When do the roads open up in Yellowstone?

[Shadow_Grey]

Trying to plan a trip thru Yellowstone for late April. We are traveling form Portland, OR to STL, MO and wanted to travel thru Yellowstone and the Blackhills. We will NOT have our camper but wanted to go thru the parks so when we return we will have a better idea as to where we want to camp at.
Google Maps shows the roads closed and will not let us plan it out as a trip. I don't care how twisty some of the roads are, we only have the truck which will be mostly empty except for clothes, tent, sleeping bags and back packs.

Does anybody around there know when highway 20 will open? What about some of the other roads around there?

[2gypsies1]

You can get all the information you want from the official Yellowstone site:

Yellowstone Road Information

[bigdogger]

4huskers wrote:
In April the only road open in the park will be from the north entrance to Cooke City. I'm not sure if there's anything open east out of Cooke City.

No travel east until May 23rd.

[bigdogger]

West Entrance road opens April 18th. East Entrance Road opens May 2, and the South Entrance opens May 9th. Road between Canyon and Tower opens May 23rd as does the Beartooth Highway. Even though the roads are listed as open it is with a disclaimer of "weather permitting". Another problem with your plan is even if the road is open, the campgrounds along those roads are likely to be closed. Don't even think about entering a closed road, campground or attraction. The fines are prohibitive and they aren't the least bit forgiving.

[4huskers]

In April the only road open in the park will be from the north entrance to Cooke City. I'm not sure if there's anything open east out of Cooke City.

[n7bsn]

Depends on the year, on a low snow pack, now. On a bad winter, 1 June.
This is NOT been a low snow pack, much of Montana and Wyoming has seen from 110 to 150 % of normal snow pack

I've seen 3 feet of NEW snow fall, over night, in April.

I would check with Yellowstone NP itself, as weather is the driver. But honestly April is still "almost winter" up there and not much, other the road plowing, is going on.

[GordonThree]

I'm not around YNP, but this website might help:

Where are the plows?

Looks to me, Uncle Sam hasn't even started yet. I'm guessing mid-May is when they start.

I was there early June 2011 and a lot of the side roads were still closed. I entered from the South, and the snow was towering on either side of my car, it was like driving in a tunnel.


June 13, 2011, near the South enterance