Getting Ready for Yellowstone National Park Winter Closures

Beginning on November 1st, the park will begin its road closures for the duration of the cold season.

According to latest announcements, in order to get Yellowstone National Park ready for winter, most routes will be closed next month.

The park, which spans Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, will stop allowing typical vehicle traffic in via its West, South, and East gates on November 1. The National Park Service has announced that practically all park roads would be closed. Moreover, the snowmobile and snow-coach traffic is expected to start on December 15th, along with the customary winter-related shutdown.

Most highways shut for the winter, but there is always a way to go from Gardiner, Montana, to Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana, via Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction, and Lamar Valley, and vice versa.

Even more, the NPS assured travellers that all settlements around Yellowstone are open year-round, with local businesses providing a broad variety of autumn and winter leisure prospects.

The NPS warns that visitors who want to drive throughout the park in the winter should be prepared for road closures due to extreme weather, temporary traffic restrictions or layoffs without warning, and have flexibility in their plans.

Although winter driving conditions may be more challenging in Yellowstone, the park is still worth a visit for a number of reasons, including less crowds, the opportunity to go snowshoeing or snowmobile, and the thrill of seeing Old Faithful erupt against a white backdrop.

Roads in other national parks also shut for the winter, not only Yellowstone. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is also off limits to overnight visitors in preparation for winter, and the National Park Service has announced that the access gate on State Route 67 will shut at dusk on November 30 or after the first big blizzard, whichever comes first. The iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park is closed to cars during the winter, but it is open for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

 

Source: travelandleisure.com