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Yellowstone Park Road Openings

Roads will open into Yellowstone National Park to motorized, wheeled vehicles on a staggered schedule each spring. The schedule for spring 2012 is as follows:

  • April 20, 2012—Weather permitting, west-side roads open to motor vehicles. Mammoth to Norris Junction to Madison Junction to Old Faithful; Madison Junction to West Entrance. In addition, Norris Junction to Canyon opens to wheeled vehicles.

  • April 21 -29th, 2012 -- Plan ahead for National Parks Week with FEE FREE days. You can drive into Yellowstone Park without paying any admission fee.

  • May 4, 2012—Weather permitting, Canyon to Lake, Lake to East Entrance opens to wheeled vehicles.

  • May 11, 2012—Tower to Tower Fall opens to wheeled vehicles. Lake to West Thumb, West Thumb to Old Faithful, and South to Old Faithful opens to wheeled vehicles. Cooke City via Colter Pass to the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway intersection to the Long Lake gate shall open as soon thereafter as possible.

  • May 25, 2012—Long Lake Gate over the Beartooth and Tower Falls to Canyon will be open.

Yellowstone Road Information

West Yellowstone and the West entrance offer the shortest distance to Old Faithful and West Thumb and easy access to Fishing Bridge or the South Entrance. The roads within Yellowstone Park open on a staggered schedule each spring for wheeled public vehicles. Here is this spring’s schedule:

  • Thursday, April 20th, 2012: The West entrance at West Yellowstone, Montana (to Canyon and Old Faithful); Northwest entrance at Mammoth Hot Springs; Northeast entrance at Silver Gate/Cook City, Montana. Also, the road linking Canyon, Fishing Bridge, & the East Entrance opens to wheeled vehicles.

  • May 11, 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. Craig Pass, which connects the east side of the Grand Loop Road to Old Faithful is also closed until at least May 13th, 2011 due to heavy snowfall.  Visitors should allow extra travel time if traveling to the Old Faithful area from the east side of the park .

  • May 25, 2012—Dunraven Pass (Tower to Canyon); Long Lake Gate over the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge, Montana.  This includes the Beartooth Highway.

NOTE: The Yellowstone Airport (located two miles north of West Yellowstone) operates seasonally June 1st through September 30th and is served by Skywest Airlines (Delta Connection). Car rentals and taxi service are available at the airport.

Yellowstone Park Road Construction Projects

Road construction is a normal part of the ‘warm’ weather season here in the Rocky Mountains. This summer will also bring road improvement projects on many of the major travel routes to Yellowstone Park from Montana and Wyoming. Check back for specific project updates.

  • Northeast Entrance (Lamar Bridge) Expect 30-minute delays.

  • Beartooth Highway (US 212), Milepost 25–43.1 (state line)— Summer - open with possible 30 minute delays at Beartooth Lake Bridge except holidays.

  • Yellowstone Park road updates available at (307) 344-2117

    • Plan ahead by reading the following updates, allowing extra time, or finding an alternate route. We also suggest these tips for summer travel:

  • Make sure to pack some extra water or beverages, tuck in a few snacks, and make sure your camera batteries are charged.

  • When you hit a delay, stop your car, roll your windows down, turn off the engine, and enjoy the smells, sights, and sounds of Yellowstone. Watch for wildlife along the rivers and streams, hidden at the edge of the forests, or colorful song birds in the trees above.

  • When you hit a delay, stop your car, roll your windows down, turn off the engine, and enjoy the smells, sights, and sounds of Yellowstone. Watch for wildlife along the rivers and streams, hidden at the edge of the forests, or colorful song birds in the trees above.

  • Meet your ‘neighbors,’ exchange Yellowstone adventures, and get the latest wildlife sightings.


Yellowstone Summer Road Information
West Yellowstone Montana and the west entrance offer the shortest distance to Old Faithful and West Thumb, as well as the most direct route to the South Entrance and Grand Teton National Park.

Grand Teton National Park Road Updates

Grand Teton Park road updates available at (307) 739-3614

Highway 26/89/191 (outer park road) is open year-round from Jackson to Flagg Ranch or Togwotee Pass and Dubois, WY.  There is a permanent nighttime speed limit of 45 miles per hour on a section of Highway 26/89/191 is located about 4 miles north of Jackson, Wyoming . This road is open year round. In addition to being the south entrance to GTNP and park headquarters, it is also the road to the airport, to several private residences, and to the southern entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Note:  Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) officials have permanently reduced the nighttime speed limit to 45 miles per hour on a section of Highway 26/89/191 is located about 4 miles north of Jackson, Wyoming . This road is open year round. In addition to being the south entrance to GTNP and park headquarters, it is also the road to the airport, to several private residences, and to the southern entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Montana Road Construction Updates

Montana Highway Updates available at (800) 226-7623 or visit www.mdt511.com

  • Alert! US Highway 191 north of West Yellowstone (9.9 miles north) new highway construction project including bridge replacement and road re-routing. Expect heavy equipment and traffic congestion and short delays. Reduced speed to 25-35 MPH, single lane traffic, traffic controlled by signal lights.

  • Alternate route to West Yellowstone: Follow Hwy 191 north to Bozeman until it interests with Hwy 287 (10 miles). Turn west (left) and drive to Ennis. Along the way, make sure to stop at the Quake Lake Visitor Center. In Ennis you can take a side trip to the old mining towns of Nevada and Virginia cities. Or, just continue north from Ennis to the Norris Junction where you can turn right to go to Bozeman, MT or keep going north to I-90.

  • US Highway 191 Mile Marker 70.2 to 81.6 Gallatin River Bridge to Four Corners.  Paving work in progress. Expect delays of 15 to 15 minutes, reduced speed to 35 MPH, grooved surface, traffic controlled by signal lights, flaggers.  Grading.

Idaho Road Construction Updates

Idaho Highway Updates available at (888) 437-7623 or visit http://511.idaho.gov



Alternate Routes through Yellowstone Park (warm season only):

Alternate Routes to West Yellowstone