Yellowstone National Park
Wyoming Est. 1872

Yellowstone National Park

Volcanic Mountains Lake River Forest Canyon
Plan a visit Check conditions
Established
1872
Size
2,219,791 acres
Visitors / yr
4.9M
Entrance
$35
Best season
June through September
Nearest airport
WYS Yellowstone Airport
Park Closure: Biscuit Basin Closed Due to Hydrothermal Explosion +2 more Details Wildfire Tracker
01

Why Yellowstone is worth the trip

Wyoming · Established 1872

Yellowstone invented the national park, and it is still the wildest show in the system. The park sits atop an active supervolcano whose heat drives more geothermal features than any other place on Earth, over 10,000 geysers, hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles. Old Faithful earns its fame. Grand Prismatic Spring, a steaming lake ringed in orange, gold, and impossible blue, is the one that ends up printed large on your wall.

The other half of the park is the American Serengeti. Bison herds stop traffic in Hayden Valley, wolves hunt the Lamar Valley at first light, and grizzlies work the meadows between. Go at dawn with binoculars and patience. Two hours in the Lamar before breakfast beats a full day of boardwalks, and we say that with real affection for the boardwalks.

Start with our full Yellowstone guide, then use the planning below.

02

Top things to do in Yellowstone

Where we would start, and what we would plan a day around. Read the full guide.

Yellowstone National Park
Start here

20 Things to Do in Yellowstone National Park

Read the guide
01 Snow Pass Ski Trail Skiing · nps.gov Snow Pass Ski Trail The Snow Pass Ski Trail is a 4.2 mile (6.76 km), skier-tracked, one-way, easiest to most-difficult, ski that takes skiers through a steep heavily... 02 Mount Washburn Spur Trail Hiking · nps.gov Mount Washburn Spur Trail A long hike from the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and up the east side of Mount Washburn. 03 Dunraven Pass - Mount Washburn Trail Hiking · nps.gov Dunraven Pass - Mount Washburn Trail Starting at the Dunravenn Pass Trailhead you ascend Mount Washburn on a trail with spectacular views. The Mount Washburn Trail and trailhead parking lot... 04 Chittenden Road - Mount Washburn Trail Hiking · nps.gov Chittenden Road - Mount Washburn Trail Head up the shortest route to the top of Mount Washburn where you can enjoy panoramic views and interpretive exhibits.
03

Best hikes in Yellowstone

The trails that define the park, with the distance and elevation numbers that decide your day.

1 Fairy Falls Trail The best hike in Yellowstone is also one of the easiest. 2 Mount Washburn The best view in Yellowstone, full stop, from the fire lookout. 3 North Rim Trail The greatest hits of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. 4 South Rim Trail to Artist Point Artist Point is the postcard, the view that helped create the park. 5 Brink of the Lower Falls Stand at the lip of a 308 foot waterfall.
All Yellowstone hikes
Before you go

Get the Yellowstone heads-up

Permit windows, closures and seasonal alerts, plus our best Yellowstone guides, in your inbox before you go. Free, no spam.

Planning day by day? Yellowstone Itinerary: 1 to 5 Day Planning Guide
04

Plan your trip

Our guides for the big decisions, plus the gear, maps and lodging we would actually use for Yellowstone.

Things to Do Best Hikes When to Visit Itinerary

Where to stay

Gateway towns with lodging, food and outfitters.

  • West Yellowstone, MTGateway town
  • Gardiner, MTGateway town
  • Cooke City, MTGateway town
  • Bridge Bay Campground 432 sites · Reserve
  • Canyon Campground 273 sites · Reserve
Compare stays near Yellowstone

Maps & guides

Carry paper. Cell service dies fast inside most parks.

Yellowstone Trails Illustrated map
Waterproof National Geographic topo of the park.
View on Amazon
Yellowstone field guide
Trail-by-trail detail and planning help in print.
View on Amazon
America the Beautiful pass
$80 a year. Covers entrance fees at more than 2,000 federal recreation sites.
Get the pass

What to bring

Field-tested picks we bring on park trips.

