On this page
- How busy is Yellowstone in each month?
- When do Yellowstone's roads open in spring?
- What is the weather in Yellowstone month by month?
- When is Yellowstone wildlife easiest to see?
- Is September a good time to visit Yellowstone?
- What is Yellowstone like in winter?
- When should you not plan a Yellowstone trip?
- FAQ
The best time to visit Yellowstone is late May to mid-June or September. In those weeks nearly every road, lodge and campground is open, and the crowds are thinner than in high summer. The wildlife calendar is full too, with bison calves in spring and the elk rut in autumn. July and August are warmer and drier but carry the most visitors of the year.
Yellowstone had 4,762,988 recreation visits in 2025, and June to September held 76% of them. The monthly figures below come from the Park Service's visitor counts, and the road dates and weather from its own pages, read on 26 October 2026.
How busy is Yellowstone in each month?
Yellowstone is busiest in July and nearly as busy from June to September, as the 2025 counts show. The months with few visitors are the months when most roads close to cars.
| Month | Visits in 2025 | What is open to cars |
|---|---|---|
| January to March | 33,284 to 44,133 a month | Gardiner to Lamar Valley only |
| April | 78,529 | The west side, from 17 April in 2026 |
| May | 566,363 | Most roads by Memorial Day weekend |
| June | 928,250 | Everything |
| July | 975,109 | Everything |
| August | 881,936 | Everything |
| September | 839,579 | Everything |
| October | 313,959 | Most roads until 31 October; Dunraven Pass may close earlier |
| November | 26,961 | Gardiner to Lamar Valley only |
| December | 34,522 | Gardiner to Lamar Valley; snowcoaches from 15 December |
The surprise is September: 2025 had nearly as many visitors then as in August. October is the quiet month with full road access, but lodges and services begin closing early in the month. In 2026 Canyon Lodge closed on 25 October, and Old Faithful Snow Lodge's rooms after 24 October, while its Geyser Grill stays open to 31 October.
When do Yellowstone's roads open in spring?
Yellowstone's roads open in spring segment by segment, from mid-April to late May. The 2026 dates show the pattern; the Park Service had not published the 2027 dates by late October 2026.
- 17 April: West Entrance to Madison, Old Faithful and Norris, and Mammoth to Norris and Canyon.
- 1 May: East Entrance over Sylvan Pass, and Canyon to Lake through Hayden Valley.
- 8 May: South Entrance to West Thumb and Old Faithful, the lake road, and Tower to Tower Fall.
- 22 May: Dunraven Pass, between Canyon and Tower, and the Beartooth and Chief Joseph highways outside the park.
A spring storm can still delay an opening. On 17 April 2026 a winter storm pushed the first opening from 8 a.m. to noon. The Park Service says all roads typically open by Memorial Day weekend, at the end of May.
What is the weather in Yellowstone month by month?
Yellowstone's weather is cold for most of the year, because most of the park lies more than a mile above sea level. The Park Service warns to expect big temperature swings, rain or snow in every month.
| Month | Average high | Average low | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°F | 10°F | 14.5 in |
| April | 49°F | 26°F | 5.9 in |
| May | 60°F | 34°F | 1.5 in |
| June | 70°F | 41°F | 0.1 in |
| July | 80°F | 47°F | none |
| September | 68°F | 37°F | 0.5 in |
| October | 56°F | 29°F | 3.7 in |
The Park Service's averages above are for one station in the park. The Park Service gives an average of 150 inches of snow a year for the park as a whole, about twice this station's total. In spring and autumn, 12 inches of snow in a day is not unusual. Summer afternoons often bring thunderstorms, and wildfire smoke can haze the views in July and August.
When is Yellowstone wildlife easiest to see?
Yellowstone wildlife changes with the calendar, and each season has its own reason to come. The Park Service's own wildlife pages give the timing.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| April | Grizzlies and black bears leave their dens; bison calving begins |
| Late April to May | Most bison calves are born |
| May to late June | Elk calves are born |
| Late July to August | The bison rut, in the open valleys |
| Early September to mid-October | The elk rut, best seen around Mammoth and along the Madison River |
| October | Bears move down to lower ground |
| Winter | Wolves in Lamar Valley, and trumpeter swans |
Elk grazing among the old buildings at Mammoth Hot Springs, where the park says the autumn rut is easiest to watch.
Bison live in Hayden and Lamar valleys all year, so any month with open roads will show them. The Park Service estimated nearly 5,300 bison in the park in 2025. Elk number 10,000 to 20,000 in summer, but fewer than 2,000 stay in the park through the winter.
Is September a good time to visit Yellowstone?
September is one of the best times to visit Yellowstone. The Park Service lists the elk rut, birds of prey migrating over Hayden Valley, autumn colour above 7,000 feet and fewer mosquitoes. Every road is still open.
The catch is that September is not quiet. It had 839,579 visits in 2025, within 5% of August. Nights fall to an average low of 37°F, and campgrounds begin closing during the month, so check the dates before booking. Our guide to where to stay in Yellowstone lists the lodge seasons.
What is Yellowstone like in winter?
Yellowstone in winter is a different park, reached by snowcoach and snowmobile rather than by car. From 15 December 2026 to mid-March 2027, guided tours run on the groomed roads to Old Faithful and the canyon. The end dates vary by road, from 7 March to 15 March.
By car, only the road from the North Entrance at Gardiner through Mammoth and Tower Junction to the Lamar Valley and the Northeast Entrance stays open. That road crosses wolf country, which makes winter the season for wolf watching. Two hotels stay open, Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Daytime highs are 0 to 20°F, and the park's record low is minus 66°F.
When should you not plan a Yellowstone trip?
The two gaps in Yellowstone's year are when a trip goes wrong most easily. From 1 November to 14 December, and again from mid-March to mid-April, the interior roads are closed to cars and not yet, or no longer, open to snow vehicles.
In those weeks only the Gardiner to Lamar Valley road takes cars, and most services shut. The Old Faithful visitor centre, which posts the geyser predictions, closed for the season after 31 October in 2026.
Book for late May or later, and keep the hub guide to Yellowstone National Park at hand for the entrances and the fees. Grand Teton's season is nearly the same; see Grand Teton National Park. The seasons in the rest of the country, month by month, are in Best time to visit the USA.