Yellowstone/Teton Spring 2016 Inquiry

We had friends who stayed at Fishing Bridge RV Campground at Yellowstone in early May. The camp sites had been plowed out, but the snow was over 8 feet high next to the site.

West Yellowstone is 6700 ft. elevation and Fishing Bridge in the park is 7700 so snow is likely. I had snow the end of May so you would really be in trouble.
Only one campground stays open all year and most open from May 8th on - really not the correct time to visit the park

From the Yellowstone website
The fishing season begins the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend (usually the last weekend in May) and extends through and includes the first Sunday in November. Exceptions are noted in each of the Regional Regulations sections within the Fishing Regulations handbook (4 MB pdf).

Most of the facilities and services in the park don't open until Late May.

Go here to see the opening schedule: Opening and closing dates

Late May thru early June is your best bet to miss the crowds if you prefer Spring time.

We were there during the peak in 2015, and even then, the worst was 5 minute backups due to traffic stopping for wildlife. Which in a weird way was 1) entertaining and 2) good for my family because we would not have spotted anything on the rare side without "help". With the extra "help" we saw just about everything in the book, except a Wolf.

Mid-June thru Mid-August we were repeated told is their peak season, with late-July being the typical peak. Outside of this, you'll be in the clear.

..

We went in early June, no large crowds at all, and the snow is pretty much gone.

Mid-May can be good. If the longrange forecast for this winter holds, it's likely the snow may be gone from the roads by then; if not, then late May/early June are good. April is too early for most facilities, including CGs, to be open, and there is no boondocking in the park, even if roads are open. Baby animals will probably not be seen much until late May. If the park is open, there are other tourists there, but the crowds don't really start in earnest until mid- to late June, and get thickest from 4th of July through late August.

Definitely check on closing & opening dates for the various facilities online, as suggested, and keep up on it. Bear in mind that some of the larger CGs in the park are reservable a year or so in advance.

As others have mentioned, snow will likely still be around and some of the roads might not be open. Fishing should be good outside the park in the Snake, Hoback, and other local streams with pre-runoff hatches of Baetis, midges, and maybe even caddis and some terrestrials if the weather is stable. Streamers will work too, with sculpins and buggers, as well as baitfish patterns nailing bigger fish. If there's any runoff of staining to the water, San Juan worms and egg patterns will be your friends. Good luck to you!

Good info, planning a trip for next year as well. We were thinking first part of June, confirms my thoughts on the subject!

usmcshepherd wrote:
Hello,

I am looking for anyone who has visited the Yellowstone/Teton National Parks area in late April to early May in order to gain a better understanding of the typical weather found during this time of year. We will be camping in our TC so we have heat etc for cold nights, but also want the weather to be nice enough to enjoy day hikes and key sites. We are considering this timeframe so we can miss the crowds that inundate these parks later in the year. I am also hoping to take advantage of some of the excellent fly fishing opportunities so if anyone has any info on what fishing is like at this time of year even better. Thanks in advance...

MGuns

Make sure you take winter clothes. I've seen snow up in that area in May, and into June. Just go prepared, like mentioned will still have snow on the ground.

Here is some links for information on Fishing and Grand Teton NP.
Hope it helps:

http://www.greater-yellowstone.com/Grand-Teton-Park/fishing.html
http://www.fourseasonsanglers.com/wyomingfishinglicenseinformationandfees.htm

Scott