Yellowstone National Park - Directions (U.S. National Park Service)

Map showing routes into Yellowstone National Park.

NPS Map

North Entrance - Near the gateway community of Gardiner, MT, the North Entrance is the only park entrance open to wheeled vehicles all year. November through April, the North Entrance provides the only access to Cooke City, MT. US Highway 212 east of Cooke City is closed to wheeled vehicles November through April. The road from Mammoth to Norris is open to wheeled vehicles from the third Friday in April through the first Sunday in November, and to tracked oversnow vehicles usually from the third Monday in December to the Monday of the first full week in March. Closest airline service is Bozeman, MT. See the Operating Hours and Seasons for more information. Services are available year around.

West Entrance - Adjacent to the town of West Yellowstone, MT, the West Entrance is open to wheeled vehicles from the third Friday in April through the first Sunday in November, and to tracked oversnow vehicles from the third Monday in December o the Monday of the second full week in March. Closest airline service is West Yellowstone, MT, Bozeman, MT, Idaho Falls, ID, and Salt Lake City, UT. See the Operating Hours and Seasons for more information. Services are available year around.

South & East Entrances - Open to wheeled vehicles from the second Friday of May through the first Sunday in November, and to tracked oversnow vehicles from the third Monday in December to the Monday of the second full week in March. Limited services are available near the South and East Entrances. Closest airline service to the South Entrance is Jackson, WY and Cody, WY to the East Entrance. See our Road Construction Page for information about possible delays.

Northeast Entrance - Near the gateway communities of Silver Gate and Cooke City, MT, this entrance is open year around for wheeled vehicle access to Cooke City through Gardiner, MT and the North Entrance. Opening dates for roads east of Cooke City vary from year to year, depending on the weather. The Beartooth Highway is open from late May/early June (weather dependent) to mid October. Storms occasionally temporarily close the Beartooth Highway during this "open" period. See the Operating Hours and Seasons and Road Construction Schedule for more information. Closest airline service is Billings, MT. Services are available year around.

Airline and Bus Transportation

Commercial airlines serve the following airports near Yellowstone National Park all year: Cody and Jackson, WY; Bozeman and Billings, MT, and Idaho Falls, ID. The West Yellowstone, MT airport is serviced from June to early September from Salt Lake City, UT.

Bus service from Bozeman, MT to West Yellowstone, MT via Highway 191 is available all year. Bus service directly from Idaho to West Yellowstone is limited to the summer months. Commercial transportation from Bozeman, MT to Gardiner, MT is available during the winter and summer seasons. Commercial transportation to the park from Cody and Jackson, WY is available during the summer season. Contact local Chambers of Commerce for specific carriers and schedules.

Train service is not available to Yellowstone National Park. The nearest train depots are in southeast Idaho, Salt Lake City, Utah and northern Montana. Contact Amtrak for specific schedules.