Important Alert! : Wildlife will cause major traffic delays! Make sure you consider this in your schedules. Avoid June thru August to maximize your time and avoid heavy traffic congestion and large amounts of tourist activity.
Key Dates ! : All Yellowstone roads are fully open generally from Mid-May through Mid-October. Before and after this time frame access to areas is limited due to weather conditions and road construction projects.
Additional Park Access Information :
Yellowstone National Park's main road system generally opens to vehicle traffic in stages starting April 17, 2026, with most interior roads accessible by mid-May. While the North Entrance is open year-round, major spring openings include the West Entrance on April 17 and South/East entrances on May 1-8.
2026 Road Opening Schedule (Conditions Permitting):
April 17, 2026: West Entrance to Madison, Old Faithful, Norris, and Mammoth.
May 1, 2026: East Entrance to Lake, Canyon to Bridge Bay.
May 8, 2026: South Entrance to West Thumb and Old Faithful, Tower-Roosevelt to Tower Fall.
May 22, 2026: Dunraven Pass (Canyon to Tower) and Beartooth Highway.
Important Information:
Campgrounds: Fishing Bridge RV Park opens May 8, 2026, with others like Bridge Bay and Canyon opening later in May.
Winter Season: The park is accessible for winter travel (via snowmobile/snowcoach) until mid-March, with a temporary closure before the spring road opening.
Lodging Reservations: Bookings for summer 2026 generally open around November 5, 2025, according to Yellowstone National Park Lodges.
DO NOT PET THE FLUFFY COWS!!!
Wildlife will block road access at times. Close to the road they also cause traffic backups due to toursists stopping to photograp.
Traffic in general during June through August causes a lot of delays with average DAILY tourist vehicles in excess of 40,000 during these 3 months.
