⚠️ 4 active alerts: 1 closure, 1 caution
✅ No Timed Entry Required
No timed entry required for Yellowstone. Standard entrance fee applies ($35/vehicle). No reservations needed — arrive early in peak season to avoid congestion.
🐻 Bear Country — Grizzly bear + Black bear
One of the highest densities of grizzly bears in North America. Bear spray strongly recommended. Never approach bison, wolves, or thermal features.
⚠️ 2 active wildlife alerts — see below
Bear safety guidelines ↗
Montana Entrances: Three of Yellowstone's five entrances are in Montana: Gardiner (year-round), Cooke City (Northeast, seasonal), and West Yellowstone.
🚨 Active Alerts
4
Temporary Closure of Some Trails, Backcountry Campsites, and Fishing Areas
Certain trails, backcountry campsites, and fishing areas in the western part of the park near Biscuit Basin are closed until further notice to allow for an investigation following a bear-caused human…
Details on NPS ↗
Elk with Calves are Extremely Dangerous
Be alert, especially this time of year around Mammoth Hot Springs. Elk calves may be hidden close to buildings, under or next to vehicles, and around blind corners. You must remain at least 25 yards f…
Details on NPS ↗
Traffic Delays - Gardner River High Bridge
Expect a single lane of traffic with up to 15-minute delays, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from April 1 through late October 2026. Oversized/overweight vehicles (8'6"+ wide, 75'+ long, 80,000 lbs…
Details on NPS ↗
Vehicle Entrance Reservation Not Needed
Although an entrance pass is required to enter Yellowstone National Park, vehicle reservations are not needed. You are encouraged to purchase an entrance pass before arriving, but you may also purchas…
Details on NPS ↗
🛣 Road & Entrance Alerts
Vehicle Entrance Reservation Not Needed
Although an entrance pass is required to enter Yellowstone National Park, vehicle reservations are not needed. You are encouraged to purchase an entrance pass before arriving, but you may also purchas…
Details on NPS ↗
🥾 Trail & Backcountry Alerts
Temporary Closure of Some Trails, Backcountry Campsites, and Fishing Areas
Certain trails, backcountry campsites, and fishing areas in the western part of the park near Biscuit Basin are closed until further notice to allow for an investigation following a bear-caused human…
Details on NPS ↗
🐻 Wildlife Alerts
Temporary Closure of Some Trails, Backcountry Campsites, and Fishing Areas
Certain trails, backcountry campsites, and fishing areas in the western part of the park near Biscuit Basin are closed until further notice to allow for an investigation following a bear-caused human…
Details on NPS ↗
Elk with Calves are Extremely Dangerous
Be alert, especially this time of year around Mammoth Hot Springs. Elk calves may be hidden close to buildings, under or next to vehicles, and around blind corners. You must remain at least 25 yards f…
Details on NPS ↗
🥾 Signature Trails
Grand Prismatic Overlook
1.6 mi RT
Easy
📍 Midway Geyser Basin
Mount Washburn
6.4 mi RT
Moderate
📍 Dunraven Pass
Black Sand Basin Loop
0.5 mi RT
Easy
📍 Upper Geyser Basin
Bunsen Peak
4.6 mi RT
Moderate
📍 Mammoth Hot Springs
Elephant Back Mtn
3.5 mi RT
Moderate
📍 Lake Village
Shoshone Lake
10.8 mi RT
Moderate
📍 Lewis Channel
🚗 Entrances
North (Gardiner, MT — US-89) Main Montana entrance
Northeast (Cooke City, MT — US-212) Main Montana entrance
West (West Yellowstone, MT — US-20) Main Montana entrance
ℹ️ Visitor Centers 11
Albright Visitor Center Closed / Seasonal
Here you can gather park information, orient yourself to the rest of the park (including road conditions, and campground…
Canyon Visitor Education Center Closed / Seasonal
Stop by the Canyon Visitor Education Center to learn more about the geologic story of the area, including the Yellowston…
Fishing Bridge Visitor Center and Trailside Museum Closed / Seasonal
The distinctive stone-and-log architecture of this old building—known as "parkitecture"—was one of several prototypes fo…
Grant Visitor Center Closed / Seasonal
Fire plays an important, natural role in the ecosystems found in Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding region. L…
