Popular national park to go car-free for the rest of the year

Bringing in over 4.5 million visitors in 2023, Yellowstone National Park was the fourth most-visited park that year.

Many people come from both across the country and the world to see everything from the psychedelic colors of the geothermal geyser Old Faithful to northern fauna such as bison, wolves and coyotes.

As do most national parks, Yellowstone has a peak visitor season between the late spring and early fall but also attracts visitors looking for different types of experiences year-round.

But given that the park straddles the northwest of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, the weather at Yellowstone can turn quite cold in the winter months — by November, snow is not uncommon while average temperatures can fall to 30 degrees Fahrenheit or -1 Celsius.

Want to pass through Yellowstone by car? This is the last day to do so in 2024

This year has also been uncharacteristically cold for Yellowstone; in May, the park saw “significant snowfall” that required the closure of a number of roads until the snow melted and warmer weather returned.

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Due to the heavy snowfall in the winter months, park authorities close four of the five entrances and the majority of its roads to vehicular traffic every season. This year, West, South and East entrances, the Dunraven Pass leading from Tower Fall to Canyon Village, and the roads open to vehicles, will close on Nov. 1.

“Weather permitting, the road from Tower Fall to Canyon Village (Dunraven Pass) will remain open through Oct. 31,” writes the National Park Service (NPS). “The only roads open year-round are between the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana, and the Northeast Entrance in Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana (via Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction and Lamar Valley).

The entire area will be closed off for maintenance for the next six weeks before reopening for those passing through on snow coach or snowmobile (a common winter activity for some locals and visitors) on Dec. 15.

A waterfall in a canyon at Yellowstone National Park is seen.

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NPS to winter visitors: ‘Prepare for changing weather conditions and expect limited services’

Most winter visitors are people who can handle and enjoy exploring nature in winter conditions. However, the NPS also reminds visitors “planning to drive in the park during the fall and winter […to] prepare for changing weather conditions, have flexible travel plans [and] expect limited services” in many parts of the park.

The strategy of closing down the road to cars and leaving the rest of the park open to whoever is brave enough to come by foot is a common one for national parks in areas known for extreme winters.

Only one national park among the 63 across the U.S., Michigan’s Isle Royale, closes entirely to visitors for the period between November and April, while Mount Rainier in Washington, Canyonlands in Utah, Acadia in Maine, and Denali in Alaska are some of the ones with shortened opening hours during the colder months.

The latter park named after the mountain peak in south-central Alaska is a popular destination for people who enjoy winter activities such as cross-country skiing, winter biking and snowshoeing. Still, the park keeps different winter hours due to how early it gets dark at that time of year.