Yellowstone Park roads reopen
April 25, 2005
Spring in Yellowstone National Park roads began opening (subject to road and weather conditions) to motor vehicles on Friday, April 22, 2005. Roads open at 8:00 a.m. on the day listed:
April 22: Mammoth to Norris; Norris to Madison; Madison to the West Entrance; Madison to Old Faithful and Norris to Canyon;
May 6: Canyon to Lake; Lake to the East Entrance;
May 13: Old Faithful to the South Entrance and Lake to West Thumb (or earlier if conditions allow); Tower Junction to Tower Fall;
Outside the Northeast Entrance: Cooke City over Chief Joseph Scenic Highway 196 to Cody, Wyoming;
May 27: Tower Fall to the Chittenden Road;
Outside the Northeast Entrance: From Sunlight Junction over Beartooth Pass (Highway 212) to Red Lodge, Montana, if conditions allow.
The North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, to the Northeast Entrance at Cooke City, Montana, is open all year to motor vehicles, subject to weather and road conditions.
Limited facilities and services are available during this time of the year. The Old Faithful Snow Lodge Gift Shop and Geyser Grill, the Old Faithful Upper Service Station and the Yellowstone Adventure store at Canyon will serve visitors beginning April 22.
Lodging and additional dining facilities inside the park will become available with the opening of the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Restaurant on May 6, followed by the opening of the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Dining Room on May 13. The Mammoth General Store, Mammoth Clinic and Mammoth Campground remain open all round.
All other facilities and campgrounds remain closed until their scheduled opening dates throughout May and June with the exception of the Old Faithful Inn which will be undergoing renovations and will not open until July 1 and will close for the season on September 11.
Several road construction projects are scheduled throughout the park this summer and are subject to change. Visitors should be prepared for delays and closures. Road construction projects are as follows:
Canyon Junction to Tower Junction (Dunraven Pass):
The southern portion of this road segment from Canyon Junction to Chittenden Road, including Dunraven Pass, will be closed until August 19, then will open with up to half-hour delays possible. The northern portion of this road segment from Tower Junction to the Chittenden Road and the Chittenden Road will remain open.
Sylvan Pass to the East Entrance:
Open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. May 6 (weather and road conditions permitting) through October. Closed nightly from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.
A road construction project will also be underway outside the park's Northeast entrance on the Beartooth Highway (Highway 212). For additional information please call (888) 285-4636.
Spring weather can be unpredictable. Yellowstone National Park visitors need to be aware of deteriorating weather and road conditions. Contact park headquarters at (307) 344-7381 for information on current conditions.
Current information is available on park openings and road construction in the park’s official newspaper (Yellowstone Today), on the park’s web site at www.nps.gov/yell, or at park visitor centers.
|
