Yellowstone National Park Road Information

The only road open in Yellowstone National Park is Highway 89 at Gardiner, Montana to park Headquarters at Mammoth Hot Springs and from Mammoth Hot Springs to Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana. No other entrance to Yellowstone is open at this time. The East, South, and West entrances will open in December for oversnow vehicle travel (snowcoachs and snowmobiles). The East, Northeast, South, and West entrances will open in spring (April and May 2012) to regular vehicle entrance and travel.

For an Adobe pdf copy of the above map, Click Here

Northeast Entrance Road / Lamar River Bridge

Expect 30-minute delays. There will be no construction or delays during holiday weekends.

Beartooth Highway US 212 / Outside of Yellowstone / Top of the World

From Mile Post 25 to mile post 43 from mid May to 30 September - expect 30-minute delays. There will be no construction or delays during holiday weekends. See Link.

Yellowstone National Park 2011 Opening Schedule

Yellowstone National Park is our first and grandest national park. Only a part of Yellowstone is open all year. The North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana is Open Year Round. The road from Gardiner to Mammoth Hot Springs and from Mammoth to Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana is maintained for winter vehicle travel. In winter, vehicles are usually required to have snow tires and may be required to have chains to enter the park. The road though plowed and maintained, will be snow or ice packed in areas. The North Entrance is open 24/7 365 days a year, but there may be temporary closures due to weather or other conditions. Also of note, you cannot travel east of Cooke City, Montana until late spring when the road east of Cooke City is plowed open for vehicle travel. Please Note: This schedule is subject to change due to weather, fire, or other conditions.

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Yellowstone National Park 2011 Closing Schedule

This is the latest 2009 Entrance and Road Closing Schedule from the park service. Please Note: This schedule is subject to change due to weather, fire, or other conditions.

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Yellowstone National Park 2011 Construction Schedule

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Yellowstone National Park 2011 Road Information

Yellowstone National Park is a large park at 2.2+ million acres and 251 miles of roads. At this point in time (2009), the roads are the best they have been for a very long time. There has been a lot of new construction and the park service has tried to do overlays on the other areas that were in bad need of repair.

All of Yellowstone roads are two lanes. There is limited space for pulling off the roads, and limited passing zones. There are a few roads with shoulders for bike riders. There are roadside pullouts for viewing areas, or wildlife, or for parking for hikes. Slower traffic is strongly encouraged to be courteous and think of other drivers and visitors and to utilize pullouts.

There are several areas where there are steep grades and winding narrow roads. These areas are: Sylvan Pass (8,530 feet / 2,600 meters), Craig Pass / Continental Divide (8,391 feet / 2558 meters), Mammoth Hot Springs to Gardiner, Montana (6,239 feet / 1,902 meters). The road from Mammoth Hot Springs to Gardiner is narrow with some fairly sharp turns, it is best to use low gears as your brakes will heat up. Some visitors who arrived in Gardiner wanted to find a garage to look at their brakes as they were hardly working by the time they got to Gardiner. All that was needed was time to allow their brakes to cool as they had overheated from usage on the drive down.

If you look at the above park map, you will note that the park roads are roughly in a figure eight, with an Upper Loop, a Lower Loop, and a Grand Loop. The total road mileage in the park is 251 miles, the Upper Loop is 70 miles around, the Lower Loop is 96 miles around, and the Grand Loop is 142 miles around. The park top speed limit is 45 miles per hour, with many areas with lower speeds. The speed limit is strictly enforced, you will not want to get a ticket while on vacation and most animal deaths in the park involve vehicle accidents. Be careful and enjoy your time in Yellowstone.

During the main tourist season (mid Jun - mid Sep) the roads are crowded. There will be times that wildlife will be on the road, they have the right of way. There will also be what is known as buffalo jams, elk jams, bear jams and wolf jams. You cannot stop and park your vehicle in the middle of the road to take pictures or watch. You have to pull completely off the roadway so you are not blocking traffic. Utilize pullouts, parking areas, and/or road shoulders if available.

It is hoped that this information will be helpful in planning your trip and time in Yellowstone. Be careful, have fun and enjoy the beauty, magic, and wonders of Yellowstone!

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by John William Uhler

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