Yellowstone opens roads

Yellowstone will reopen its North and West entrances and several interior roads at 8 a.m. on Friday, April 17, weather permitting. (nps.gov) The North Entrance is at Gardiner, Montana, and the West Entrance is at West Yellowstone, Montana. From those gates, visitors will be able to drive to Mammoth Hot Springs, Lamar Valley, Norris Geyser Basin, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Old Faithful. (nps.gov) The reopening marks Yellowstone’s annual shift from winter travel to spring car access. The park says most roads close to regular wheeled vehicles each winter, with only the road between Mammoth Hot Springs and the Northeast Entrance typically open year-round, weather permitting. (nps.gov) More roads are scheduled to reopen in stages through May, also depending on weather. Yellowstone directs travelers to its road-status page for route-by-route updates and says conditions can change quickly because of snow, ice and spring storms. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) The April 17 opening gives drivers access to some of the park’s best-known early-season stops before the full summer network is available. It also restores the two Montana gateways most visitors use for Mammoth, Lamar wildlife watching and the Old Faithful corridor. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) Yellowstone covers 2.2 million acres across Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, and the park says it contains about half of the world’s active geysers. That scale is part of why spring openings happen in phases rather than all at once. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) Park officials are also warning spring visitors about wildlife safety as roads reopen. In the same April 8 announcement, Yellowstone told travelers to stay alert, carry bear spray and keep safe distances from animals. (nps.gov) For now, the key date is Friday, April 17: if conditions hold, the first broad stretch of Yellowstone’s spring driving season begins at 8 a.m. through Gardiner and West Yellowstone. (nps.gov)