Yellowstone National Park
Montana, Wyoming, Idaho
Dark sky
Very dark skies
Bortle 3 · SQM ~20.91 (est.)
Tonight
🌗 34% moon
5.7 h fully dark
Hikes
Easy–Strenuous
🟢 🔴
Crowds
very high
Open today
Open
West Entrance: closed Mar 16 – Apr 20; West Entrance: closed Nov 1 – Dec 14; East Entrance: closed Mar 16 – May 4; East Entrance: closed Nov 1 – Dec 14; South Entrance: closed Mar 16 – May 11; South Entrance: closed Nov 1 – Dec 14
Entrance
$35
Elk with Calves are Extremely Dangerous
Be alert, especially this time of year around Mammoth Hot Springs. Elk calves may be hidden close to buildings, under or next to vehicles, and around blind corners. You must remain at least 25 yards from all wildlife. If an elk charges, retreat!
Official NPS alert →Temporary Closure of Some Trails, Backcountry Campsites, and Fishing Areas
Certain trails, backcountry campsites, and fishing areas in the western part of the park near Biscuit Basin are closed until further notice to allow for an investigation following a bear-caused human injury.
Official NPS alert →Traffic Delays - Gardner River High Bridge
Expect a single lane of traffic with up to 15-minute delays, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from April 1 through late October 2026. Oversized/overweight vehicles (8'6"+ wide, 75'+ long, 80,000 lbs+ gross vehicle weight) will not be able to cross the bridge during this time.
Official NPS alert →Vehicle Entrance Reservation Not Needed
Although an entrance pass is required to enter Yellowstone National Park, vehicle reservations are not needed. You are encouraged to purchase an entrance pass before arriving, but you may also purchase passes at any entrance station upon arrival.
Official NPS alert →Topics
Entrance fees
$35.00 — Entrance - Private Vehicle
$20.00 — Entrance - Non-commercial Groups
$30.00 — Entrance - Motorcycle
$30.00 — Entrance - Snowmobile
$20.00 — Entrance - Per Person
$20.00 — Commercial Entrance - Sedan
$125.00 — Commercial Entrance - Van
$200.00 — Commercial Entrance - Mini-bus
$300.00 — Commercial Entrance - Motor Coach
$100.00 — Nonresident
Hours & seasons
Yellowstone is open daily, year-round, although activities and services are limited at night and certain times of year. The park has five entrance stations, but not all entrance stations are open year-round. Make sure to carefully read about access at each station at different times of year. And remember, all dates are weather-dependent. Please note that camping is possible only in designated campgrounds.
⚠ West Entrance: closed Mar 16 – Apr 20; West Entrance: closed Nov 1 – Dec 14; East Entrance: closed Mar 16 – May 4; East Entrance: closed Nov 1 – Dec 14; South Entrance: closed Mar 16 – May 11; South Entrance: closed Nov 1 – Dec 14
Generally open:
winterspringsummerfallHours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 307-344-7381
✉ YELL_Information@nps.govConditions
Very dark skies (Bortle 3)
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Mar, Nov, Dec
Typical crowds: very high
Weather now: ☀️ Clear, 61°F
☀️ 76°/38°
☀️ 79°/50°
🌦️ 80°/52°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
4%
Feb
5%
Mar
3%
Apr
7%
May
53%
Jun
92%
Jul
100%
Aug
88%
Sep
86%
Oct
33%
Nov
2%
Dec
3%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Live conditions
Things to do
🔴 Snow Pass Ski Trail · 4.2 mi · The duration will vary depending on fitness level, snow conditions, and length of time spent along the trail.
Mount Washburn Spur Trail · This is a 16.2-mile (25.9-kilometer) there-and-back trail that begins and ends at the same trailhead.
Dunraven Pass - Mount Washburn Trail · 4.5 mi · This is a 6-mile (9.6-kilometer) there-and-back trail that begins and ends at the same trailhead.
Chittenden Road - Mount Washburn Trail · 10.3 mi · This is a 5.8-mile (9.3-kilometer) there-and-back trail that begins and ends at the same trailhead.
Rescue Creek Trail · 8 mi · This is an 8-mile (12.8-kilometer) through-hike trail that begins and ends at different trailheads. Either plan on leaving a vehicle at one end, arrange for being shuttled back to the start, or plan on the hike being twice as far if doing it as a there-and-back hike.
Lewis River Channel/Dogshead Trail · 5 mi · This is a 10.8-mile (17.3-kilometer) loop trail that begins and ends at the same trailhead.
Fairy Falls Trail · 1.6 mi · This is either a 5.4-mile (8.6-kilometer) or a 6.7-mile (10.7-kilometer) there-and-back trail that begins and ends at the same trailhead.
Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail · 0.6 mi · 105 ft gain · This is a 1.2-mile (1.9-kilometer) there-and-back trail that begins and ends at the same trailhead.
