I lived in Bozeman, Montana for years and with Yellowstone only being an hour and half drive away, we made it a priority to visit the first national park at least once a year, if not more. We’ve seen it at the busiest of times and the slowest, and each season has its perks. In this post, I’m going to give you my take on the best times to visit Yellowstone, and when I would avoid it.
Honestly, you can visit Yellowstone all year round and enjoy yourself. It just depends on what you are a looking for in your experience.
Want to go tent camping? Not a good idea to go in the winter, spring or really late fall for that matter. We tent camped in September one year with a one year old. Not the wisest decision as he didn’t want to stay under a blanket! That was during our first trip, and we didn’t know anything at that time.
Do you want to avoid the crowds in Yellowstone? Summer is peak season and the busiest. If you go to Old Faithful in the afternoon in the summer you will be joining hundreds of people.
Keep reading to discover for yourself, when is the best time to visit Yellowstone National Park.
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Summer – The Peak Season Rush With The Most Choices
The summer months of June through August are the busiest time to visit Yellowstone National Park. This time of year also comes with major bonuses, so there’s a reason it is the time of year when most people come.
The Pros to Visiting Yellowstone In The Summer
The biggest reason to visit in the summer, besides the fact that its summer break for kids, is that everything is open in Yellowstone. This is not the case the rest of the time of year. You can access all the hikes, all of the campgrounds and lodges are open and the stores and restaurants are all open too.
It is also the best weather. You will enjoy warm days and mild evenings and a lower chance of rain. This means the hiking trails will be dry and easily accessible.
Another big positive is that the summer is the best time to drive the Beartooth Highway that connects Yellowstone to Red Lodge, Montana. This stunning high-elevation drive is one of my favorite things to do in Yellowstone in the summer. It is mostly only accessible in the summer months, although you might still be able to experience it in the early fall.
Another similar pass, the Dunraven Pass, which is located between Canyon Village and Tower Fall is mostly only open in the summer too and for a short time in the fall.
However, summer isn’t always the best time to visit Yellowstone. There are two big negatives.
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The Negatives To Yellowstone During Peak Season
The first drawback is the crowds. We always told our friends that visited, if you see a traffic jam, just be patient. You might be sitting in your car for awhile, but there’s usually a pretty good animal sighting in your future.
Besides the traffic jams, you might struggle with finding parking too. The hardest spot to find parking is at Grand Prismatic Spring. The parking lot is just not big enough for the amount of people that visit during peak season, at least at midday.
Pro Tip: If visiting Yellowstone in the summer, make Grand Prismatic an early morning stop or early evening. It is your best shot at being able to park and walk next to the famous hot spring.
The second drawback for visiting in the summer is that the animals tend to hide in the forest more often. There are times of day where they come out more, dawn and dusk, but during the hottest times, it is just less likely.
I remember one time specifically, my brother-and-law was in town for the full-eclipse in 2017. We went to Idaho to watch it and decided to drive through Yellowstone on the way back home.
This was in the middle of the summer. During the whole ride through Yellowstone, from West Yellowstone, to Old Faithful and then all the way up to Gardiner, we didn’t see any animals. None.
Planning a trip to Yellowstone between May and October? Check out how I would spend 4 days in Yellowstone National Park: Ultimate Yellowstone National Park Itinerary – 4 Days To See It All With Kids
Winter – The Off-Season In Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone is a whole other animal in the wintertime. The off-season is snowy, quiet and peaceful. Some might say it’s the worst time to visit Yellowstone, but I don’t agree. Here are the positives and negatives to visiting Yellowstone in the winter.
The Positives To Winter In Yellowstone
If you want to come to Yellowstone and avoid the crowds, winter is the time to go. Yellowstone gets the least amount of visitors during this time of year while the land is blanketed in snow.
Because there is snow all around, it is a great time to see wildlife. The contrasting colors of the animals’ fur and the snow make them easier to spot.
Unless you are lucky and see a white hare, like we did near Mammoth Hot Springs one winter. They are all white!
The winter also provides the opportunity for some really unique adventures that you can’t do at any other time of the year. You can take a snowcoach tour through the park, go snowmobiling or go cross-country skiing, which is a highlight for many.
Visiting Yellowstone in the winter? Check out my winter guide to Yellowstone here: Yellowstone In Winter With Kids – 8 Epic Adventures
The Cons to Yellowstone In The Off Season
Not everyone is cut out for the cold, snowy winter. If you don’t enjoy being out in the snow, it is, of course, the worst time to visit Yellowstone.
The other main reason that the winter is a hard time to visit is that there is only one road open in Yellowstone. The northern road that leads from Gardiner to Cooke City is the only road accessible all year round. You can drive into Mammoth Hot Springs and through the Lamar Valley.
This means that if you want to self-drive through Yellowstone, you will only see a very small piece of the national park. You can’t even get to Old Faithful by car in the winter.
Bears are also hibernating at this time of year, so if your main goal is to see a grizzly in the wild, you are out of luck.
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The Shoulder Seasons – Spring And Fall At Yellowstone NP
In my opinion, one of the shoulder seasons is the best times to visit Yellowstone National Park and the other one is the worst time to visit Yellowstone.
