Yellowstone National Park entry requirements

You must pay the park entrance fee or show an accepted pass.

• Private vehicle: $35, valid for 7 days.
• Motorcycle: $30.
• Per person on foot or bicycle: $20.
• An America the Beautiful pass covers this entrance fee. It does not cover any reservation or permit below.
• The $30 rate covers a motorcycle or a snowmobile. The per-person rate applies on foot or bicycle. The $70 Yellowstone Annual Pass gives unlimited entry for a year, through the month of purchase, at this park only; the interagency America the Beautiful pass is separate. An entrance pass is required; no reservation is. Non-U.S. residents aged 16 and over pay an extra $100 per person, unless admitted on an Annual or America the Beautiful pass.

Nothing here is required in 2026.

• No timed entry reservation is required to enter Yellowstone. An entrance pass is still required. Winter oversnow travel is a separate restriction, covered by its own rule.

Winter oversnow travel restrictions apply during part of 2026.

• Winter oversnow travel restrictions

  Dates

  Dec 15, 2026 – Mar 15, 2027

  Hours

  All day

  Fee

  Tour prices are set by concessioners and are not published by NPS.

  Opens

  Not published

  Applies to All groomed interior park roads. The North Entrance to Northeast Entrance road stays open to regular cars year-round.

  • Tour prices are set by concessioners and are not published by NPS. The entrance fee still applies ($30 for a snowmobile).
  • "Open year-round: North Entrance to Northeast Entrance" — the Gardiner-to-Cooke City road needs no oversnow arrangement.
  • Segments close on staggered dates: Mammoth to Norris closes March 7, 2027; Norris to Madison / Norris to Canyon / Canyon to Washburn close March 9, 2027; Canyon to Fishing Bridge closes March 14, 2027; the West, South and East entrances and all remaining groomed roads close March 15, 2027.
  • The Non-Commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program is the only way to ride without a commercial guide; it is covered by its own rule.
  • A winter lodging booking at Old Faithful Snow Lodge does not by itself let you drive there — you still arrive by guided snowcoach or snowmobile.

• No per-vehicle reservation is required for any: Oversnow vehicles in winter are governed by the guided/permitted system, not by a reservation at the gate.
• Most Yellowstone roads are open to regular: "Open year-round: North Entrance to Northeast Entrance" — this is the only road generally open all year to regular vehicles.
• Dunraven Pass and the Beartooth Highway have: These close roughly three weeks before the rest of the park's roads.

Yellowstone National Park has no shuttle system.

Nothing here is required in 2026.

• Yellowstone campground reservations — two separate booking systems, six months ahead. Mammoth Campground is open year-round and offers "first-come, first-served sites from October 15 - April 1". Pebble Creek is closed for flood recovery. Yellowstone National Park Lodges campgrounds: Bridge Bay ($38+tax, 5/15-9/13), Canyon ($45+tax, 5/29-9/19), Fishing Bridge RV Park ($94+tax, 5/8-10/17), Grant Village ($45+tax, 6/26-9/26), Madison ($38+tax, 5/1-10/17). Recreation.gov campgrounds: Indian Creek ($20, 6/12-9/14), Lewis Lake ($20, 6/15-10/11), Mammoth ($25, year-round), Slough Creek ($20, 6/15-10/12), Tower Fall ($20, 5/22-9/27).
• In-park lodges are all run by one concessioner and book out far ahead. A lodging reservation is not required to enter or visit the park. Old Faithful Snow Lodge is the winter option and is reached only by guided oversnow travel.

2 separate requirements apply during 2026.

• Non-Commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program permit

  Dates

  Dec 15, 2026 – Mar 15, 2027

  Hours

  All day

  Fee

  $40

  Opens

  Lottery

  Applies to Groomed oversnow routes park-wide, for riders travelling without a commercial guide

  • "Each permit costs $40 per day, plus a $6 application fee.".
  • Not needed if you book a commercial guided snowmobile or snowcoach tour.
  • Group size is capped at five snowmobiles per permit; the permit holder must be 18+, operators 16+ with a valid driver's licence, and all must complete the Yellowstone Snowmobile Education Certification course.
  • A permit covers entry for up to three days.
  • A winter lodging reservation does not include or substitute for this permit.

• Backcountry camping permit

  Dates

  Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026

  Hours

  All day

  Fee

  $5

  Opens

  Lottery

  Applies to All designated backcountry campsites park-wide

  • "$5 per person, per night plus a $10 reservation fee", and a separate "$10" non-refundable lottery application fee.
  • Not required for day hiking.
  • "About 75% of campsites are available for reservation, with at least 25% reserved for walk-up permits.".
  • Reservations must be made at least three days before the trip start.
  • Peak season runs May 15 - October 31; non-peak November 1 - May 14.
  • A frontcountry campground or lodge booking is not a backcountry permit.