Campgrounds
Bridge Bay Campground ↗ · 432 sites · dump station
Canyon Campground ↗ · 273 sites · dump station
Fishing Bridge RV Park ↗ · 310 sites · hookups · dump station
Grant Village Campground ↗ · 430 sites · dump station
Indian Creek Campground ↗ · 70 sites
Lewis Lake Campground ↗ · 85 sites
Madison Campground ↗ · 276 sites · dump station
Mammoth Campground ↗ · 85 sites
Norris Campground · 112 sites
Pebble Creek Campground ↗ · 27 sites
Slough Creek Campground ↗ · 16 sites
Tower Fall Campground · 31 sites
Fishing Bridge RV Park
Visitor centers
Albright Visitor Center
Canyon Visitor Education Center
Fishing Bridge Visitor Center and Trailside Museum
Grant Visitor Center
Madison Information Station and Trailside Museum
Museum of the National Park Ranger
Norris Geyser Basin Museum and Information Station
Old Faithful Visitor Education Center
West Thumb Information Station
West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center (Chamber of Commerce Desk)
West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center (NPS Desk)
Canyon Visitor Education Center
Accessibility
2 accessible campground(s)
248 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Parking
Canyon Village · 351 accessible spacesaccessible
Canyon Village Lotaccessible
Fairy Falls Parking Lot · 97 accessible spacesaccessible
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: Artist Point Parking Lot · 109 accessible spacesaccessible
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: North Rim Parking Lot · 139 accessible spacesaccessible
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: Upper Falls Parking Lot · 101 accessible spaces
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: Upper Falls Viewpoints Parking Lot · 92 accessible spacesaccessible
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: Wapati Lake Parking Lot · 45 accessible spaces
Midway Geyser Basin Parking Lot · 55 accessible spacesaccessible
Old Faithful Central Parking Lot · 342 accessible spacesaccessible
Old Faithful East Parking Lot · 674 accessible spacesaccessible
Old Faithful Inn Parking Lot · 150 accessible spacesaccessible
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Yellowstone National Park — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Dark sky
How dark the night sky is — darker (lower Bortle) fills the dial.
Bortle 3
★★★★☆
SQM ~20.91
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
Trail profile
Each dot is a trail — distance vs. elevation gain, by difficulty.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to Yellowstone National Park — each spans a cross-park journey.
Ferdinand Hayden
— VolcanoesHorace M. Albright
— Horace Albright, Yellowstone National Park, National Park ServicePhiletus W. Norris
— Yellowstone National Park, Superintendent, Philetus NorrisThomas Moran
— Conservation, Conservation Movement, ArtWilliam Henry Jackson
— Conservation Movement, Painter, PhotographerTake a tour
Official NPS tours of Yellowstone National Park — each is an ordered path you can turn into a trip and remix.
Canyon Rim Tour
2 stopsA short loop along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Passport stamps
Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.
🎫 Albright Visitor Center
🎫 Canyon Village
🎫 Canyon Visitor Education Center
🎫 Fishing Bridge Visitor Center and Trailside Museum
🎫 Grant Visitor Center
🎫 Madison Information Station and Trailside Museum
🎫 Norris Geyser Basin Museum and Information Station
🎫 Old Faithful Visitor Education Center
🎫 Snake River Backcountry Office
🎫 West Thumb Information Station
🎫 West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center (Chamber of Commerce Desk)
🎫 West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center (Chamber of Commerce Desk)
🎫 West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center (NPS Desk)
🎫 Yellowstone Forever Headquarters & Park Store
Events
Upcoming events at Yellowstone National Park. Set your travel dates on “Your memory” to see what lands during your visit.
Perseid Star Party · 2026-08-11–2026-08-13
Places to see
A Wildlife Paradise
audio
Abyss Pool
Albright Picnic Area
Anemone Geysers
audio
Angel Terrace
Angler's Bluff Picnic Area
Apollinaris Spring Picnic Area
Arch Park Picnic Area
Artemisia Geyser
audioArtemisia Trailhead
Artist Point
stampaudio
Artist Point Trailhead (4K8)
audioAudio & media
🎧 1610 AM Broadcast - Summer 2023 ↗ · 5 mintranscript
🎧 Becky Wyman, Concessions Management Specialist ↗ · 30 mintranscript
🎧 Katy Anderson, Law Enforcement Specialist ↗ · 32 mintranscript
🎧 Miles Barger, Publications Program Manager ↗ · 38 mintranscript
🎧 Elk Fight (with bugling) ↗ · 3 mintranscript
🎧 John Cataldo, Fire Management Officer ↗ · 39 mintranscript
🎬
🖼
Learn more
Recipients of the 2002 NPS Environmental Achievement Awards
Recipients of the 2004 NPS Environmental Achievement Awards
Recipients of the 2005 NPS Environmental Achievement Awards
Recipients of the 2006 NPS Environmental Achievement Awards
Recipients of the 2008 NPS Environmental Achievement Awards
Recipients of the 2009 Environmental Achievement Awards
Recipients of the 2010 NPS Environmental Achievement Awards
Recipients of the 2011 NPS Environmental Achievement Awards
Ranger School
Park-grounded courses you can learn with the Ranger.
A Bear's Menu
Open →
Atomic Elements and Archeology: Tracing Ancient Resource Access and Trade Routes Using XRF
Open →
Dueling Mandates: Preservation and Use of National Parks
Open →
Hard Core Rock
Open →
How Geysers Erupt
Open →
Imaginary Yellowstone Road Trip
Open →
Invent an Animal
Open →
Painting 1000 Words
Open →
To Eat or Be Eaten
Open →
What is a National Park?
Open →
Who Am I? (A lesson on animals and their habitats)
Open →
Winter Survival Adaptations: Caching Food
Open →
How Yellowstone National Park connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
Park
Activity
Topic
State
ThingToDo
Alert
Campground
VisitorCenter
PassportStamp
ParkingLot
Tour
Trail
Similar parks
Share activities & topics with Yellowstone National Park.
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Often planned together
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