March 1 means two things in Yellowstone: a celebration of the birth of the
world’s first national park in 1872, and the beginning of the end of
motorized oversnow travel in the park’s interior for another year.
Commercially guided snowmobile and snowcoach travel between Fishing Bridge
and the park’s East Entrance over Sylvan Pass ends at 9 p.m. on
Thursday, March 1. Closures on other road segments will occur during the
next two weeks, with all oversnow travel scheduled to end for the season at
9 p.m. Thursday, March 15.
Once the roads close to oversnow travel, crews will begin to clear them of
snow so they can reopen to automobile travel in the spring, beginning
Friday, April 20, weather permitting.
At Old Faithful, the Bear Den Gift Shop closes for the season on Saturday,
March 3. The Old Faithful Snow Lodge, Cabins, and Dining Room will close
for the winter season on Sunday, March 4. The Geyser Grill and the Old
Faithful Visitor Education Center will remain open through Thursday, March
15.
At Mammoth Hot Springs, the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, Dining Room, and
Gift Shop will close for the season Monday, March 5. The Mammoth
Campground, Yellowstone General Store, Post Office, Medical Clinic, the
Albright Visitor Center, and self-serve fuel pumps are open all year.
The National Park Service (NPS) is working on a long-term plan to guide
winter use in Yellowstone. The public comment period for the scoping phase
for the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is open until
March 9. A Draft Supplemental EIS will be released for public review and
comment late this spring. The NPS intends to have a final Supplemental EIS,
a Record of Decision, and a long-term regulation for winter use in
Yellowstone in place before the mid-December start of the 2012-2013 winter
season.
The road from Gardiner, Montana, through the park’s North Entrance to
Mammoth Hot Springs to Cooke City, Montana, is open to automobiles all
year, weather permitting. Self-serve fuel is available all year at Tower
Junction. Updated Yellowstone National Park road information is available
24 hours a day by calling 307-344-2117.
