Billings Area Attractions

Yellowstone National Park Spring Openings, Reservations

North Entrance - Near the gateway community of Gardiner, MT, the North Entrance is the only park entrance open to wheeled vehicles all year. November through April, the North Entrance provides the only access to Cooke City, MT. The road from Mammoth to Norris is open to wheeled vehicles from the third Friday in April through the first Sunday in November.

West Entrance - Adjacent to the town of West Yellowstone, MT, the West Entrance is open to wheeled vehicles from the third Friday in April through the first Sunday in November.

South & East Entrances - Open to wheeled vehicles from the second Friday of May through the first Sunday in November.

Northeast Entrance - Near the gateway communities of Silver Gate and Cooke City, MT, this entrance is open year around for wheeled vehicle access to Cooke City through Gardiner, MT and the North Entrance. Opening dates for roads east of Cooke City vary from year to year, depending on the weather. The Beartooth Highway is open from late May/early June (weather dependent) to mid October. Storms occasionally temporarily close the Beartooth Highway during this “open” period.

The North Entrance to Northeast Entrance at Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana is open all year. Please note that this road is closed to east/west travel just east of Cooke City from late fall to early spring.

Once an Entrance/Road opens, it is open 24 hours a day. The only exceptions are caused by road construction and weather-related restrictions.

The entrance fee is $25 for a private, noncommercial vehicle; $20 for each snowmobile or motorcycle; or $12 for each visitor 16 and older entering by foot, bike, ski, etc. This fee provides the visitor with a 7-day entrance permit for both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Remember to keep your admission receipt in order to re-enter the parks.

Park Annual Pass The $50 park annual pass provides entrance to pass holder and accompanying passengers in a single private non-commercial vehicle at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Pass is valid for 12 months from date of purchase. Purchase your pass at one of the park’s entrances.

Interagency Annual Pass. The $80 Interagency Annual Pass provides entrance or access to pass holder and accompanying passengers in a single, private non-commercial vehicle at most federal recreation sites across the country. Pass is valid for 12 months from date of purchase. The pass is not valid for Expanded Amenity fees such as camping or parking at Mt Rushmore. Purchase your pass at one of Yellowstone’s entrance stations or online at http://store.usgs.gov/pass Interagency Senior Pass The $10 Interagency Senior Pass (62 and older) is a lifetime pass available to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Pass is available only in-person at entrances or visitor centers.

Interagency Access Pass Free lifetime pass available to citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. who have been determined to be blind or permanently disabled. Pass is available only in-person at entrances or visitor centers. The above passes replace the Golden Eagle, Golden Age and Golden Access Passports as well as the National Parks Pass. These passes will remain valid until they expire or are lost or stolen.

Commercial bus tours are subject to a separate fee schedule based upon the seating capacity of the bus.

Campsite Reservations

Xanterra Parks & Resorts operates campgrounds at Bridge Bay, Canyon, Fishing Bridge RV Park, Grant Village, and Madison.

Same-day reservations can be made by calling: 307-344-7901.

Future reservations can be made by calling: 307-344-7311 or 1-866-GEYSERLAND (439-7375), or by writing: Yellowstone National Park Lodges, PO Box 165, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190. Fishing Bridge RV Park is the only campground offering water, sewer, and electrical hookups, and it is for hard-sided vehicles only (no tents or tent-trailers are allowed).

West Yellowstone - Gardiner Entrances

West Yellowstone, Montana, is the western gateway to Yellowstone National Park. In Livingston, Montana, visit the historic depot gallery. Kids love the waterfowl and playground equipment at Sacajawea Park. Visit the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman on your way and enjoy a meal 24 hours a day at Perkins Family Restaurant.

A 48-mile loop, west of West Yellowstone, takes you to Hebgen Lake and Quake Lake, created by a 1959 earthquake that tumbled 80 million tons of rock from a mountain side into the Madison River.

Beartooth Pass The Beartooth Highway, US 212 between Red Lodge and Cooke City, was officially designated as a National Forest Scenic Byway Feb. 8, 1989. Referred to as “the most beautiful roadway in America,” by Charles Kuralt, this highway is the highest elevation motor crossing in Wyoming (10,950 feet) and Montana (10,350 feet) and is the highest elevation highway in the Rockies outside the state of Colorado. It generally follows the “Sheridan Trail,” which was laid out in 1882 when General Phillip H. Sheridan and a force of 129 officers, soldiers, civilians, and Indians traveled the route.

Cooke City is located four miles east of the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park. It is surrounded by four national forests, two wilderness areas, the park, hundreds of hiking trails and some of the finest trout fishing in the world. It is currently accessible through the north entrance at Gardiner, or by way of Chief Joseph Scenic Highway.

Glacier National Park Visitor Information

Glacier National Park is located in the northwest corner of Montana along the spine of the Rocky Mountains. Visitors arriving by car will use U. S. Highway 2 to access the park from either the east or west. Visitors can also access the park from the north using Highways 89 or 17. Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell, Montana, is 25 miles west of park headquarters in West Glacier, Montana. There are also airports in Great Falls, Montana, (200 miles east of West Glacier) and Missoula, Montana (156 miles south of West Glacier). Car rentals are available at airports. Shuttles are available at the Kalispell airport. By train, Amtrak services both East Glacier and West Glacier. Glacier Park Inc., provides a shuttle service at these locations. Please call them at 406-892-2525 for more information.

Operating Hours & Seasons

Glacier National Park is open every day of the year. Winter weather however, tends to dictate when most visitor facilities open. Generally from late May to early September, facilities are open to welcome the flush of summer visitors.

Glacier National Park Annual Pass, $35.00, is valid for one year from month of purchase. Admits purchaser and passengers in a single, private, non-commercial vehicle, or the pass holder and his/her immediate family (spouse, children, parents) when entry is by other means (foot, bicycle). Non transferable, nonrefundable and does not cover camping fees.

Spring Plowing in Glacier

Officials at Glacier National Park report that park road crews have begun spring plowing.

“With plowing underway, this is a good opportunity to remind the public that the Sun Road is under rehabilitation. Visitors should only expect to drive as far as Avalanche and Jackson Glacier Overlook this spring. Weather permitting, this year, the entire Sun Road will open to vehicular traffic on Friday, June 13, which follows the guidelines of the Sun Road’s Final Environmental Impact Statement,” Acting Superintendent Stephanie Dubois noted.

Several park roads, including the Camas Road and Cut Bank Road, are not plowed, but rather are allowed to melt out, with vehicles allowed on them only once the roads have dried. The Inside North Fork Road is also allowed to melt.

Current road conditions are available by calling 511, the Montana Department of Transportation Traveler Information System. If your phone does not support 511, call 1-800-226-7623. Both numbers are toll-free. Select “Glacier Park Tourist Information” from the main menu to hear Glacier’s road report.

Information on current road conditions is also available on the park’s road status Web site http://www.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm. Travelers may also call park headquarters at 406-888-7800 for current road and weather conditions.