Yellowstone opens select entrances April 17

Yellowstone is still mostly shut to regular cars in early April, but one week from now the park plans to flip open two big gateways at 8 a.m. on Friday, April 17: the North Entrance at Gardiner and the West Entrance at West Yellowstone. From those two points, drivers will be able to reach Mammoth Hot Springs, Lamar Valley, Norris Geyser Basin, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Old Faithful, and the Northeast Entrance road toward Silver Gate and Cooke City. (nps.gov) That sounds simple until you remember how Yellowstone works in spring. The park itself is open all year, but most roads close through winter, and in early April the only regular vehicle route already open is the road between the North Entrance and the Northeast Entrance. (nps.gov) The reason is snow, not bureaucracy. Yellowstone road crews spend weeks plowing mountain roads that sit at high elevation, and the park’s road page still says most roads are closed to all vehicles until mid-April while spring plowing continues. (nps.gov) April 17 is the first real step in the park’s annual summer rollout, not the full opening day for everything. The National Park Service said additional roads will open throughout May, and every date is still tied to weather conditions on the ground. (nps.gov) That means visitors coming from Cody, Wyoming, or Jackson, Wyoming, still can’t assume their usual routes will be available on April 17. Yellowstone’s operating dates page shows many summer services and several road-linked areas opening later in May, with dates listed as subject to change without notice. (nps.gov) Spring in Yellowstone also means the park looks open on a map before it feels open in person. The April 8 park release warns that many trails and boardwalks are still snow covered, services are limited, and temporary travel restrictions can happen at any time without notice. (nps.gov) There is one small window before the cars arrive that regular Yellowstone fans love: spring biking. The National Park Service says bicycles are allowed on certain park roads while those roads are still closed to public motor vehicles, although riders can still encounter plows, contractors, and park staff vehicles. (nps.gov) Once the roads open, the spring hazards do not disappear. Yellowstone is warning drivers to expect ice, snow, and gravel on the pavement, plus wildlife using the roads as travel corridors because roadside snowbanks make it harder for animals to step aside. (nps.gov) The park’s wildlife rules are blunt because the distances are bigger than many tourists expect. Visitors must stay at least 100 yards from bears, wolves, and cougars, and at least 25 yards from all other wildlife. (nps.gov) Even if April 17 arrives clear and sunny, Yellowstone says to build slack into the day. The park is warning of possible road closures from bad weather, up to 30-minute delays from road projects, and last-minute status changes that can be checked on the road page, by phone at 307-344-2117, or through mobile text alerts. (nps.gov)