Best time to visit Yellowstone.
Photo · NPS/Jim Peaco · NPS sourceCheck before you go
- Closures, fire restrictions, construction and water: NPS Yellowstone current conditions
- We are independent of the National Park Service. The official pages above are the source of record for anything that changes.
Compare Yellowstone by month.
Three signals for each month: how busy it is against July, the average weather, and how much of the road system is normally open. Tap a month for its full Yellowstone guide. We don't roll these into one "best month" score, because a photographer and a family on school break want different months.
Weather · NOAA normals, Yellowstone Park (6,194 ft)
| Month | Crowds | Weather | Roads & lodging | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January |
Lowest
5% of July · 42K avg
|
Harsh
31°F / 12°F (0°C / -11°C)
|
Mostly closed
Typical windows · score 35/100
|
Interior closed to wheeled vehicles. Mammoth-Lamar-Cooke City corridor open. Snowcoach access only beyond.Read the January guide |
| February |
Lowest
5% of July · 45K avg
|
Harsh
34°F / 12°F (1°C / -11°C)
|
Mostly closed
Typical windows · score 35/100
|
Deep winter continues. Lamar wildlife watching is the reason to be here.Read the February guide |
| March |
Lowest
4% of July · 33K avg
|
Harsh
42°F / 19°F (5°C / -7°C)
|
Mostly closed
Typical windows · score 35/100
|
Plowing begins on interior roads. Snowcoach interior tours start winding down; confirm 2027 dates before booking.Read the March guide |
| April |
Lowest
8% of July · 73K avg
|
Rough
50°F / 26°F (10°C / -3°C)
|
Usually most open
Typical windows · score 60/100
|
Spring road openings begin (mid-month). Bears emerge. Trails muddy, geyser basins quiet.Read the April guide |
| May |
Moderate
55% of July · 508K avg
|
Ideal
60°F / 35°F (15°C / 1°C)
|
Usually all open
Typical windows · score 90/100
|
Most interior roads open by Memorial Day. Waterfalls run full. Crowds still light early.Read the May guide |
| June |
Peak
90% of July · 831K avg
|
Ideal
70°F / 42°F (21°C / 6°C)
|
Usually all open
Typical windows · score 100/100
|
Operations effectively full. Lodging tight. Cold mornings into the 30s remain normal.Read the June guide |
| July |
Peak
100% of July · 923K avg
|
Ideal
81°F / 48°F (27°C / 9°C)
|
Usually all open
Typical windows · score 100/100
|
Peak month. Plan trailheads for sunrise. Afternoon thunderstorms common.Read the July guide |
| August |
Peak
89% of July · 820K avg
|
Ideal
80°F / 47°F (27°C / 8°C)
|
Usually all open
Typical windows · score 100/100
|
Bison rut winds down. Crowds still near peak, a little below July.Read the August guide |
| September |
Peak
86% of July · 796K avg
|
Ideal
69°F / 39°F (20°C / 4°C)
|
Usually all open
Typical windows · score 100/100
|
Our pick. Still busy, but every entrance is normally open, the elk rut starts, and highs sit near 69°F.Read the September guide |
| October |
Quiet
33% of July · 302K avg
|
Mixed
54°F / 29°F (12°C / -2°C)
|
Usually all open
Typical windows · score 85/100
|
Bull elk in rut at Mammoth. First snows in the high country. In-park lodges close through the month, from Oct 3 to Oct 24 in 2026.Read the October guide |
| November |
Lowest
3% of July · 24K avg
|
Harsh
39°F / 19°F (4°C / -7°C)
|
Mostly closed
Typical windows · score 30/100
|
Interior roads close to wheels (early month). Quietest period of the year.Read the November guide |
| December |
Lowest
4% of July · 34K avg
|
Harsh
30°F / 12°F (-1°C / -11°C)
|
Partly open
Typical windows · score 40/100
|
Winter operations begin (mid-month). Snowcoach and snowmobile season opens to interior.Read the December guide |
Open the full Yellowstone crowd calendar
Rain, snow, latest-year counts, and the weather station
Mammoth is Yellowstone HQ at 6,194 ft. The northern-range districts (Lamar Valley, Tower) read close to these numbers. Old Faithful (7,365 ft) and Norris (7,484 ft) typically run 5-8°F colder; Yellowstone Lake (7,733 ft) and high passes colder still. Lake Yellowstone has its own NOAA station (USC00485345) at 7,892 ft if you need higher-elevation numbers.
