Yellowstone National Park Alerts and Current Conditions

Last checked: October 25, 2026. This page tracks what's closed, what's changed, and what's coming up at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, from the park's alerts, news releases, and hours pages. I check it daily and rewrite it when the park posts something new. This is the last week of the driving season, and every seasonal date depends on the weather, so check the park's own alerts and road status the morning you go.

Current alerts

• Most roads and three entrances close to cars on Sunday, November 1. The West, South, and East entrances and nearly all park roads close to regular vehicles to prepare for winter. Snowmobile and snowcoach travel begins December 15. (NPS)
• Biscuit Basin is closed until further notice. The parking lot, boardwalk, and the Firehole River there, north of Old Faithful, are closed because another hydrothermal explosion could happen at the site of the July 23, 2024, blast. (NPS closure map)
• One-lane delays at the Gardner River High Bridge. Bridge work between Gardiner and Mammoth means single-lane traffic and delays of up to 15 minutes, around the clock, through late October. Oversized and overweight vehicles can't cross during the work. (NPS)
• Bull elk are dangerous this time of year. They're fast and unpredictable. Stay at least 25 yards from elk and bison and at least 100 yards from bears and wolves, and if an elk charges, run. (NPS)
• No vehicle reservation needed. You do need an entrance pass, which you can buy ahead online or at any entrance station. (NPS)

Open and closed right now

• The park is open 24 hours a day, year-round, and open entrances aren't gated at night. Entrance is $35 per private vehicle, good for seven days. Non-U.S. residents 16 and older also pay a $100 nonresident fee unless they enter with an annual or America the Beautiful pass. (NPS)
• Visitor centers open today: Albright (Mammoth), Canyon, and Old Faithful, each 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the NPS desk at the West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fishing Bridge, Grant, Norris, Madison, West Thumb, and the Museum of the National Park Ranger are closed for the season. (NPS)
• Camping: Mammoth Campground is the only campground open. It's open year-round, first come, first served from mid-October, with part of it closed until spring. Every other campground is closed for the season, and Norris and Pebble Creek are closed indefinitely.
• Lodging and food: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins are open through March 7, 2027. Rooms at Canyon Lodge and Old Faithful Snow Lodge closed for the season on October 24, and their restaurants wrap up today, except the Snow Lodge's Geyser Grill, open through October 31. Old Faithful Inn and Lake Yellowstone Hotel are closed.
• Swimming: the Firehole River Swim Area is closed, and there's no swimming at Boiling River. (NPS)

Coming up in the next few weeks

• Tuesday, October 27: last day for the Old Faithful Medical Clinic.
• Saturday, October 31: last day for the Canyon and Old Faithful visitor centers, the West Yellowstone NPS desk, the Old Faithful park store, the Snow Lodge's Geyser Grill and gift shop, and the Canyon gas station store. It's also the last day of the regular fishing season.
• Sunday, November 1: the West, South, and East entrances and most roads close to cars. Only the road from the North Entrance through Mammoth to the Northeast Entrance and Cooke City stays open to regular traffic, weather permitting. US 212 east of Cooke City is closed to wheeled vehicles from November through April. Albright Visitor Center moves to winter hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 11, and Thursday, November 26: the Mammoth Medical Clinic is closed for Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, and the Mammoth General Store is closed for Thanksgiving.
• Tuesday, December 15: the winter season opens to snowmobiles and snowcoaches through the West and South entrances, the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center reopens, Canyon opens as a winter warming hut, and Old Faithful Snow Lodge rooms reopen December 16. The East Entrance usually opens to over-snow travel December 22.

What this means for your trip

If you want to drive the Grand Loop to Old Faithful, Canyon, and Yellowstone Lake, you have until October 31, and most of the services along it are already closed. Fill your tank, pack food, and plan to sleep outside the park or at Mammoth, which has the only open campground and the only in-park hotel still taking guests. Allow for the bridge delays between Gardiner and Mammoth.

From November 1 to December 15, Yellowstone is a northern-range park. You can drive in from Gardiner, see the Mammoth terraces, and continue east through Lamar Valley toward Cooke City, but Old Faithful and the canyon are out of reach by car. After December 15, getting to Old Faithful means a snowcoach or snowmobile trip.

Bull elk are the park's top safety warning right now, so give them at least 25 yards even when one looks calm. And if you reach the geyser basins before November 1, leave Biscuit Basin out of your plans.

Before you go

• Check the park's current conditions and road status the morning you drive in.
• Backcountry Office, for trail conditions and closures: 307-344-2160.
• Mammoth Campground is first come, first served until late March; see its Recreation.gov page.
• See the facility opening and closing dates on the park's operating dates page.

If a closure knocks out part of your plan, my guide to Yellowstone National Park has nine one- to three-day itineraries at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for weather or closures. You can also check alerts and conditions for every national park.

This page is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Always check the park's current alerts before you go.