Yellowstone Insider Your Complete Guide to America's First National Park
This weekend marks the last time you’ll be able to drive into Yellowstone National Park in 2012, with most road closures scheduled for next Monday at 8 a.m.
Most of the Park will basically remained closed until the launch of snowcoach travel for the winter season, beginning December 15. This doesn’t include the North Entrance (at Gardiner), which winds through Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction and the Lamar Valley on to the park’s Northeast Entrance and the communities of Cooke City and Silver Gate, Montana. Yellowstone road conditions can change rapidly, so check out a weather forecast and be prepared.
Yellowstone Road Conditions: Planning Ahead
Be warned that many roads in the Park are already closed for the season. For example, the Dunraven Pass is already closed, as is the Beartooth Highway connecting Red Lodge to the Northeast Entrance. Snows also forced the closures of many Yellowstone roads last weekend — especially at the high elevations — and as we all know, snowstorms can develop rapidly in Yellowstone.
Visitors driving to and in the park during the fall and winter are encouraged to have flexible travel plans and be prepared for changing Yellowstone road conditions. Temporary travel restrictions or closures can occur at any time without notice. Mud and snow tires or tire chains may be required. Updated information on Yellowstone road conditions in Yellowstone is available 24-hours a day by calling 307/344-2117. The NPS website also contains Yellowstone road-condition information.
If you go, you’ll have most of the Park to yourself; the crowds are long gone, leaving the hard-core fans to visit one last time. Most visitor services in Yellowstone National Park have already ended for the season. At Mammoth Hot Springs, the Yellowstone General Store, Post Office, medical clinic, campground and the Albright Visitor Center remain open all year. Pay-at-the pump fuel is available 24 hours a day all year at Yellowstone Park Service Stations in Mammoth Hot Springs and Tower Junction.
