east gate

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Yellowstone East Entrance sees faithful and lucky among park’s early visitors

There are few things in life that seem to be all things to all people, but Yellowstone National Park took on that role Friday, as everyone from lucky accidental tourists, faithful photographers, middle school students and hardcore snowboarders flocked to the park on the first day the Yellowstone East Entance was open for the 2012 summer season. Local snowboarders Chay Donnelly and Brad Metzler were two of the early visitors spread among two dozen vehicles waiting for the Yellowstone East Entrance to open at 8 a.m. They joined wildlife photographers, nature lovers, office workers playing hooky and others anxious to get into Yellowstone at the earliest opportunity. Continue Reading →

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Yellowstone East Gate, Colter Pass from Cooke City to Cody open Friday

Candice Phipps, a worker at the East Gate to Yellowstone National Park, checks passes of visitors arriving from Cody in this 2012 file photo.

Yellowstone National Park's East Gate opens for the 2012 summer season Friday, along with Colter Pass, the road leading from Cooke City, Mont. to the Chief Joseph Highway and Cody, Wyo. Roads from West Yellowstone, Mont. Roads leading from West Yellowstone, Mont. and Gardiner, Mont. into the park are already open. The southern portion of Yellowstone's Lower Loop Road between Grant Village and Old Faithful is not yet open. That section and the park’s South Gate open May 11, while Dunraven Pass is scheduled to open May 25. Continue Reading →

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Hike to the top of Avalanche Peak on the east side of Yellowstone Park

The hike to the top of Avalanche Peak in Yellowstone National Park can be done in a morning (about 4 hours round-trip) and is absolutely worth the climb. The access point for the trail (cleverly titled "Avalanche Peak Trail") is about 8 miles inside the East Gate on the north side of the highway. There is a small parking lot and picnic area by Eleanor Lake, across the road from the trailhead. Continue Reading →

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Snowmobile trip over Sylvan Pass offers adventurous loop through Yellowstone Park

Two people share a snowmobile during a January 2012 trip into Yellowstone National Park.

Terry Dolan's snowmobile tour covers more than 150 miles and takes in the major sights along the lower section of the park's Grand Loop Road, including Yellowstone Lake, Old Faithful, Fountain Paint Pot and the Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. For adventurous travelers, the trip offers an exhilarating and often thrilling way to tour the park, with a small group of good riders able to quickly stop and hop off their sleds for photos or sightseeing before pushing on to the next landmark. Continue Reading →

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