Opening and Closing Schedules
Mother Nature covers Yellowstone National Park in snow during the winter months. Visitors can access the park via car, snowmobile, snowcoach, and cross-country skis. Yellowstone regulates the opening and closing of certain roads for these activities.
Fall 2011:
- October 11: Beartooth Pass Closes. Tower Fall to Canyon Jct closes.
- November 7: All park roads close except from North Entrance to Northeast Entrance.
Winter 2011/2012:
The only road open to vehicle traffic during the winter is between the North Entrance and Northeast Entrance (and Cooke City). Roads open to oversnow vehicles (like snowmobiles and snowcoaches) on the following dates:
- December 15: Most roads open to oversnow travel.
- December 22: East Entrance Road (between East Entrance and Fishing Bridge) opens to oversnow travel.
Note: Oversnow travel ends in March. Only commercially guided oversnow vehicles are allowed on park roads.
Spring 2012:
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 travel just east of Cooke City from late fall to early spring. In the spring some roads are open to non-motorized recreational vehicles like bikes before they are open to motorized vehicles.
Roads will open to motorized, wheeled vehicles as follows (weather permitting):
- April 20: West Entrance
- May 4: East Entrance
- May 11: South Entrance, Chief Joseph Scenic Highway
- May 25: Beartooth Highway
Summer 2012:
From late May to October, most park roads are open to vehicle traffic. Some construction delays will exist.
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.
