YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — For anyone planning to visit Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and Yellowstone National Park (YNP) this summer, here are the top things to know before you go:
Park entrance passes
Both GTNP and YNP require park entrance passes, which include a $20 pass per person who walks in, $30 per motorcycle and $35 per vehicle. Visitors can also purchase a $70 annual pass to the individual park or an $80 interagency “America the Beautiful” pass that allows entrance into all national parks for a year.
Campgrounds and lodging
All campgrounds and lodging require a reservation in both GTNP and YNP.
Car camping or sleeping overnight in vehicles is not allowed in park pullouts, parking areas, picnic grounds or any place other than a designated campground. According to GTNP, overnight parking at trailheads is only permitted with a backcountry permit.
Find GTNP lodging options here and YNP options here.
Give wildlife space
Always maintain a minimum of 100 yards from bears and wolves and 25 yards from all other wildlife. Feeding wildlife in any national park is illegal; share any information about the feeding of wildlife immediately to a nearby park ranger, visitor center or by calling Park Watch at 307-739-3677.
Pulling over
When pulling over to view wildlife, GTNP and YNP asks visitors to use pullouts or make sure all four tires are fully outside of the white line along the road.
National Park Service app
The free, official National Park Service (NPS) app allows users to explore more than 400 national parks nationwide, including YNP and Grand Teton National Park. Users can access interactive maps, tours of park places, geyser predictions, on-the-ground accessibility information, up-to-date alerts and amenities.
Expect limited connectivity in some parts of GTNP and most parts of YNP, and download offline maps beforehand.
Weather
Weather in GTNP and YNP is unpredictable with big temperature swings, rain or snow possible any month of the year. Visitors should always bring layers.
Trails
The NPS asks all visitors to stay on designated trails within GTNP and YNP. Hiking in both parks includes high elevation and steep trails, and hikers can expect snow on trails up through June. All backcountry and frontcountry experiences require preparation.
The use of headphones is strongly discouraged by the NPS, and amplified music that disrupts other visitors’ experiences is prohibited. “The Service will take action to prevent or minimize all noise that, through frequency, magnitude or duration, adversely affects the natural soundscape or other park resources or values, or that exceeds levels that have been identified as being acceptable to, or appropriate for, visitor uses at the sites being monitored.”
GTNP and YNP are grizzly country. Always be bear aware and carry bear spray. All overnight camping in the backcountry requires a permit.
The Granite Canyon Trailhead in GTNP will be closed to all access during Moose-Wilson road construction.
