The Roosevelt Arch greets visitors at the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park. (Flickr photo by Pete Zarria – click to enlarge)
From Staff Reports
Yellowstone National Park will open the roads from West Yellowstone and Mammoth Hot Springs to Old Faithful on Friday, April 19, as originally scheduled, according to a statement released Monday from the park’s public affairs office.
Despite a delayed start on snow plowing due to budget cuts mandated by Congress under the sequester, the roads from Mammoth and West Yellowstone are opening as originally scheduled before cuts were announced.
Favorable weather conditions, below average snow levels, and assistance from the Wyoming Department of Transportation have allowed the park to make more progress than expected, park officials said.
This will permit Yellowstone to open the roads from West Yellowstone and Mammoth Hot Springs to Old Faithful to visitors at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, April 19.
Restroom facilities will be available at Madison Junction and Old Faithful starting April 19, with pay-at-the pump fuel available 24 hours a day at both the Upper and Lower Service Stations.
The Old Faithful Visitor Education Center, the Geyser Grill and the Bear Den Gift Shop will open for the season on Friday, April 26. The Old Faithful Snow Lodge, Cabins and Restaurant, the Old Faithful Upper Store and the Lower Service Station convenience store all open for the season on Friday, May 3.
Visitors should be aware that spring weather in Yellowstone is unpredictable and roads can become dangers or be subject to closure with little or no notice.
Park entrance fees will be waived April 22-26 as part of National Park Week. The week-long annual celebration is designed to encourage people to visit one of America’s 401 national park system sites.
A seven-day pass to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks is normally $25 for a private, non-commercial vehicle.
The road from the park’s North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana through Mammoth Hot Springs, and on to the Northeast Entrance and the communities of Cooke City and Silver Gate, Montana, is open all year.
Thanks to fundraising efforts by the communities of Cody and Jackson, Wyoming, crews and equipment from the Wyoming Department of Transportation have joined National Park Service efforts to clear park roads for visitor travel. You can follow the progress of spring road clearing in Yellowstone online.
Weather permitting, the road from Norris Junction through Canyon and Fishing Bridge to the park’s East Entrance will open to travel on Friday, May 3 as originally scheduled. Travel through the South Entrance to Grant Village, West Thumb Junction and on to Fishing Bridge is set to open as originally scheduled on Friday, May 10, given favorable weather conditions. The road from West Thumb Junction to Old Faithful will open sometime after May 10.
Information on current conditions in the park is available online. Updated Yellowstone National Park road information is available 24 hours a day by calling 307-344-2117.