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Yellowstone Closes Most Roads for Winter: What Stays Open and How to Visit

Most Yellowstone roads and three entrances closed Nov. 1. Here is the one road still open, when snowcoach season starts and how to plan a winter visit.

Published November 12, 2026

Yellowstone has switched to its winter schedule. On Nov. 1, 2026, the park closed its West, South and East entrances, along with nearly all of its roads, to regular vehicle traffic. Saturday, Oct. 31 was the last day visitors could drive most of the park this year, according to the National Park Service.

If that sounds like the end of the season, it is not. The park itself stays open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and winter brings fewer crowds, snow-covered landscapes and travel experiences you cannot have in summer. It simply takes a different plan. Here is what is open, what is closed and how to make a winter trip work.

The one road you can still drive

Only one road in the park stays open to regular cars all winter, weather permitting: the route between the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana, and the Northeast Entrance in Cooke City and Silver Gate, Montana. It passes through Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction and Lamar Valley, so it covers some of the park's best winter scenery and wildlife country.

The park closes the other entrances and roads each year to prepare for winter operations. Starting Dec. 15, most park roads open to limited snowmobile and snowcoach travel, a season that runs until mid-March. That is how winter visitors reach Old Faithful and the park's interior: on a guided tour offered by park partners, concessioners and authorized businesses, or with a permit through the park's Non-Commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program.

Getting there in winter

Commercial flights serve several airports near Yellowstone all year, according to the park: Bozeman and Billings in Montana, Cody and Jackson in Wyoming, and Idaho Falls in Idaho. The small West Yellowstone airport only has service from early May to mid-October, so it is not an option in winter.

For a winter trip, Bozeman is especially practical because the park's only year-round road starts at the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana. The park notes that commercial transportation from Bozeman to Gardiner runs in winter as well as summer, and that bus service from Bozeman to West Yellowstone operates all year. There is no public transportation inside the park, and no train service to Yellowstone.

Driving yourself? Monitor the weather, keep your plans flexible and expect closures that can happen at any time without notice. The park recommends packing blankets and other cold weather essentials and keeping your gas tank full. To check conditions, use the park roads page, call the recorded road line at (307) 344-2117, or text 82190 to 888-777 to sign up for road alerts.

Where to stay and what is open

Services are limited from early November through late April, and most facilities close for the winter. Two lodges inside the park are open in winter: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Old Faithful Snow Lodge. The Snow Lodge, reached by snowcoach or snowmobile, opens for the winter season in mid-December. The park advises booking as far in advance as possible.

At Mammoth Hot Springs, the Albright Visitor Center, the park store, the general store, the medical clinic and the post office are open year-round, and Mammoth Campground offers first-come, first-served sites in winter. The general store and medical clinic close on some holidays, including Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Around the park, a handful of warming huts and visitor centers also reopen for the snowcoach season, including the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center and the Canyon and Fishing Bridge warming areas, from Dec. 15 into March.

Outside the park, gateway communities stay open all year with lodging and winter recreation, including Gardiner, West Yellowstone, Cooke City and Silver Gate in Montana, Cody and Jackson in Wyoming, and Island Park, Ashton and Idaho Falls in Idaho. Operating dates can change without notice, so check the park's operating dates page before you book.

A simple plan for a first winter visit

Day one: fly into Bozeman and head south to Gardiner, the gateway town at the North Entrance. Drive in past Mammoth Hot Springs, stop at the Albright Visitor Center for current conditions, and settle in at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel or a lodge in Gardiner.

Day two: follow the open road east through Tower Junction into Lamar Valley. Drive slowly, watch for bison and other wildlife on the road, and use pullouts whenever you stop. Day three, after Dec. 15: join a guided snowcoach or snowmobile tour into the interior to see Old Faithful in winter, or book a night at Old Faithful Snow Lodge if you want more time among the geysers.

Winter safety in a few simple rules

Daytime winter temperatures in Yellowstone usually range from about -20°C to -5°C, and sub-zero readings are common at night and at higher elevations. Pack proper winter clothing and wear traction aids over your boots, because boardwalks near thermal areas get icy and slippery.

Stay on the boardwalks in thermal basins: people have been severely injured or killed by breaking through thin ground or falling into hot springs. Give wildlife the right of way, and expect bison on the road. Slow down or pull over until they move on, and use a pullout rather than stopping in the road. Cell service is very limited, so download the free National Park Service app and its offline content before you arrive.