Yellowstone National Park: visitor guide

Yellowstone is a US national park in Wyoming, with small parts in Montana and Idaho. It is open year-round, but most of the 230 km Grand Loop Road closes to cars in winter and reopens as snow is cleared, usually from late April at the north end to late May or June at the higher passes.

There is no timed entry or reservation system for the park itself in most years; you pay at the gate or buy a digital pass in advance. Lodging and campgrounds inside the park are the part that sells out, often months ahead for July and August. Cell service is patchy to absent across most of the park, so download offline maps before you drive in.

There is no train or bus into the park itself. Almost everyone drives, and the nearest commercial airports sit one to two hours from a gate: Bozeman and Idaho Falls for the west and north sides, Jackson for the south, Cody for the east. Salt Lake City is a longer but often cheaper option, about five hours to the west entrance.

From the south gate you pass through Grand Teton National Park, which is worth a night of its own. From the north, Gardiner, Montana, is walking distance from the gate. West Yellowstone, Montana, is the busiest gateway town and the closest thing to a services hub.

Distances inside the park are bigger than they look: the Grand Loop is roughly 230 km and a full circuit with stops easily takes a day. Plan one area per day rather than trying to see everything from one base.

Mid-June to early September is the only window when every road, both canyon rims and all visitor services are reliably open. It is also the busiest and most expensive stretch, with lodging at its peak and parking lots full by mid-morning at the main geyser basins.

Late May and October are the sweet spot for many travellers: most roads are open, animals are active, rates drop, and you can still find a parking space. Snow can close passes in either month, so check road status the morning you drive.

Winter (December to March) is a different trip: only the north road stays open to cars, and the rest of the park is reached by guided snowcoach or snowmobile from West Yellowstone, Gardiner or Mammoth. It is quiet and good for wildlife and hot springs in snow, but you need to book transport and a guide.

Grand Teton National Park is directly south, about an hour from the south gate, and pairs naturally with Yellowstone for a week-long loop. Jackson, Wyoming, is the base for that side, with the airport, restaurants and winter skiing.

Cody, Wyoming, to the east, has the Buffalo Bill history and a rodeo in summer. Bozeman, Montana, is a university town with good food and the closest big airport to the north and west entrances. Inside the park, the main clusters are Mammoth Hot Springs in the north, Old Faithful and the geyser basins in the southwest, Canyon and Yellowstone Lake in the middle, and Tower–Roosevelt in the northeast.

Start early. The geyser basins and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone fill up by 10am in summer; being at Old Faithful or Grand Prismatic by 7–8am changes the day. Carry water and food, because services are spread out and queues at the few cafés are long.

Bison cause more injuries than any other animal here. They look slow and are not; keep 25 m away, and if one is on the road, stay in your car. Boardwalks around the hot springs protect both you and the fragile formations — the ground crust can be thin over scalding water.

Altitude is real at around 2,400 m. Take the first day easy, drink more water than usual, and expect cold nights even in July. Bear spray is worth renting or buying if you plan to hike in the backcountry, and food storage rules are enforced.