Yellowstone’s South Entrance opens May 8th
by Yellowstone National Park, National Park Service
May 10, 2015
The South Entrance to Yellowstone National Park will open for the season at 8 a.m. Friday, May 8. Visitors will be able to travel through the South Entrance to Grant Village, West Thumb Junction and on to Fishing Bridge.
Due to construction on the Isa Lake Bridge, Craig Pass between West Thumb Junction and Old Faithful is closed until June 11. Visitors planning to travel to Old Faithful from the South Entrance will need to take the Grand Loop Road through Fishing Bridge Junction, Canyon Junction, Norris Junction and on to Old Faithful. The road between Canyon Village and Tower-Roosevelt over Dunraven Pass will open to travel May 22, in time for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Last week, National Park Service (NPS) crews opened a section of US-212 outside the park’s Northeast Entrance from Cooke City, Montana, to the intersection with WY-296, the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway to Cody, Wyoming. The section of the Beartooth Highway between the junction of US-212/WY-296 and the community of Red Lodge, Montana, is set to open by Friday, May 22. Crews from the NPS and the Montana Department of Transportation are making good progress in opening the road due to lighter than normal snow conditions.
Construction is under way north of the entrance to the Norris Campground on the road to Mammoth Hot Springs. Crews are rebuilding a 5.4 mile section of the road, as well as the bridge over the Gardner River. Visitors should expect daytime delays of up to 30 minutes throughout the summer season.
Visitors should be aware that spring in Yellowstone is unpredictable and often brings cold temperatures, high winds and snowfall. In the case of extreme weather conditions, temporary road closures are also possible with little or no advance warning.
Updated Yellowstone National Park road information is available 24 hours a day by calling 307-344-2117 or on the internet at http://www.nps.gov/yell/conditions.htm. Visitor services throughout the park are opening for the season. Operating dates and hours are available online at http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/ocd_locale.htm or by consulting the free park newspaper, provided to visitors at each entrance station.
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