| Month | Visits in 2025 | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40,363 | 0.91″ | 11.5″ |
| Feb | 44,133 | 0.79″ | 11.5″ |
| Mar | 33,284 | 1.09″ | 10.9″ |
| Apr | 78,529 | 1.40″ | 7.8″ |
| May | 566,363 | 1.82″ | 1.7″ |
| Jun | 928,250 | 1.86″ | 0.3″ |
| Jul | 975,109 | 1.27″ | 0.0″ |
| Aug | 881,936 | 1.05″ | 0.0″ |
| Sep | 839,579 | 1.21″ | 0.6″ |
| Oct | 313,959 | 1.34″ | 4.7″ |
| Nov | 26,961 | 1.15″ | 9.9″ |
| Dec | 34,522 | 0.91″ | 12.6″ |
We only publish monthly counts, so this page cannot show how September changes week to week. Its mean (about 86% of July) includes Labor Day weekend. Treat September as one busy-but-open month, not a quiet one.
How these scores are computed (and why there's no combined "best month")
Crowd score
Formula: 100 − (this month's visits ÷ park's peak month visits) × 100. Each park scored against its own peak, not against other parks.
Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package 2025, Recreation Visits (TRV), 5-year monthly mean (2021-2025). Reproduce these numbers on the NPS IRMA Stats portal.
Reading it: July at Yellowstone reads 0 (peak). November reads 97 (quietest). A 50 means about half the park's peak crowd.
Weather score
Formula: weatherScore = round(max(0, min(100, dayComfort − precipPenalty − snowPenalty − freezePenalty))). The piecewise day-comfort function is continuous at every boundary.
- Day comfort:
tmax < 50°F →
max(10, (tmax − 20) × 2)(cold tail); 50–60°F →60 + (tmax − 50) × 4(ramp to 100); 60–78°F → 100 (plateau); 78–85°F →100 − (tmax − 78) × 5(ramp to 65); > 85°F →max(30, 65 − (tmax − 85) × 5)(hot tail). - Precip penalty:
max(0, prcpIn − 1.5) × 8; kicks in above 1.5 in / month. - Snow penalty:
snowIn × 2.5. If the selected station does not publish a snowfall normal, the score applies no snow penalty and labels snowfall as unavailable. - Night-freeze penalty:
max(0, 32 − tmin) × 1.5when tmin < 32°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station Yellowstone Park, Mammoth, WY (USC00489905, 6,194 ft).
Caveat: Mammoth is Yellowstone HQ at 6,194 ft. The northern-range districts (Lamar Valley, Tower) read close to these numbers. Old Faithful (7,365 ft) and Norris (7,484 ft) typically run 5-8°F colder; Yellowstone Lake (7,733 ft) and high passes colder still. Lake Yellowstone has its own NOAA station (USC00485345) at 7,892 ft if you need higher-elevation numbers.
Access score
Formula: For each named park road, count it open if its typical operating window covers that month. Score = round((sum of weights of open roads / sum of all weights) x 100). Where a park has a partial winter access mode, the profile documents that assumption in its access notes.
Route weights at Yellowstone:
- Interior roads (wheeled vehicles): Open mid-Apr → early Nov
- North Entrance (Gardiner, MT): Open year-round
- East Entrance / Sylvan Pass (Cody, WY): Closed Nov → May
- Beartooth Pass (US-212, Cooke City to Red Lodge): Open ~late May → mid-Oct
- Lodging: Seasonal · summer May-Oct, winter mid-Dec-mid-Mar
- Timed entry: Not in effect
Editorial methodology: the route weights are chosen by our editors from NPS road and lodge operating dates and the park's own access caveats below the score table.
Caveat: The score reflects wheeled-vehicle road access only. Backcountry, hiking, lodging, shuttle, and other service availability are not directly included unless the park profile states otherwise.
Why no combined score?
A combined "best month" number forces a weighting: how much do you care about crowds vs. weather vs. access? Those weights are personal. A photographer optimizing for golden light weights differently than a parent locked to school break weights differently than a winter visitor with a 4WD. We show the inputs and let you decide. Use the per-month grid above to navigate to a deeper page.