  • Bear Spray
    Required carry in grizzly country. Practice the quick-draw before you need it. View on REI
  • Trekking Poles
    Save your knees on steep descents and river crossings. View on REI
  • Rain Jacket
    Mountain weather turns fast. Pack a shell even on clear mornings. View on REI
  • Hiking Boots
    Ankle support and grip for rocky, uneven terrain. View on REI

Getting there

  • WYS Yellowstone Airport 2 mi
  • BZN Bozeman Yellowstone International 90 mi
  • JAC Jackson Hole Airport 60 mi
  • COD Yellowstone Regional (Cody) 55 mi
Read our airports guide
NPS Official Page Reservations Google Maps

Some links in this section are affiliate links. If you book or buy through them we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend what we would use ourselves.

Yellowstone map

VC Visitor Center CG Campground Nearby Park
05

When to go

Read our seasonal guide
Loading weather...

Month-by-Month Conditions

Tap any month for details

Month
High
Low
Crowds
Roads
Jan
31°
12°
Low
Partial
Feb
34°
12°
Low
Partial
Mar
42°
19°
Low
Partial
Apr
50°
26°
Low
Partial
May
60°
35°
Heavy
Open
Jun Best
70°
42°
Peak
Open
Jul Best
81°
48°
Peak
Open
Aug Best
80°
46°
Peak
Open
Sep Best
69°
39°
Peak
Open
Oct
54°
29°
Moderate
Open
Nov
39°
19°
Low
Partial
Dec
30°
12°
Low
Partial
Best months to visit Crowd level (low to peak)

Seasonal Road Openings

Seasonal Road Tracker

Typical opening windows, the last few years of actual open dates, and current status pulled live from the National Park Service where available.

Beartooth Highway

US-212, Red Lodge to Cooke City
No live NPS road alert right nowTypical opening: Late May, around Memorial Day weekendThe highway targets the Friday of Memorial Day weekend; heavy-snow years slip into early June. One of the highest paved roads in the region.
Typical opening windowLate May, around Memorial Day weekend
Fall closureCloses for winter in mid-October, typically around October 15, weather depending.
Recent full-open dates
YearOpenedSource
2025May 23NPS-sourced
2024June 1NPS official

Beartooth Highway is plowed jointly by Montana DOT, Wyoming DOT and the Federal Highway Administration; Yellowstone NPS issues the announcements. Earlier years were not verifiable to single authoritative sources and are omitted.

Sources NPS Yellowstone 2024 release

Dunraven Pass

Yellowstone National Park
No live NPS road alert right nowTypical opening: Late May, around Memorial Day weekendThe Canyon-to-Tower road over Dunraven Pass is among the last Yellowstone roads to open, alongside Beartooth, because high-elevation plowing comes last. Most other park roads open by the third Friday in April.
Typical opening windowLate May, around Memorial Day weekend
Fall closureCloses with the general interior-road winter closure in early-to-mid November, earlier if storms hit the pass.
Recent full-open dates
YearOpenedSource
2024May 16NPS official

Only 2024 was verifiable to an NPS dated release. Check the NPS Yellowstone operating-dates page for the current season schedule.

Sources NPS Yellowstone 2024 release·NPS Yellowstone operating dates
06

More Yellowstone guides

07

Parks near Yellowstone

Within reach if you are building a longer trip.

Grand Teton National Park
Wyoming

Grand Teton

44 miles away
Glacier National Park
Montana

Glacier

336 miles away
Wind Cave National Park
South Dakota

Wind Cave

361 miles away
Rocky Mountain National Park
Colorado

Rocky Mountain

377 miles away

Worth protecting

Yellowstone belongs to all of us

Protections that took generations to win can be rolled back in a single session of Congress. We keep watch so they hold.

See what's at stake Join the fight

Threatened Lands Map

Follow what's happening on federal lands across the country with our interactive map.

View the Tracker
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