Plan Your Visit

Get ready for grizzly bears and eagles. Geysers and mud pots. Forests and lakes. Historic cabins and prehistoric sites. Yellowstone offers countless opportunities for discovery and we hope you will have fun, make lifelong memories, and develop a deep connection to this special place.

Directions

Yellowstone National Park covers nearly 3,500 square miles in the northwest corner of Wyoming (3% of the park is in Montana and 1% is in Idaho). Yellowstone is open all year, though some areas of the park are inaccessible by car in the winter.

Getting Here by Plane

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.

Getting Here by Bus

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.

Getting Here by Train

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.

Getting Here by Car

Yellowstone has five entrance stations. Make sure to carefully read about access at each station at different times of year. There are several things that can affect your driving experience in the park -- road accessibility, road construction, and fast-changing weather. Please plan ahead!

Operating Hours and Seasons

The park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

Schedules can change so check locally for updates!

What Season is Best?
Choosing which season to visit Yellowstone depends on what you are looking for. Winter, spring, summer, and fall have their own character and advantages. Plan your visit in advance and make sure to consider how things to do and places to go vary depending on the time of year.

Fees & Reservations

The fees you pay when visiting Yellowstone make a difference! We participate in the Congressionally-authorized Federal Recreation Lands Enhancement Act. Under this program, parks keep 80% of all fees collected and use that money to fund important projects that improve visitor services and protect resources. Here in Yellowstone, your fees allow us to spend approximately $4 million per year on local projects like:

• road overlays, patching, chipseal, drainage, and erosion control
• improved accessibility for people with disabilities
• increased monitoring and mitigation of park resources
• campground upgrades
• rehabilitation of park structures
• utility systems repairs

Entrance Fees / Passes

The entrance fee is $25 for a private, noncommercial vehicle; $20 for each snowmobile or motorcycle; or $12 for each visitor 16 and older entering by foot, bike, ski, etc. This fee provides the visitor with a 7-day entrance permit for both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Remember to keep your admission receipt in order to re-enter the parks. Snowmobile operators must possess a valid driver's license and are allowed by commercially-guided trip only.

Advance reservations are not needed to enter the park. Annual or Lifetime Passes are possible alternatives to the above fees.

Park Annual Pass
The $50 park annual pass provides entrance to pass holder and accompanying passengers in a single private non-commercial vehicle at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Pass is valid for one year through the MONTH of purchase. Purchase your pass at one of the park's entrances.

For lodging or camping reservations:

Visit: www.YellowstoneNationalParkLodges.com

Write: Yellowstone National Park Lodges
PO Box 165, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190

Call:

• 307-344-7311 or 1-866-GEYSERLAND (439-7375) for future reservations
• 307-344-7901 for same-day reservations
• 307-344-5395 for TDD service (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf)