Yellowstone Day Trip From Bozeman: Drive Times, Winter Roads, and Tips

Bozeman to Yellowstone's North Entrance at Gardiner is about 78 miles and about 1 hour 23 minutes, and the West Entrance is about 90 miles and 1 hour 48 minutes, so this is one of the easiest Yellowstone day trips there is. In winter, though, only one of those works by car. The West Entrance closed to regular vehicles on November 1, 2026, and the North Entrance is the one gate you can still drive through.

That makes Bozeman a rare thing: a city where a Yellowstone day trip works in every month, as long as you go the right way. This post covers both routes, what's open, and how to time the day. The plan below works in any month, and my Yellowstone guide has the geyser side and longer days.

Yellowstone National Park. The Roosevelt Arch at the North Entrance near Gardiner, Montana, at sunset (NPS photograph by Neal Herbert). Photo: National Park Service (Neal Herbert), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (U.S. Government work).

Yellowstone Day Trip From Bozeman at a Glance

• Distance: about 78 miles to the North Entrance at Gardiner, and about 90 miles to the West Entrance at West Yellowstone.
• Drive time: about 1 hour 23 minutes to Gardiner and about 1 hour 48 minutes to West Yellowstone, each way, without snow or traffic.
• Route: I-90 east to Livingston and US 89 south to Gardiner, or US 191 south through Gallatin Canyon to West Yellowstone.
• Which entrance: the North Entrance all year. The West Entrance only in the driving season, roughly late April to October 31.
• Open to cars now? As of November 2026, the North Entrance and the road across the top of the park to the Northeast Entrance are open, weather permitting. Nearly everything else is closed to cars.
• Fees: $35 per vehicle, good for seven days. No reservation was required in 2026.
• Transit: no practical same-day option. Plan on a car or a tour.
• Best months: June through September for the geyser basins; any month for the North Entrance.
• Time in the park: six to eight hours on a normal day trip.

What's Open in Winter, and What Isn't

Here's where things stood when I checked in November 2026.

• North Entrance (Gardiner): open to cars all year, weather permitting.
• West Entrance (West Yellowstone): closed to regular vehicles since November 1, 2026, along with the South and East entrances.
• The one winter road: North Entrance to Mammoth Hot Springs, then east through Tower Junction and the Lamar Valley to the Northeast Entrance at Cooke City and Silver Gate. Weather can still close it.
• Everything else: closed to regular vehicles. That includes Old Faithful, the canyon, Norris, and the lake.
• Oversnow travel: guided snowmobile and snowcoach tours are scheduled to start December 15, 2026, weather permitting, and they run to about mid-March.
• Past Cooke City: a dead end in winter. Nine miles of the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway beyond Cooke City close to wheeled vehicles, and the Beartooth Highway was scheduled to close for the season in October, so you come back the way you went in.

In plain terms: from now until spring, you can't drive from Bozeman to Old Faithful. You can drive to Mammoth and the Lamar Valley. Check my Yellowstone alerts page for the latest before you leave.

Emigrant Peak from East River Road in Montana's Paradise Valley, 2009. Photo: Mike Cline, Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

How Long Does the Drive Take?

To Gardiner, it's about 78 miles and 1 hour 23 minutes. Mammoth Hot Springs is about 5 miles past town, or about 15 minutes from the entrance, so figure on about 1 hour 45 minutes to Mammoth.

To West Yellowstone, the two Bozeman visitor pages I checked don't quite agree: one says about 89 miles and 1 hour 48 minutes, and the other says 97 miles and 2 hours. I'd plan on 2 hours. From the West Entrance, it's about 30 minutes to Madison Junction, and Old Faithful is about 30 miles in. So figure on about 2 hours 45 minutes from Bozeman to Old Faithful, once the road's open.

There's a third way to West Yellowstone: US 287 through Ennis, about 124 miles and 2 hours 15 minutes. It's a fallback if US 191 is a problem that day. Visit Bozeman says to plan for a longer drive in the winter months, and I agree.

Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport is just northwest of town, so if you're flying in, add a little time to any of these.

The Route

To the North Entrance. Take I-90 east to Livingston, then US 89 south through Paradise Valley along the Yellowstone River. It's 53 miles from Livingston to Gardiner, and US 89 is the only way into Gardiner. You'll drive through town, and past the Roosevelt Arch, to the entrance.

Two things about the road beyond the gate. The road from Gardiner to Mammoth is still the temporary one built after the 2022 flood; it opened on October 30, 2022, the park approved a permanent road in September 2026, and no construction date has been announced. The Gardner River High Bridge also had one-lane delays through November 24, 2026.

To the West Entrance. Take US 191 south through Gallatin Canyon, about 90 miles of two-lane road along the river, to West Yellowstone. This is the faster way to the geyser basins, but it only helps while the West Entrance is open.

Gas and food. Fill up in Bozeman or Livingston, and again in Gardiner or West Yellowstone. Gardiner and West Yellowstone both have lodging and stay open all year. Pack food for winter days, because many services inside the park are closed.

Yellowstone National Park. Visitors on the boardwalk below Palette Spring's terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs (NPS photograph by Jim Peaco). Photo: National Park Service (Jim Peaco), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (U.S. Government work).

Getting There Without a Car

There's no public transit inside Yellowstone, so you'll need a car or a tour. A few things exist, but none of them make a same-day trip easy.

• Bus to West Yellowstone: bus service runs between Bozeman and West Yellowstone, but it leaves you at the gate, not in the park.
• Winter airport shuttle: Yellowstone National Park Lodges runs a shuttle from Bozeman's airport to Mammoth from December 15, 2026, to March 7, 2027, at $110.81 per adult. You need a Lodges reservation or tour to ride, and it reaches Mammoth at about 4 p.m., so it isn't a day trip option.
• Charters and tours: Visit Bozeman lists Karst Stage for charters from Bozeman to Yellowstone, along with bus and van tours.

Entry, Fees, and Reservations

• Private vehicle: $35, good for seven days at all entrances.
• Motorcycle: $30 for seven days. On foot or bicycle, 16 and older: $20.
• Yellowstone annual pass: $70. If you're in Bozeman and plan more than one trip, it's worth a look.
• America the Beautiful pass: $80 for U.S. residents.
• Non-U.S. residents: those 16 and older pay an additional $100 per person unless they hold an annual or America the Beautiful pass.
• Reservations: no vehicle reservation was required in 2026.
• Payment: passes are sold at all five entrance stations, by cash or card.

A Sample Day Trip Timeline

This one uses the North Entrance, so it works in any month, weather permitting.

• 7:30 a.m.: leave Bozeman.
• 9:00 a.m.: gas and coffee in Gardiner, then through the North Entrance.
• 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: your time in the park, about six hours. The plan below gives you an order for it.
• 3:30 p.m.: head back through Gardiner.
• 4:30 p.m.: stop in Paradise Valley or Livingston.
• 6:00 p.m.: back in Bozeman.

In the driving season, if the geyser basins are what you want, swap in US 191 and leave by 6:00 a.m. to reach West Yellowstone around 8:00. You'll have time for a full day and can still be home by 8:00 p.m.

A Simple Plan Inside the Park

Enter here: the North Entrance at Gardiner, open to cars all year, weather permitting. Park here: Mammoth Hot Springs, about 15 minutes in. First stop: the boardwalks on the lower terraces.

After the terraces, look through the Albright Visitor Center. Then head east toward Tower with the lunch you packed, because many services inside the park are closed in winter. Stop at Undine Falls, an easy roadside view, and eat at a pullout. Keep going to the Lamar Valley and watch from the pullouts for bison and elk, with no promises. That's your turnaround, and you come back the same way, since this is the one road open to cars in winter. My Yellowstone guide covers Old Faithful for the driving season.

Downtown Gardiner, Montana, at the North Entrance, 1999. Photo: Jim Peaco, Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Stops Worth Adding Outside the Park

• Livingston: the town where you leave the interstate, and a good place for a break on the way home.
• Paradise Valley: US 89 follows the Yellowstone River with Emigrant Peak above it. East River Road is a slower, quieter way through.
• Gardiner: the gateway town, with the Roosevelt Arch at its edge.
• Gallatin Canyon: if you're going to West Yellowstone, the canyon is the scenery on the way.

When to Go

Late May through June. Roads are usually all open by Memorial Day weekend, and both entrances work. Snow lingers up high.

July and August. The warmest, busiest months. Afternoon thunderstorms are common, and wildfire smoke is possible. Leave early.

September to mid-October. Cooler days and fewer people. Early snow can close roads temporarily, so check before you commit to the West Entrance.

November to April. North Entrance only, unless you book a guided oversnow tour after December 15. Temperatures run from about zero to 20°F. I think it's a very good trip if you've already seen the geysers, and from Bozeman, it's easy to pick a clear day.

An aerial view of Livingston, Montana, where you leave Interstate 90 for US 89. Photo: Quintin Soloviev, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 4.0.

Day Trip Tips

• Decide on your entrance first. The month picks it for you, more or less.
• Check conditions the morning you leave. "Open all year" still means weather permitting.
• Carry winter gear in the car, including water, food, and warm layers, from November on.
• The park speed limit is 45 miles an hour unless posted lower, so don't judge interior drives by the mileage.
• Use pullouts for wildlife, and never stop in a travel lane.
• Want to see Old Faithful in winter? Book a guided oversnow tour ahead, such as one from West Yellowstone, and allow for the winter drive down US 191. Yellowstone National Park Lodges also runs snowcoaches between Mammoth and Old Faithful, which suit an overnight stay better than a day trip.

Official pages: Fees · Directions · Current Conditions.

What to Do Once You're There

This post gets you to the park and home again the same day, with one short plan once you're in. The fuller days are what my Yellowstone National Park guide is for: nine itineraries for one, two, or three days at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for bad weather or a closure, 15 animals to look for, and 7 orientation maps. You get an EPUB and a printable PDF, so the plan rides along in the car.

Only have a few hours on the ground? Just an Afternoon is my free four-hour plan for every U.S. National Park, Yellowstone included.

Making more than one day trip? The Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier Collection covers Yellowstone along with Grand Teton and Glacier in one download.

Yellowstone Day Trip FAQ

How far is Bozeman from Yellowstone? About 78 miles and 1 hour 23 minutes to the North Entrance, and about 90 miles and 1 hour 48 minutes to the West Entrance.

Which entrance is best from Bozeman? In winter, the North Entrance, because it's the only one on your side that's open to cars. In the driving season, take the North Entrance for Mammoth and the Lamar Valley, and the West Entrance for Old Faithful and the geyser basins.

Can you drive from Bozeman to Old Faithful in winter? No. The road to Old Faithful is closed to regular vehicles from early November until about late April. From December 15, 2026, you can reach it on a guided snowcoach or snowmobile tour.

Is the road from Gardiner to Mammoth open in winter? Yes, weather permitting. It's part of the one road that stays open to cars all year.

More Yellowstone Trip Ideas

• Yellowstone day trip from Jackson
• Yellowstone and Grand Teton Road Trip: Jackson to Bozeman, Leg by Leg
• Glacier to Yellowstone Road Trip: Crossing Montana to the Tetons

Before you go: roads, tram and shuttle schedules, and visitor centers change with the season, so check the Yellowstone National Park alerts and current conditions, updated daily, the morning you leave. For every park at a glance, see the park conditions dashboard.

Starting somewhere else? See all my National Park day trips, or more National Park trip ideas, from road trips to visiting with kids.

This is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Driving times are estimates without stops or traffic, and conditions change; check the park's current alerts before you go.