For both seasons, the quantity of tourists is much lower than the summer, the roads are still mostly open and there is a high chance of seeing the animals you have been dreaming of seeing on your Yellowstone National Park visit.
There are, however, a few major differences between visiting in spring versus fall, so I’m going to give you pros and cons of each.
Pros to Visiting Yellowstone In Spring
In April, the first of the roads that are normally closed in the winter start opening up. This makes it much easier to see more of the park in the spring versus the wintertime. You can finally drive to Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic.
One of the best reasons to visit Yellowstone in the spring is if you are a nature lover. Bears start coming out of hibernation, animals are out and about and the babies!
Imagine seeing baby bears, baby bison, and baby elk. It is as amazing as it sounds! The baby bison are the easiest to see as there are an abundance of bison in Yellowstone.
Spring also is the time that the snow is melting, causing the waterfalls to be overflowing with water. It is spectacular to see such powerful, gushing falls.
Something that is also unique to spring and fall is that you can bike on some of the closed roads.
In the spring, the roads between West Yellowstone, Madison, Norris and Mammoth Hot Spring can be accessed by bike after they are plowed, but before the road official opens to cars. This usually happens in early April but is dependent on the weather.
Cons To Spring In Yellowstone
The biggest concern when booking a trip to Yellowstone in the spring is the unpredictable weather. While living in Bozeman, we got snow storms up until June sometimes. Other days can be warm and sunny. You just never know. Yellowstone’s weather is very similar.
I honestly think that the worst time to visit Yellowstone is the spring. There are just too many unknowns.
Many of the hiking trails will be muddy or snowy. Snow and rain can be unpredictable and messy. There’s a possibility that it could be a snowy spring and the roads you were planning to drive are still closed.
We took Mike’s brother to Yellowstone in the spring and it was nice that many of the roads were open. We also had periods of sun and times when it snowed, like at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. It made viewing the waterfalls a bit more difficult.
Bears are coming out of hibernation, which sounds cool and it is, but that also means that they are hungry. Many times the rangers will close trails in the spring because there are bears in the area.
We found this to be the case at the Fairy Falls trailhead one spring. We wanted to hike to the Grand Prismatic viewpoint, but instead had to adjust our plans because of bear activity in the area. Trailhead was closed.
We were lucky that we lived so close to Yellowstone, so we could choose a day that had good weather to see the baby bison. However, planning a trip in advance to Yellowstone in the spring rarely works out in your favor.
Positives To Fall In Yellowstone
For me, fall is one of the best times to visit Yellowstone, especially September and October. There are two big reasons for this.
The first reason is that after Labor Day weekend, the first weekend in September, the number of visitors to Yellowstone significantly goes down. In addition to this, all of the roads are still open and the major snow hasn’t started falling yet.
This means, you can go anywhere you want in Yellowstone and not have to fight for a view. The traffic jams can still occur, but they are much smaller and more manageable.
Camping, even tent camping, is possible in early to mid-September. The evenings do get chilly, so prepare for this with having warm sleeping bags and warm clothing. Check the YNP website for when the campgrounds are open though. They start closing in September.
Also, the cooler temperatures mean that the animals are out and about, even at midday.
Hiking is in the autumn is also very enjoyable. You will find mostly dry trails and lower temperatures, which I prefer for hiking and exploring.
I mentioned earlier that you are able to ride your bike on the closed roads in the spring. You can also do this in the late fall. Typically, roads start closing in October and all are closed by November 1. In early November, you can ride your bike on some of the closed roads until mid-November or when conditions allow.
There are a lot more road options in the fall than in the spring. One includes biking from Madison to Old Faithful, which could be an interesting way to see Old Faithful without the crowds.
I don’t think I would plan my whole Yellowstone trip around being able to bike in early November as conditions can be unpredictable, however; if that is when you are able to go, I would add it to your Yellowstone itinerary.
Negatives To Yellowstone In The Fall
Are there any negatives to visiting Yellowstone in the fall? I guess it would depend what month in the autumn you are visiting.
Early fall, in my eyes, is perfect. Late fall, comes with more unpredictable weather resulting in some road closures, which would limit what you could do and see.
In addition, everything is starting to shut down in the park. Like I mentioned earlier, campgrounds start closing in September. There are more limited options for restaurants, and some stores are closed in the fall. You will not starve, but it is a good idea to plan where you are going to eat and bring in lots of snacks!
I remember one time we stopped at this diner when I was in Yellowstone with my mom and aunt in September. It ended up being the last day this restaurant was open. This meant a lot of items on the menu weren’t being offered.
We ended up having a fine meal, but it made me realize we got lucky they were open at all. After that, I made sure to check hours at the restaurants along the route when going to Yellowstone in the fall.
Want to learn even more about Yellowstone? Check out our complete travel guide to Yellowstone National Park: Plan The Best Family Trip To Yellowstone National Park
My Conclusion – The Worst and Best Times To Visit Yellowstone
For me, the best times to visit Yellowstone are September and October. If you don’t mind sharing the national park with others, June would also be nice. It is peak season, but not too hot for the animals and hiking should start opening up.
The worst time to visit Yellowstone is the spring. The unpredictable weather makes it nearly impossible to plan a vacation. Although, the baby animals almost make it worth the risk.
