MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – Beginning at 8 a.m. Friday, April 20, 2018, select roads and services in Yellowstone National Park will open for the season. The opening of a five-mile-stretch of road between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris may be delayed until it is safe to drive on. Plan accordingly and stay informed.

Open Roads

• West Entrance to Madison
• Madison to Old Faithful
• Madison to Norris
• Norris to Canyon Village
• Norris to Roaring Mountain
• Mammoth Hot Springs to Willow Park
• North Entrance to Mammoth Hot Springs to Northeast Entrance (open year-round)

Open Services

• Visit Operating Hours & Seasons for area-specific services.

Delayed Opening

Due to unsafe driving conditions, the road between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris may remain closed until it is safe to drive on. A road construction area, about five miles between Willow Park and Roaring Mountain, is unpaved, deeply rutted, and muddy. Construction crews are working hard to improve the area.

Plan Your Visit

Until the road construction area opens, plan to travel to Old Faithful and Canyon via the West Entrance.

Stay Informed

Find updated road status on the park website, at Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, Canyon Village, and West Yellowstone visitor centers, and by calling (307) 344-2117. To receive Yellowstone road alerts on your mobile phone, text “82190” to 888-777 (an automatic text reply will confirm receipt and provide instructions).

Each spring, Yellowstone National Park clears snow and ice from approximately 320 miles of park roads as well as the Beartooth Highway outside the park’s Northeast Entrance in preparation for the summer season.

Springtime in Yellowstone means fewer crowds, opportunities for hiking at lower elevations, and skiing or snowshoeing at higher elevations. Wildlife viewing highlights this time of year include bison calving, bears recently emerged from dens, bull elk antlers in velvet, and the arrival of migratory birds.

To celebrate National Park Week, entrance fees will be waived on Saturday, April 21, 2018.

The park is pleased to offer a new, alternative method for purchasing digital annual and seven-day entrance passes online at YourPassNow. In addition to the traditional method of paying fees in-person upon arrival, visitors can use a personal device to purchase entrance passes at no additional cost. Once purchased, passes are emailed and can be used immediately, stored on a personal device, or printed for future use.

Beginning Wednesday, March 28, bicyclists willing to brave the unpredictable elements of spring can cycle select roads in Yellowstone National Park.

Road segments include Mammoth Hot Springs to Willow Park and the West Entrance to Roaring Mountain. Until conditions improve, it will not be possible to bicycle between Mammoth Hot Springs and the West Entrance because the road construction area (about five miles between Willow Park and Roaring Mountain) is under construction, unpaved, deeply rutted, and muddy. 

As conditions allow, bicycles will be permitted from the East Entrance to the east end of Sylvan Pass, and the South Entrance to West Thumb. Check the Spring and Fall Bicycling web page for the status of the road segments.

There is no bicycle access to Old Faithful or Canyon until those interior park roads open to public motorized vehicle access on Friday, April 20.  

A spring bicycle trip into Yellowstone must be taken seriously. Quickly changing weather can be challenging. Roads may close temporarily due to weather conditions. Snow and ice may still cover sections of road. Tall snow banks may line roads and pullouts may be snow packed. Wildlife may be on the roads. 

Bicyclists will likely encounter and must yield to snowplows and other motorized vehicles operated by park employees or construction workers readying the park for spring opening. Bicyclists are required to ride single file and follow all other rules of the road. 

Bicyclists should prepare to encounter bears, bison, elk, wolves, and other wildlife at any time. It’s illegal to approach wildlife, within any distance that disturbs or displaces the animal. Riders are strongly encouraged to turn around if they encounter wildlife on the road and carry bear spray. Riders must stay out of closed areas. 

No services are available along these sections of road. Cell phone coverage throughout the park is sparse and unreliable for communicating emergencies. Riders should plan for self-rescue or repair, and be prepared to spend an extended period of time in winter conditions in the event they experience a mechanical breakdown, injury, or other emergency. 

Cyclists can call 307-344-2109 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays for updated road access information.

The National Park Service has issued the following statement regarding the first sightings of bear at Yellowstone National Park this year: 

The first grizzly bear sightings of 2018 occurred in Yellowstone National Park last week. On Tuesday, March 6, staff observed an 11-year-old male grizzly bear wearing a radio collar in the west-central part of the park. On Wednesday, March 7, employees reported seeing a grizzly bear in the east-central part of the park.

Male grizzlies come out of hibernation in mid-to-late March. Females with cubs emerge later, in April to early May. When bears emerge from hibernation, they look for food and often feed on elk and bison that died over the winter. Sometimes, bears will react aggressively while feeding on carcasses.

All of Yellowstone National Park is bear country: from the deepest backcountry to the boardwalks around Old Faithful. Your safety cannot be guaranteed, but you can play an active role in protecting yourself and the bears people come here to enjoy by following these guidelines:

Prepare for a bear encounter.

Carry bear spray, know how to use it, and make sure it’s accessible.

Stay alert.

Hike or ski in groups of three or more, stay on maintained trails, and make noise. Avoid hiking at dusk, dawn, or at night.

Do not run if you encounter a bear.

Stay 100 yards away from black and grizzly bears. Use binoculars, a telescope, or telephoto lens to get a closer look.

Store food, garbage, barbecue grills, and other attractants in hard-sided vehicles or bear-proof food storage boxes.

Report bear sightings and encounters to a park ranger immediately.

Learn more about bear safety.

“Many Yellowstone visitors are deeply passionate about the conservation of park bears,” says Kerry Gunther, the park’s bear management specialist. “Reducing human-bear conflicts by preventing bears from obtaining food and garbage, hiking in groups of three or more people, carrying bear spray, and making noise in blind spots on the trail are the best way for visitors to protect bears while recreating in the park.”

While firearms are allowed in the park, the discharge of a firearm by visitors is a violation of park regulations. Bear spray has proven effective in deterring bears defending cubs and food sources. It can also reduce the number of bears killed by people in self-defense.

Winter storms are causing significant road closures in Yellowstone.At this time, only the road from the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, through the park to Cooke City, Montana remains open.It’s possible that roads will be closed through the weeken…

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – This weekend, November 4-5, provides the last chance for visitors to drive to many iconic locations in Yellowstone.

The West, South, and East Entrances and all roads, with one exception, will close to vehicle travel at 8 a.m. Monday, November 6, so the park can prepare them for the winter season and snowmobile and snowcoach travel, which will begin Tuesday, December 15.

The one exception is the road from the park’s North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana through Mammoth Hot Springs to the park’s Northeast Entrance and the communities of Cooke City and Silver Gate, Montana. This road is open all year, weather permitting. Travel east of Cooke City (via the Beartooth Highway) is not possible from late fall to late spring.

Visitors driving to and in the park during the fall and winter should have flexible travel plans and be prepared for changing weather conditions. Temporary travel restrictions or closures can occur at any time without notice. For the most current information on road conditions and road closures, visit go.nps.gov/YellRoads or call 307-344-2117 for recorded information.

Extensive information for planning a winter visit in Yellowstone, including information about lodging, camping, services, and activities, is available on the park’s web site at www.nps.gov/yell.

All communities near Yellowstone are open year-round, with local businesses offering a wide range of fall and winter recreation opportunities. For information about communities in Montana (Gardiner, West Yellowstone, Cooke City, and Silver Gate), visit www.visitmt.com. For information about Wyoming communities (Cody and Jackson), visit www.wyomingtourism.org. And if your travel plans to the park take you through Idaho, visit www.visitidaho.org.