Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 as America’s first national park. It is located in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. The park is widely known for its amazing wildlife and many geothermal features. Two-thirds of the world’s geysers and half of the earth’s geothermal features are located here. Yellowstone covers an area of over 2 million acres containing mountain ranges, lakes, rivers, and canyons. Yellowstone National Park offers limitless opportunities for exploring, discovering and sightseeing.

Things to know while in Yellowstone

Have patience: Hundreds of thousands of people visit Yellowstone National Park during the summer months. It’s a very big park so wildlife traffic and curvy roads will often make it take longer than you think to get from place to place.

Avoid the crowds and traffic: Visit Yellowstone Park during the slower hours and seasons. Before 9 am and after 3 pm or during the months of April, May, September and October.

Plan your accommodations ahead: Campgrounds and Lodges fill very fast so plan ahead. Finding a place to stay at the last minute is unlikely.

Stay on the boardwalks and marked trails: More people are hurt every year by hot springs and thermal features than any other natural feature in the park, including animals.

Drive carefully: Obey speed limits and pull over when you want to take pictures of wildlife so other cars can pass.

Cell phone coverage: Cell service is limited so don’t be surprised if you are unable to use your phone as usual.

Respect the wildlife: Keep a safe distance while taking pictures of the wildlife. Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal and they can run three times faster than humans.

Yellowstone Lodging and Accommodations

How to enter Yellowstone National Park?

There are 5 entrances into the park:

The North Entrance: The North Entrance is through Gardiner, Montana and is the only entrance open to wheeled vehicles year round. The closest airport to this entrance is in Bozeman, Montana.

The West Entrance: The West Entrance is through West Yellowstone, Montana and is open to wheeled vehicles from April 20th to November 4th, and to snow vehicles with tracks from December 17th to March 12th. The closest airport to this entrance is in West Yellowstone, Montana.

The Northeast Entrance: The Northeast Entrance is through Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana and is open generally from the middle of May through late October. The closest airport to this entrance is in Billings, Montana.

The South Entrance: The South Entrance is open to wheeled vehicles from May 11th to November 4th, and to snow vehicles with tracks from December 17th to March 12th. The closest airport to this entrance is Jackson, Wyoming.

The East Entrance: The East Entrance is open to wheeled vehicles from May 11th to November 4th, and to snow vehicles with tracks from December 17th to March 12th. The closest airport to this entrance is in Cody, Wyoming.

Yellowstone National Park Map

Download official Yellowstone map here: Yellowstone Park Map