Yellowstone National Park Road Information

------------------------------------------------------------- YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK NEWS RELEASE -------------------------------------------------------------

Road Between Norris and Madison To Close August 17 Traffic Detour To Last Through Fall Season

A section of Yellowstone's Grand Loop Road linking Madison and Norris will be completely closed to all traffic beginning August 17, due to major construction underway.

The road will be completely CLOSED to all traffic 24-hours a day between Artist Paint Pots through Gibbon Canyon to the Tuff Cliff Picnic Area from August 17 through the November 02, 2009 fall closing date of most park interior roads.

The full closure is necessary in order to construct a new bridge span across the Gibbon River, replace the deck and surface of the bridge near Beryl Springs, and continue to remove massive amounts of rock and dirt to realign the road near Gibbon Falls.

This work can only be done during the summer and fall, due to the length and severity of winter in the interior of Yellowstone National Park.

Despite the closure, park visitors will still be able to travel to and between all major locations in the park. However, it may take more time than normal to travel between some locations during this time.

During this full closure, anglers will be allowed to access the Gibbon River between Artist Paint Pots to the bridge north of the Monument Geyser Basin trailhead, and from one mile south of Gibbon Falls to the Tuff Cliff Picnic area, as long as they don t walk on, along, or near the road. A map showing the fishing closure from not until 16 Aug 2009 and from 17 Aug 2009 through 02 Nov 2009. These are Adobe pdf files.

The road will be open for snowmobile and snowcoach travel for the December 15 scheduled start of the 2009-2010 winter season.

Construction work will resume once the road between Norris and Madison reopens to automobiles on April 16, 2010. Visitors can expect up to 30-minute delays from April on into October. After Memorial Day, visitors can also expect nightly closures from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. The nightly closures are expected to end just prior to the Labor Day holiday weekend. There will be no all-day or multi-day closures of the road between Madison and Norris in 2010.

Park staff members have been holding public meetings throughout the region since May to provide details about this and other park road projects. Two more meetings are set for later this month. The first will be held in West Yellowstone on Wednesday, August 12, at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room of the West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center at 30 Yellowstone Avenue. The other will be at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, August 24, at the new Yellowstone Association Headquarters building near the Roosevelt Arch on West Park Street in Gardiner.

Maps and additional details on park road construction projects are available at all visitor centers and online. Updated Yellowstone National Park road information is always available 24 hours a day by calling: 307-344-2117.

Yellowstone National Park 2009 Opening Schedule

Yellowstone National Park is our first and grandest national park. Only a part of Yellowstone is open all year. The North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana is Open Year Round. The road from Gardiner to Mammoth Hot Springs and from Mammoth to Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana is maintained for winter vehicle travel. In winter, vehicles are usually required to have snow tires and may be required to have chains to enter the park. The road though plowed and maintained, will be snow or ice packed in areas. The North Entrance is open 24/7 365 days a year, but there may be temporary closures due to weather or other conditions. Also of note, you cannot travel east of Cooke City, Montana until late spring when the road east of Cooke City is plowed open for vehicle travel. Please Note: This schedule is subject to change due to weather, fire, or other conditions.

Back to Index

Yellowstone National Park 2009 Closing Schedule

This is the latest 2009 Entrance and Road Closing Schedule from the park service. Please Note: This schedule is subject to change due to weather, fire, or other conditions.

Back to Index

Yellowstone National Park 2009 Construction Schedule

Back to Index

Yellowstone National Park 2009 Road Information

Yellowstone National Park is a large park at 2.2+ million acres and 251 miles of roads. At this point in time (2009), the roads are the best they have been for a very long time. There has been a lot of new construction and the park service has tried to do overlays on the other areas that were in bad need of repair.

All of Yellowstone roads are two lanes. There is limited space for pulling off the roads, and limited passing zones. There are a few roads with shoulders for bike riders. There are roadside pullouts for viewing areas, or wildlife, or for parking for hikes. Slower traffic is strongly encouraged to be courteous and think of other drivers and visitors and to utilize pullouts.

There are several areas where there are steep grades and winding narrow roads. These areas are: Sylvan Pass (8,530 feet / 2,600 meters), Craig Pass / Continental Divide (8,391 feet / 2558 meters), Mammoth Hot Springs to Gardiner, Montana (6,239 feet / 1,902 meters). The road from Mammoth Hot Springs to Gardiner is narrow with some fairly sharp turns, it is best to use low gears as your brakes will heat up. Some visitors who arrived in Gardiner wanted to find a garage to look at their brakes as they were hardly working by the time they got to Gardiner. All that was needed was time to allow their brakes to cool as they had overheated from usage on the drive down.

If you look at the above park map, you will note that the park roads are roughly in a figure eight, with an Upper Loop, a Lower Loop, and a Grand Loop. The total road mileage in the park is 251 miles, the Upper Loop is 70 miles around, the Lower Loop is 96 miles around, and the Grand Loop is 142 miles around. The park top speed limit is 45 miles per hour, with many areas with lower speeds. The speed limit is strictly enforced, you will not want to get a ticket while on vacation and most animal deaths in the park involve vehicle accidents. Be careful and enjoy your time in Yellowstone.

During the main tourist season (mid Jun - mid Sep) the roads are crowded. There will be times that wildlife will be on the road, they have the right of way. There will also be what is known as buffalo jams, elk jams, bear jams and wolf jams. You cannot stop and park your vehicle in the middle of the road to take pictures or watch. You have to pull completely off the roadway so you are not blocking traffic. Utilize pullouts, parking areas, and/or road shoulders if available.

It is hoped that this information will be helpful in planning your trip and time in Yellowstone. Be careful, have fun and enjoy the beauty, magic, and wonders of Yellowstone!

Back to Index

by John William Uhler

Back to: Yellowstone Up Close and Personal

Copyright © 1995 - 2010 Page Makers, LLC ~ All Rights Reserved