Yellowstone National Park is a beloved destination for visitors from all over the world. Known for its spectacular geysers, incredible wildlife, gorgeous landscapes, and wealth of outdoor activities, it’s no wonder over 4 million people flock there every year. However, with immense popularity comes crowds and challenges. Planning your visit during the peak season or at the worst possible time can seriously hamper your experience.
Summer
The absolute worst time to visit Yellowstone is during the summer months of July and August. This is when the park sees massive influxes of visitors, with car and foot traffic clogging up roadways and walkways. You’ll encounter long lines everywhere – at park entrances, restaurants, stores, gas stations, and top attractions like Old Faithful.
What’s normally a 90 minute drive from one end of the park to the other can take 4-5 hours in summer. Finding parking is next to impossible, with overflowing lots and roadside areas crammed with cars. Accommodations inside and outside the park get booked up months in advance and jack up their prices.
While wildlife watching can be decent, animals often retreat away from noisy crowds. You’ll spend more time sitting in traffic than actually taking in the park’s beauty andnature. With over a million visitors monthly, things simply get too hectic in summertime.
Holiday Weekends
Avoid visiting Yellowstone on any major public holiday weekend. This includes Memorial Day weekend at the end of May as well as the Fourth of July weekend when America celebrates its Independence Day. Like summer, these weekends attract tremendous crowds leading to the same traffic, parking, lodging, and crowding headaches.
Since these weekends coincide with the start of Yellowstone’s peak tourism season, they tend to be exceptionally busy. The park’s roads, paths, and infrastructure just aren’t equipped to handle the visitor volumes that descend upon it during these times. Unless large crowds and long lines don’t faze you, steer clear of Yellowstone on major holiday weekends.
Spring: Early May
Early May seems like it should be an ideal time to visit Yellowstone. Spring wildflowers start blooming while chances to spot newborn animals increase. The park is open and crowds haven’t yet descended. So what exactly is the issue with early May? The answer is – the weather.
Being located at a high elevation, Yellowstone undergoes a longer winter than the rest of the continental United States. While the park’s lower elevations thaw out by early May, heavier snow still cloaks higher trails and attractions. Yellowstone roads also close from early November through late April. While the main routes usually open by May 1st, access remains limited for several weeks after.
This means many of Yellowstone’s top sights like Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and Yellowstone Lake don’t become accessible until later in May or even early June. Visitors might also encounter unplowed backcountry roads, icy trails, or temporary closures. Give the park a couple more weeks if visiting in the spring.
Winter: Early March
While winter is actually a less crowded and very beautiful time to see Yellowstone, early March is too early in the season to visit. Yellowstone in winter requires preparation and planning as the conditions can be intense. In early March, temperatures still regularly drop well below zero degrees Fahrenheit overnight. Combined with heavy snow, fierce winds, and remote terrain, it makes for an extreme environment.
Most of the park’s roads remain impassable due to snowpack in early March. The roads that are plowed only provide limited access to small sections of the park. Some services and facilities like visitor centers and stores stay closed. Since the weather is harsh but crowds are nowhere near high winter levels yet, early March ends up being a dead zone.
Instead, wait until mid to late March if visiting Yellowstone in the winter or spring shoulder seasons. The snowcoach tours will be running, allowing access to iconic sites like the Old Faithful snowbasin that aren’t reachable by car. More facilities, services, and staff will be operating as well.
Fall: Late October
While fall is one of the most beautiful times of year to visit Yellowstone with fewer visitors, late October starts pushing the limit. By this point in autumn, freezing temperatures have arrived in the park while snow and ice often accumulate rapidly on the ground. Like in spring, Yellowstone’s high elevation means winter comes earlier than other places around it.
Although lovely with fall foliage, the last two weeks of October can be dicey weather-wise. Winter storms blast through, sometimes with substantial snow dumping over short periods. This snow can lead to road closures or cars getting stranded without proper tires. Some facilities and stores shorten their hours or close up shop. Frigid weather also shortens the available daylight.
Visit Yellowstone earlier in October instead to experience gorgeous colors and fall wildlife activity, without as high of a risk for disruptive winter conditions. populatWhile you might luck out with nice weather in late October, it’s a real gamble on whether you’ll encounter manageable autumn or a sudden, early blast of winter.
How to Plan Your Visit
Now that you know when not to visit Yellowstone, how should you plan your trip to avoid the crowds and challenges?
The best times are April, May (after the 15th), September, and October (before the 15th). These shoulder seasons provide mild weather, autumn colors or baby animals, fewer people, lower prices, and full park accessibility. Wildlife is active but crowds are light.
If visiting in summer, arrive as early in the day as possible to beat traffic and claim parking spots. Popular attractions also empty out at night when throngs thin out – take advantage! Use the park’s extensive shuttle system to avoid endless driving and parking headaches. Travel midweek instead of busy weekends if possible too.
No matter when you visit, come prepared for changing mountain conditions with layers, waterproof gear, and appropriate footwear. Check the park’s website and social media for the latest alerts on road/trail statuses, closures, construction etc. Expect the unexpected – one of the hallmarks of this wild, beautiful, and beloved park!