West Yellowstone, Montana
Things to do in West Yellowstone depend on the date, because the road from the town’s West Entrance into Yellowstone changes with the seasons. From 17 April to 31 October 2026 you can drive to Old Faithful in 65–75 minutes. From 15 December 2026 to 15 March 2027 the way in is by snowcoach or guided snowmobile only.
Every date, fee and price on this page was checked at its source, on the date shown beside it. The sources are listed at the end.
West Entrance, 17 April – 31 October 2026
The West Entrance and the roads to Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic and Norris are open to cars, 24 hours a day.
Last day for cars: 31 October 2026. The road then closes to all traffic until snowcoach and guided snowmobile travel starts on 15 December 2026.
Dates from the National Park Service, Park Roads, checked 3 October 2026. Roads can close at short notice: on the day, check Current Conditions or call (307) 344-2117.
The road from the West Entrance into the park has four states a year, and the one you arrive in decides what a trip from here can include.
| State | Dates | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Open to cars | 17 April 2026 – 31 October 2026 | Drive in yourself or join a tour. Most park visitor centers, stores and lodges open and close inside this window; check each one’s dates. |
| Closed to all traffic | 1 November 2026 – 14 December 2026 | Nothing goes into the park from this side. In town, the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center is open every day of the year. |
| Snowcoach and guided snowmobile only | 15 December 2026 – 15 March 2027 | Book an over-snow trip with an operator. The park’s winter dates for the Old Faithful visitor center and Snow Lodge are not yet published. |
| Closed for spring plowing | From 16 March 2027 until the spring opening (date not yet published) | Nothing goes into the park from this side until the spring opening. |
Only one road in the park is open to cars all year: the North Entrance to Northeast Entrance road, on the far side of the park from here. In winter it cannot be reached through the park from West Yellowstone.
Old Faithful’s eruption predictions stop while its visitor center is closed, which is usually early November to mid-December and mid-March to mid-April.
Drive times are the National Park Service’s averages from the West Entrance, before any stops; wildlife on the road makes them longer. The park speed limit is 45 mph. Through October, bridge work 1.5 miles south of Old Faithful means up to 15-minute delays.
Old Faithful erupts every 94 or 68 minutes (plus or minus 10) by the park’s own interval table, which was last updated in November 2020, and reaches 106–184 feet. The park publishes a predicted time for each eruption while the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center is open; this year it is open until 31 October 2026.
The boardwalk at Midway Geyser Basin runs beside the spring. For the view down onto its colours, take the Grand Prismatic Overlook Trail: 0.6 miles, climbing 105 feet from the Fairy Falls trailhead, 1 mile south of Midway Geyser Basin. The park says parking there is very limited.
Porcelain Basin is a valley of bare, steaming ground crossed by boardwalk. Stay on it: the ground around thermal features can be a thin crust over scalding water. More than 20 people have died from burns in the park’s hot springs.
The Lower Falls drop into a canyon of yellow and orange rock. With an hour and a half of driving each way, it fills a day on its own, or a long one if you add the geyser basins.
Lamar Valley is in the park’s northeast, on the opposite side from West Yellowstone. From here it is a very long day. Gardiner, at the North Entrance, is the closer base, and in winter it is the only way to reach the valley by car.
Biscuit Basin is closed
The parking lot, boardwalk and river at Biscuit Basin, just north of Old Faithful, have been closed since 23 July 2024, after a hydrothermal explosion, until further notice. Many guides still list it.
Open every day of the year, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. as of October; the center says its hours change with the seasons. Adults $17.50, children 5–12 $12.50, 4 and under free. A ticket is good for two consecutive days, and the center says its bears do not hibernate.
Open daily, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., until 12 October 2026, its last day of the season. It reopens in early May 2027. Adults $10; under 18 free.
Closed. It is still on many lists of things to do here, but its own website says it has closed, to make way for expansion at Buffalo Crossing RV Park.
27 miles northwest of town on US 287. On 17 August 1959 an earthquake set off a landslide that blocked the Madison River and formed the lake. The Forest Service visitor center is open daily, 22 May – 15 September, and is free.
These are shared day tours that pick up in town or meet at the West Yellowstone Visitor Center, and run until the road closes. Each card shows the price one adult would pay on a real date, as checked with Viator; it updates to today’s price when the page loads.
We earn a commission from Viator if you book through these links. It does not change the price you pay.
From $292 per adult
Price checked 3 October 2026 for 5 October
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Check dates on ViatorRun by Yellowstone Hiking Guides
From $325 per adult
Price checked 3 October 2026 for 9 October
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Check dates on ViatorRun by Yellowstone Day Tours
From $223.20 per adult
Price checked 3 October 2026 for 4 October
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Check dates on ViatorRun by CoveredGround Tours
Winter trips are not sold here
No snowcoach or snowmobile trip from West Yellowstone is sold through Viator, our booking partner, so we have none to offer. For 15 December 2026 to 15 March 2027, book an over-snow trip directly with an operator in town.
No, you cannot drive into Yellowstone from West Yellowstone in winter. From 15 December 2026 to 15 March 2027 the road from the West Entrance is open only to snowcoaches and commercially guided snowmobiles, and from 1 November 2026 to 14 December 2026 it is closed to all traffic.
Old Faithful is 65–75 minutes by car from the West Entrance, using the park’s own average drive times and before any stops. The road is open to cars from 17 April 2026 to 31 October 2026.
No, you do not need a vehicle reservation to enter Yellowstone, but you do need an entrance pass, which you can buy at the West Entrance or online beforehand. A private vehicle pass costs $35 and lasts seven consecutive days.
No, the Yellowstone Giant Screen Theatre in West Yellowstone is no longer open. Its own website says it has closed, to make way for expansion at Buffalo Crossing RV Park.
West Yellowstone is not the closest base for Lamar Valley: by the park’s average drive times it is about 2 hours 25 minutes to Tower Junction, where the road through the valley begins, before any stops. Gardiner, at the North Entrance, is closer, and in winter it is the only way to reach the valley by car.
Every fact on this page comes from the organisation that sets it, read on the date shown. Tour prices, ratings, lengths and seasons come from Viator, our booking partner. If something here has changed, tell us at info@westyellowstonetours.com.
Written and checked by West Yellowstone Tours.