When are roads and lodges open?
Roads, entrances, and lodges by season. Road closures and lodge seasons decide what a month can actually offer. Verify with NPS before you travel; these change.
Last updated · Sep 13, 2026
Every road's opening and closing dates: Yellowstone road closures.
Interior roads (wheeled vehicles)
Spring opening begins mid-April and finishes by Memorial Day. Closure to wheels begins early November.
North Entrance (Gardiner, MT)
The only entrance open to wheeled vehicles year-round. Routes north to Mammoth and east to Lamar Valley and Cooke City stay plowed.
East Entrance / Sylvan Pass (Cody, WY)
Highway 14/16/20 closes for winter to wheels. Reopens for snowcoach/snowmobile mid-December.
Beartooth Pass (US-212, Cooke City to Red Lodge)
Scenic northeast access. Closes for winter at first major storm; reopens late May or early June.
Lodging
The in-park lodges open between late April and mid-June and close between early September and late October, by property: for 2026 NPS lists Old Faithful Inn May 1 to October 18, Canyon Lodge May 15 to October 24, Lake Yellowstone Hotel May 15 to October 10, Grant Village May 29 to October 10 and Roosevelt Lodge Cabins June 5 to September 6. Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel runs April 24, 2026 to March 7, 2027, and Old Faithful Snow Lodge adds a winter season of December 16, 2026 to March 7, 2027 per the operator. Check the NPS operating dates for your property, and for a late-March trip plan to base in Gardiner or Cooke City instead.
Timed entry
Yellowstone has not used a timed-entry permit. NPS names Old Faithful, Midway Geyser Basin, Norris, and Canyon as the park's most congested areas; in our experience their lots are full well before noon in July.
Which month fits your trip?
The month table answers most trips. These four decide the date for the rest, and each has its own page with the facts behind it.
Also for Yellowstone: Road closures and dates · Airports · Fees and passes · Accessibility.
Questions about when to go.
What is the best month to visit Yellowstone?
It depends on what you want. For a balance of crowds, weather, and open roads, September usually works well. If empty trails matter most, look at late September to early October. For the widest range of open roads and services, aim for mid-June to August.
When should I avoid Yellowstone?
July is the busiest month, when parking and lodging are tightest. If instead you want the park at its most open, the tougher month is December, when weather and seasonal closures limit how much you can reach.
What are the quietest months at Yellowstone?
The quietest stretch is November, March, and December. November is the low point, averaging about 23,807 recreation visits, roughly 3% of the July peak.
Which month has the best weather at Yellowstone?
July usually brings Yellowstone's most comfortable conditions, with average highs near 81°F. It is not always the quietest month, so use the month grid above to weigh weather against crowds.
Is July or September better for Yellowstone?
July is the busiest month, about 923,000 visits on the five-year average, with every road open and the warmest weather. September averages 86% of that, with highs near 69°F at Mammoth, the elk rut, and every entrance normally still open. Pick July for the longest days and full services, September for fewer people.
When is Yellowstone quiet but still open?
Late September into October. October averages about a third of July's visits and the interior roads stay open to regular vehicles until early November, but the in-park lodges close between early and late October and the first snows arrive. Late April into May is the other window, as roads reopen and visits are still low.
How many days do you need in Yellowstone?
Plan three full days for a first trip. Two days can cover the lower and upper loops, but both days carry a lot of driving. Our itinerary page builds one- to five-day plans from official NPS drive times.
How this page
is built.
Not affiliated with or endorsed
by the National Park Service.
Crowd numbers on this page are the Recreation Visits column from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025. Monthly figures are five-year arithmetic means (2021-2025) against each park's own peak month. We do not compare parks against each other for the crowd score: only against themselves.
Weather numbers are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, drawn from the Yellowstone Park, Mammoth, WY station (USC00489905). The station sits at 6,194 ft; the elevation caveat above the weather table explains where this misreads the higher districts.
Access notes are an independent summary of NPS operating posture. We do not republish NPS pages; we link them. Conditions change; confirm road status, reservation requirements, and lodging windows on https://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm before travel.
Full year-by-year history, records, and the events behind each year: Yellowstone visitation by year.
- Air quality: AirNow.gov; real-time air quality and smoke conditions.
- Park conditions: NPS Yellowstone current conditions, verify before you drive.
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