YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Visitor season at Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is nearly done defrosting.
YNP’s East Entrance is set to open for the season on Friday, May 2, allowing access to Lake Village (via Sylvan Pass), Fishing Bridge and Canyon Village. The park notes that all opening and closing dates are subject to change depending on weather conditions.
Once the East Entrance opens, four of the park’s five entrances will be available. The South Entrance, most easily accessible by Jackson residents, is slated to open on May 9. This will provide access from the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway (the protected space between Grand Teton National Park and YNP) to park attractions including Old Faithful, Grant, West Thumb, Bridge Bay and Lake Village.
Dunraven Pass, connecting Canyon Village to Tower Fall, is expected to open on May 23, and Beartooth Highway traditionally opens in time for Memorial Day weekend, too. The Montana Department of Transportation shared a photo of plowing progress along Beartooth Highway as of April 25.
Park roads are scheduled to close for the season on Oct. 31, as usual, with the exception of the road connecting the North Entrance to the Northeast Entrance, which is open year-round.
See Yellowstone’s dedicated Park Roads website for further information. Sign up for road alerts by texting 82190 to 888-777. Learn about how Yellowstone’s roads used to be cleared by hand.
