Yellowstone Switches to Oversnow Travel Parkwide Saturday

Yellowstone National Park's East Entrance will open to the public for the winter season as scheduled on Thursday, December 22. Rubber-tracked snowcoaches and snowmobiles will be allowed to travel between the East Entrance through Sylvan Pass to Fishing Bridge and West Thumb. Currently, steel-tracked vehicles are not allowed on this route until more snow accumulates on the roads.

In the remainder of the park, winter travel routes are open with the following restrictions:

• Mammoth Hot Springs-Norris-West Entrance-Old Faithful: Commercially guided wheeled vehicles and rubber-tracked snowcoaches only.
• Norris-Canyon: Commercially guided rubber-tracked snowcoaches only.
• South Entrance-West Thumb-Old Faithful: Commercially guided rubber and steel-tracked snowcoaches and snowmobiles.

Park staff members will continue to closely monitor conditions and weather forecasts. Additional sections of the park will be opened to commercially guided snowmobile and snowcoach travel as soon enough new snow falls to permit the roads to be packed and groomed for safe oversnow travel.

The road from the park's North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana through Mammoth Hot Springs and on to Cooke City, Montana outside the park's Northeast Entrance is open to automobile travel all year.

With significant snowfall throughout the park over the past 48 hours, Yellowstone National Park will ring in the New Year by transitioning fully to oversnow travel beginning at 7:00 a.m. Saturday, December 31.

Rubber- and steel-tracked guided snowcoaches and snowmobiles will be allowed to travel on all interior park roads, with the exception of the road between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction, which is restricted to rubber-tracked guided snowcoaches only until snow conditions improve.

The East Entrance road through Sylvan Pass also remains closed due to avalanche danger.

The road from the park's North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana through Mammoth Hot Springs and on to Cooke City, Montana outside the park's Northeast Entrance is open to automobile travel all year.

Over the past two days, interior areas of the park have received up to 12 inches or more of heavy wet snow along with strong winds, increasing the danger of avalanches on steep slopes. Storms and adverse winter weather conditions throughout the park have also caused poor visibility due to blowing and drifting snow. Visitors traveling oversnow with guides or driving on open portions of park roadways are cautioned to remain alert for rapidly changing road conditions and other hazards. It is also strongly advised to carry emergency items such as drinking water, an extra blanket or warm clothes, and remain flexible with alternate travel plans.

Park staff members will continue to closely monitor road conditions and weather forecasts, and are working to reopen Sylvan Pass as soon as the avalanche danger has been mitigated.

Updated park road information is available 24 hours a day by calling 307-344-2117. For information on roads outside of the park, travelers in Wyoming may dial 511; those outside of Wyoming may call 1-888-996-7623, or visit the Wyoming Department of Transportation website at http://www.wyoroad.info/. Travelers in Montana may dial 511; those outside Montana may call 1-800-226-7623, or visit the Montana Department of Transportation website at http://mdt511.com/.