Service have designated the following dates in 2012 for Free access into the Park:

* January 14 to 16 (Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend)

* April 21 to 29 (National Park Week)

* June 9 (Get Outdoors Day)

* September 29 (National Public Lands Day)

Winter Use EIS

The following is an update on the status of the Winter Use in Yellowstone from our perspective at Three Bear Lodge:

Firstly, we pleased that as of February of 2011, Dan Wenk, became Yellowstone’s new Superintendent. He first began working in Yellowstone in 1979. Now after serving as Superintendant of Mount Rushmore National Memorial for 16 years and Deputy Director of Operations for the Park service in Washington D.C. is returning to his old stomping grounds as Superintendant. He took over the reins just as the Draft Yellowstone Winter Use Environmental Impact Statement was released for public comment.

Our overall impression of the Preferred Alternative was one of great concern. However, we have been told that the comment period was very robust with 164,000 items commented on from 64,000 comments with 50 of those letters to be really substantive. As a result of those comments, thanks to people like you, we have been assured that major changes to the alternative will be take place. While it is too early to know what those changes are, we feel they will be positive changes when the final Record of Decision will be issued, in time for the 2012-13 winter season. No matter what the outcome, this coming winter will be a transition year and will be identical to the same stipulations that were in place last year. So, the NPS has assured everyone that the Park will be open this coming winter as it was last winter.

Here are our beliefs regarding the status of the current situation.

Superintendant Wenk has personally assured me that they have taken seriously the public comments and as a result will try to come back with a new preferred alternative that will be very different from the proposed one. He feels confident that they will be completed with the process by the 2012-13 season. Among the areas of greatest concern from the public, that will result in change is 1) elimination of some side roads to motorized vehicles for people powered sports. 2) The whole variable use with different entry level caps. (Sorry, but this was an example of typical bureaucratic bungling) 3) Sound issues 4) the requirement of everyone to be in the Park by 10:30 AM. 5)Snowcoach BAT requirement by 2014 and others.

In a nut shell, The Park will be open this year to snowmobiles, snowcoaches, cross country skiing and snowshoes. The same restrictions will apply this year as last. There is plenty of space available. Give us a call for any of your winter needs, complete packages or individual snowmobiles rentals, snowcoaches, lodging etc. We are celebrating our 40th year showing people the beauties of Yellowstone. We hope you will come and see us.

Clyde Seely