Madison Information Station and Trailside Museum Closed / Seasonal
Located about halfway between Old Faithful and West Yellowstone, you can stop here for park information as visitors have…
⛺ Campgrounds 12
Bridge Bay Campground
432 sites
Bridge Bay Campground—elevation 7,800 feet (2377 m)—is located near Yellowstone Lake, one of the largest, high-elevation, fresh-water lakes…
Reserve ↗
Canyon Campground
273 sites
Canyon Campground—elevation 7,900 feet (2408 m)—lies in a lodgepole pine forest at Canyon Village, south of the Washburn range and near the…
Reserve ↗
Fishing Bridge RV Park
310 sites
Fishing Bridge RV Park—elevation 7,800 feet (2377 m)—is located near the Yellowstone River where it exits Yellowstone Lake on its way toward…
Reserve ↗
Grant Village Campground
430 sites
Grant Campground—elevation 7,800 feet (2377 m)—is located in Grant Village, just off the Grand Loop Road at the south end of Yellowstone Lak…
Reserve ↗
Indian Creek Campground
70 sites
Located about eight miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs on the road to Norris, Indian Creek Campground—elevation 7,300 feet (2225 m)—sits nea…
Reserve ↗
Lewis Lake Campground
85 sites
Lewis Lake Campground—elevation 7,800 ft (2377 m)—is about eight miles from the South Entrance and a short walk from the southeast shore of…
Reserve ↗
Madison Campground
276 sites
Madison Campground—elevation 6,800 feet (2073 m)—sits about 14 miles east from the town of West Yellowstone and 16 miles north of Old Faithf…
Reserve ↗
Mammoth Campground
85 sites
The only campground in the park open year-round, Mammoth Campground—elevation 6,200 feet (1890 m)—is located five miles south of the park's…
Reserve ↗
🏔 Adjacent Wilderness (Montana)
🏔 Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness
943,626 acres
USFS — Gallatin, Shoshone, Custer National Forests
📅 Season: July–September (snowpack persists late)
- Granite Peak — Montana's highest summit (12,799 ft)
- Beartooth Plateau — largest high-altitude plateau in lower 48
- Beartooth Highway access (US-212) — America's most scenic highway
- World-class trout fishing: Yellowstone cutthroat, brook trout
Trailhead access:
Cooke City (via Beartooth Hwy)
US-212 from Red Lodge or Gardiner, MT
West Fork Rock Creek
Red Lodge, MT
East Rosebud
Roscoe, MT
🐻 Bear country — carry bear spray
USFS Info ↗
📰 Recent Park News 6
May 22, 2026
Update: Beartooth Highway (US-212) from Red Lodge to Cooke City, Montana, is now open for the season
The Beartooth Highway (US-212) from Red Lodge to Cooke City, Montana, is now open for the season.
Read more ↗
May 22, 2026
Update: Yellowstone lifts several trail, backcountry campsite and fishing closures near Old Faithful following May 4 bear incident
On the afternoon of May 4, two hikers sustained injuries by one or more bears on the Mystic Falls Trail near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.
Read more ↗
May 14, 2026
Top 10 things to know about visiting Yellowstone National Park during the 2026 summer season
This summer, visitors to Yellowstone National Park are being urged to plan ahead – both to stay safe and to help protect one of America’s most iconic wild lands…
Read more ↗
Apr 23, 2026
Biologists set to begin 2026 grizzly bear captures for research purposes in Yellowstone National Park
As part of ongoing monitoring efforts to document recovery of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Geol…
Read more ↗
Apr 16, 2026
UPDATE: Yellowstone National Park entrances and roads scheduled for opening April 17 delayed due to winter storm
Yellowstone entrances and roads scheduled to open at 8 a.m. Friday, April 17 will instead open at noon due to a significant winter storm with heavy snow, low te…
Read more ↗
Apr 7, 2026
Help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species into Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park reminds boaters and anglers to clean, drain and dry all boats, trailers and equipment prior to arriving in the park to help stop the s…
Read more ↗
Data refreshed: May 30, 3:05 PM MDT