Yellowstone National Park this week

Winter shoulder season: only the North ↔ Northeast road is open to cars.

Yellowstone closed its West, South and East entrances and nearly all roads to regular vehicles on Nov. 1. Until snowmobile and snowcoach season starts Dec. 15, the only way to drive into the park is the road between the North Entrance (Gardiner, MT) and the Northeast Entrance (Cooke City/Silver Gate, MT), through Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction and Lamar Valley. NPS news NPS NPS alert

Open entrances Closed this week Get GOES before you lose signal

When signal drops, GOES steps in.

Grizzly and black bear country, thermal ground that can scald, bison and elk along the road, and a single winter road where you can't count on a signal. GOES keeps its injury assessment, how-to guides and prevention tips on your phone offline.

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Entrances open this week

Pick your entrance

Gardiner, MT

North Entrance

The North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana is the only Yellowstone entrance open to wheeled vehicles all year, and right now it's one of only two ways to drive in. From here the road climbs to Mammoth Hot Springs and continues east through Tower Junction and Lamar Valley to the Northeast Entrance.

Open to cars (year-round road)

This week at North Entrance →

Cooke City & Silver Gate, MT

Northeast Entrance

The Northeast Entrance near Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana sits at the far end of Yellowstone's only winter road. With the Beartooth Highway closed for the season, the way to Cooke City in winter is through the park from Gardiner and Lamar Valley.

Open to cars, reached via Gardiner

This week at Northeast Entrance →

Seasonal closures

Closed or limited this week

Closed / limitedWest Entrance (West Yellowstone, MT). Closed to cars Nov 1 – Dec 14 (shoulder season). Opens to commercially guided snowmobiles and snowcoaches Dec 15. NPS news NPS API
Closed / limitedSouth Entrance (from Grand Teton). Closed to cars Nov 1 – Dec 14. Opens to oversnow travel Dec 15. NPS news NPS API
Closed / limitedEast Entrance (from Cody, WY). Closed to cars Nov 1 – Dec 14. Oversnow dates differ between NPS pages (Park Roads lists Dec 15; operating hours list Dec 22) — confirm before planning. NPS NPS API

Entrance fee: Private vehicle $35. Non-US residents 16+ pay an additional $100 nonresident fee unless entering with an annual / America the Beautiful pass. NPS fees NPS API

Know the risks

What matters in Yellowstone right now

Teach, don't scare: these are the hazards NPS emphasizes this season, with what to do.

Thermal areas (scald burns)

Burns from thermal features are a common cause of serious injury and death in Yellowstone. Ground that looks solid can be a thin crust over superheated water. Stay on boardwalks, keep kids close, and never touch runoff. More than 20 people have died after entering or falling into hot springs. Biscuit Basin (near Old Faithful) remains closed after the July 2024 hydrothermal explosion. NPS NPS alert

In GOESOffline interactive health assessment + 50+ visual how-to guides

Bears

All of Yellowstone is grizzly and black bear country. Stay at least 100 yards from bears and wolves, carry bear spray where you can reach it, hike in groups of 3+, make noise, and avoid carcasses. Since 1970, 91% of people injured by bears in Yellowstone were hiking alone or with one partner. NPS

In GOESWildlife Encounters: location-specific risk indicators for bears and other dangerous animals

Bison, elk and other wildlife

Stay at least 25 yards from bison, elk and all other animals (100 yards from bears, wolves and cougars). The safest view is usually from inside your car. NPS

In GOESWildlife Encounters: location-specific risk indicators for dangerous animals

Winter driving and cold

NPS asks fall and winter drivers to watch the weather, keep plans flexible, expect limited services and closures without notice, pack blankets and cold-weather essentials, and keep a full tank. NPS news

In GOESEnvironmental Health: hypothermia and frostbite assessments

NPS alerts

Active Yellowstone alerts

From the NPS Data API, fetched Nov 12, 2026. Live version: nps.gov/yell conditions.

Park ClosureMost Park Roads Closed to All Vehicles. Most roads are closed to prepare for commercially-guided snowcoach and snowmobile travel during the winter season, which will begin December 15 (weather depending). The road between the North and Northeast entrances is the only road open year-round to regular vehicles. More
InformationTraffic 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 November 24, 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. More
Park ClosureBiscuit Basin Closed Due to Hydrothermal Explosion. The parking lot, boardwalk, and Firehole River at Biscuit Basin, located north of Old Faithful, is closed to all travel until further notice due to the possibility of another event at the site of a hydrothermal explosion that occurred July 23, 2024. More

Follow official NPS rules, posted closures and ranger instructions. They override anything on this page.

Your outdoor safety companion

When signal drops, GOES steps in.

Works with no cell service: interactive health assessment and 50+ visual how-to guides, available offline.
Location-specific risks: wildlife (bears, venomous snakes), hypothermia, frostbite, heat illness, altitude, ticks, poisonous plants, UV and smoke/air quality.
200+ prevention tips across 60+ medical topics, also available offline.
Built by wilderness medicine physicians: founded by Dr. Grant Lipman, former Stanford Emergency Medicine professor and director of its wilderness medicine fellowship; Chief Medical Officer Dr. Colin Little, MD, FAWM.

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Free to download. Premium features need a monthly or annual subscription after a 7-day free trial. GOES provides guidance. It is not a substitute for professional medical care. Follow official NPS rules and ranger instructions.

Sources

Where this week's information comes from

Fetched Thu Nov 12, 2026 (JST), which is Wed Nov 11 evening in US time zones. We don't publish wait times, bear sightings or conditions we can't source. Check the official pages before you go — they're updated more often than we are.