Yellowstone's Difficult Transition Into Spring Is Happening Now

The calendar says it's March, and spring is on the way. Wyoming's calendar isn't the same as everyone else. We have winter, a couple of false springs, then spring arrives, and possibly another big snow or two will happen.

That crazy weather pattern doesn't mean we're not preparing for spring and the warmer temperatures, especially in Yellowstone National Park. Within the next few months, millions of tourists will arrive at one of the entrances to begin the experiences they've been planning years for.

Most of those tourists don't know that preparing the park for them is a lot of work. We're still nearly three months away from opening all roads leading to the park. All but the two northern entrances closed at the end of October.

Since then, much snow has fallen throughout the park, and the process of clearing snow from the roads will continue for the next three months.

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Here's a breakdown of when the park's other entrances will open for the year.

West Entrance in West Yellowstone, MT, will open on April 18.
East Entrance near Cody, WY, will open on May 2.
South Entrance near Jackson, WY, will open on May 9.
The section between Canyon and Tower Fall will open on May 23.

nps.gov/yell

Just because those dates are set opening days doesn't mean winter weather isn't still possible. If you're heading into the park, checking the conditions beforehand is a good idea.