EBS STAFF
As winter blankets southwest Montana, Yellowstone National Park is preparing for a quieter time of year for the popular destination. The park announced in a Dec. 10 press release that it will open for oversnow travel on Dec. 15.
Starting Dec. 15, only the roads between the North Entrance in Gardiner, and the Northeast Entrance in Cooke City/Silver Gate are open to automobiles. Visitors can anticipate possible road closures due to quickly changing weather and dangerous driving conditions and the park service encourages checking the road status map often.
Visitors can travel most of the park’s roads from the West, South, East and North entrances by approved commercially guided snowmobiles and snowcoaches and via the non-commercially guided snowmobile access program. Very limited facilities remain open during winter. The park’s website lists which visitor centers, stores, restaurants, lodges and warming huts are operational.
The park service also reminds visitors to stay on designated boardwalks in fragile thermal areas, to stay 100 yards from bears and wolves and 25 yards from all other wildlife and to prepare for winter weather conditions, checking current weather forecasts often.
Winter travel ends in mid-March when plowing crews begin to clear snow. Roads will start to re-open to automobiles and bicyclists beginning in mid-April.
