Opening and Closing Schedules

Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 Road Openings, Closures and Schedule

Fall Road Closures:

August 17, 2009: Gibbon Canyon Road closed due to construction from Artist Paint Pots, through Gibbon Canyon, to Tuff Cliff Picnic Area.

October 13, 2009: 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 1, 2009: 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: 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 2009/2010:

The North Entrance to Northeast Entrance at Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana is open all year. Note that the road travelling east out of Cooke City is closed from late fall to early spring.

Over snow travel: Most roads that are closed to vehicles will open for over snow travel during the winter months. Dates are subject to change without warning due to weather and conditions.

December 15, 2009: Most roads open to oversnow travel. 
December 22, 2009: East Entrance Road, between the East Entrance and Fishing Bridge, opens to oversnow travel. 
March 1, 2010: Sylvan Pass closed. 
March 15, 2010: All groomed roads in the park are closed.

Spring 2010:

Roads will open to motorized, wheeled vehicles as follows:

April 16, 2010: Weather permitting, interior rodes open to auto travel.

Once an Entrance/Road opens, it is open 24 hours a day. The only exceptions are caused by road construction and weather-related restrictions. Before roads open to the public, they can be used by visitors for bicycling, jogging and other activities.

Disclaimer: As we do our best to keep road information within Yellowstone National Park up to date, please note that dates and closures are subject to change without notice.

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