Parks / Yellowstone / Northeast Entrance

Yellowstone · Cooke City & Silver Gate, MT

Yellowstone Northeast Entrance: this week

Open to cars, reached via Gardiner Week of Nov 9–15, 2026

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.

This week's conditions Risks here now Get GOES before you lose signal

When signal drops, GOES steps in.

Wolves, bison and grizzlies in Lamar Valley, sub-freezing nights and closed services. Get GOES before you lose signal so its offline assessment and prevention tips are there if something goes wrong.

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Official conditions

This week at the Northeast Entrance

From NPS pages and alerts fetched Nov 12, 2026. Each line links to its source.

OpenOpen year-round for wheeled vehicles between the North and Northeast entrances, through Lamar Valley. NPS NPS API
ClosedBeartooth Highway (US-212, Cooke City to Red Lodge): closed for the season. NPS
Heads-upChief Joseph Scenic Byway (WY-296): in winter, 9 miles between Cooke City and Pilot Creek close to wheeled vehicles (oversnow only). That segment is normally open to cars mid-May through early November — check WYDOT before relying on it. NPS
ClosedCampgrounds near this entrance are closed: Slough Creek (seasonal) and Pebble Creek (closed until further notice for flood recovery). Tower-Roosevelt services are closed for the winter. NPS

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

Weather

Forecast near the Northeast Entrance

Snapshot from the National Weather Service, fetched Nov 12, 2026. Live forecast loads below if you're online.Full NWS forecast

Period	Temp	Forecast	Wind
Tonight	27°F	Partly Cloudy	1 mph
Thursday	65°F	Partly Sunny	0 to 3 mph
Thursday Night	28°F	Partly Cloudy	2 mph
Friday	58°F	Partly Sunny	1 to 7 mph
Friday Night	28°F	Partly Cloudy	3 mph
Saturday	55°F	Partly Sunny then Chance Snow Showers	1 to 5 mph
Saturday Night	26°F	Chance Snow Showers then Mostly Cloudy	5 mph
Sunday	46°F	Mostly Sunny	2 to 7 mph

Know the risks

What actually matters here in mid-November

The goal is a good trip, not a scary one. These are the hazards NPS highlights for this area and season, and what to do about each.

Lamar Valley wildlife: bison, wolves, bears

Use pullouts, stay in or near your vehicle, keep 100 yards from wolves and bears and 25 yards from bison. Don't stop in the travel lane. NPS

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

Bear country right up to town

Hike in a group of 3+, make noise, carry bear spray, and if you find a carcass, leave by the way you came and report it. NPS

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

Remote, cold and far from help

This week's NWS forecast near Silver Gate: lows in the upper 20s, and a chance of snow showers Saturday. Services in the northeast corner are closed for the winter; the nearest year-round park facilities are back at Mammoth. NWS NPS

In GOESEnvironmental Health: hypothermia and frostbite assessments

Before you go in

Checklist for the Northeast Entrance

Plan an out-and-back tripWith Beartooth closed, Cooke City is reached through the park from Gardiner.
Fuel, food and water for the whole driveTower-Roosevelt services are closed.
Bear spray, traction and warm layersLamar Valley pullouts get icy and cold at dawn and dusk.
Download GOES + offline maps in GardinerExpect no signal on much of the route.

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

Park-wide

Yellowstone risks everywhere in the park

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

All active Yellowstone alerts

Pulled from the NPS Data API on Nov 12, 2026; the same alerts appear on nps.gov/yell.

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

Your outdoor safety companion

When signal drops, GOES steps in.

Wolves, bison and grizzlies in Lamar Valley, sub-freezing nights and closed services. Get GOES before you lose signal so its offline assessment and prevention tips are there if something goes wrong.

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.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

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.

Other Yellowstone entrances

North EntranceOpen to cars (year-round road)
Northeast EntranceOpen to cars, reached via Gardiner

Yellowstone overview, closures and park-wide risks →

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.