Yellowstone starts opening

Yellowstone’s summer driving season starts next week, but the first day is really a partial unlock: at 8 a.m. on Friday, April 17, only the North Entrance at Gardiner and the West Entrance at West Yellowstone open for regular vehicle traffic, and even that is weather permitting. (nps.gov) From those two gateways, visitors can reach Mammoth Hot Springs, Lamar Valley, Norris Geyser Basin, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Old Faithful, and the Northeast Entrance near Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana. (nps.gov) That limited map is the point: Yellowstone closes most roads to regular vehicles from early November through late April, and the only route usually open year-round is the road from Gardiner through Tower Junction to Cooke City. (nps.gov) The park is huge enough that “open” and “fully open” are two different things, because Yellowstone covers 2.2 million acres and it takes several hours to drive between entrance stations even in good conditions. (nps.gov, nps.gov) The rest of the road network comes back in stages through May, not all at once, because crews spend spring plowing snow, checking pavement, and waiting out late storms at high elevations. (nps.gov, nps.gov) Yellowstone is also warning that the early-season version of the park still looks and behaves like winter: many trails and boardwalks remain snow covered, and ice, snow, and gravel can still be on the roads after the gates reopen. (nps.gov) Services lag behind the roads, so an April trip can mean open pavement but closed lodges, campgrounds, stores, and dining rooms in large parts of the park. The National Park Service says few facilities are open year-round and services stay limited through late April. (nps.gov) A few examples show how staggered that is: Canyon gas and towing are scheduled for April 24, Canyon General Store for May 8, Canyon Lodge for May 15, and Canyon Campground for May 29. (nps.gov) Wildlife makes spring driving slower too, because bison, elk, bears, and other animals use roads as travel corridors when roadside snowbanks make it harder to move off the pavement. The park is telling drivers not to crowd or push animals and to expect sudden slowdowns. (nps.gov) So the practical read on next Friday is simple: Yellowstone is opening enough road to reach the famous stops, especially from Montana, but it is not yet switching into full summer mode. The park says travelers should check current conditions, expect possible temporary closures, and build flexible plans before they leave. (nps.gov, nps.gov)