Yellowstone National Park Reopens After Government Shutdown Ends

Yellowstone National Park reopens today after the U.S. government shutdown ended last night, with most of the roads accessible for the final weeks of the fall season.

Last night Congress approved an end to the 16-day government shutdown, with U.S. employees ordered to immediately return to work.

All of the entrances to Yellowstone National Park are open to visitors. All roads in the park are open with the exception of the section linking Tower Junction and Canyon over Dunraven Pass, which has closed for the season. Outside the park’s Northeast Entrance, US-212 remains open through Silver Gate and Cooke City east to the junction with WY-296, the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway.  The Beartooth Highway closed for the season before the government shutdown.

The reopening of Yellowstone is limited to those services slated to be open this time of year. The Old Faithful Visitor Education Center and the temporary Visitor Center in Mammoth Hot Springs open at 9 a.m. today.  The Mammoth Hot Springs and Lewis Lake Campgrounds are open. The Yellowstone General Store in Mammoth Hot Springs is open. Pay at the pump fuel is available by credit card at locations throughout the park.  All other visitor services in Yellowstone have closed for the season.

We are fast approaching the end of the season in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. The Old Faithful Visitor Center is scheduled to remain open through Nov. 3. You can see a list of all 2013 opening and closing dates here. We’re also approaching the scheduled close of roads in Yellowstone: the Dunraven Pass is already closed, and all other Yellowstone roads, except the stretch between the North Entrance to the Northeast Entrance serving Silver Gate and Cooke City year-round, are set to close on Nov. 4 at 8 a.m.