Yellowstone in Winter Snowcoach, Snowmobile & the Road Nobody Plows
In winter Yellowstone closes its roads and opens its best season, and almost nobody comes.
From 15 December the interior of Yellowstone belongs to snowcoaches and guided snowmobiles. Four days from West Yellowstone: Old Faithful in the steam and silence, a riding day on the national forest, and wolves in the Lamar on the one road open to cars.
“I’ve requested to book a Chain Lakes Loop guide on ExplorOFF, and it was the best idea ever! I highly recommend going with their guided option since you get a real human connection on the trail and don’t have to worry about a thing. Yulia was great to talk to!”
13 stops on a real mapEvery stop pinned in order→Every stop is a real pin, in order.
West Yellowstone · Old Faithful · Lamar Valley
Every stop on this trip, in order, opens as one driving route in the Google Maps app. No copying addresses across one at a time.
Plan and book your 4 days in Yellowstone in winter, one step at a time
How 4 days in Yellowstone in winter split up
From early November the interior roads of Yellowstone close to cars. They reopen on about 15 December, but not to driving: from then until mid-March the park interior is reached by snowcoach, by guided snowmobile, or on skis. Four million people come in summer. A fraction of that comes now.
Day 1: Fly to Bozeman, Drive to West Yellowstone
3 stops · Day one
Day 2: Snowcoach to Old Faithful
3 stops · Day two
Day 3: Ride the Custer Gallatin Trails, No Guide Needed
3 stops · Day three
Day 4: The Long Way Round to Lamar Valley
4 stops · Day four
Fly to Bozeman, Drive to West Yellowstone
Fly into Bozeman (BZN) and drive 90 miles south to West Yellowstone, Montana, the town at the park's west gate and the base for almost everything that follows. US 191 is plowed and ordinary, but it is a winter road in Montana: take the four-wheel drive if the rental desk offers it.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Drive from
~90 mi · 1 hr 45 · Drive - Collect snowmobile rental, West Yellowstone
Bibs and boots usually included · activity - Stay in West Yellowstone, MT
· lodge
Snowcoach to Old Faithful
Today you go into the park, and you go the only way the park allows. A snowcoach is a van or bus on tracks, and it runs the unplowed road from the West Entrance up the Madison River to the Old Faithful geyser basin. It takes most of the day, it stops for bison and for the Firehole, and it is the single best value in winter Yellowstone.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Snowcoach to Old Faithful
Full day from the West Entrance · activity - Upper Geyser Basin, Old Faithful
Packed-snow boardwalks · Viewpoint - Stay in West Yellowstone, MT
· lodge
Ride the Custer Gallatin Trails, No Guide Needed
Today you ride where nobody is checking your permit. The Custer Gallatin National Forest around West Yellowstone holds more than 135 miles of professionally groomed snowmobile trail, open 1 December to 31 March, and none of it requires a guide or a park permit. The trailheads are in town: south of Electric Street, west of Iris Street, and north of Dunraven Street.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Two Top, Custer Gallatin National Forest
No guide, no park permit · activity - Lionhead area, west of town
Toward the Idaho line · Viewpoint - Stay in West Yellowstone, MT
· lodge
The Long Way Round to Lamar Valley
The road from Gardiner through Mammoth, Tower Junction and the Lamar Valley to Cooke City is the only road in Yellowstone plowed all winter and open to an ordinary car. In February it is also the best wolf watching in North America: the packs are visible against snow, the elk are down in the valley, and the pullouts fill with spotting scopes before dawn.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Drive to Gardiner via Bozeman
~175 mi · 3 hrs · no car route through the park · Drive - Lamar Valley wolf watching
Dawn · the only plowed park road · Viewpoint - Mammoth Hot Springs terraces
Open and drivable all winter · Viewpoint - Fly home from Bozeman, MT
~80 mi from Gardiner · Drive
Book the 3 nights
Beds near the trailheads are the one thing on this trip that genuinely runs out. Everything else can be decided later.
Tell us your dates and we will do the calling: the rooms either side, and the guided days in between. Nothing is charged and you decide at the end.
Request to bookYellowstone Non-Commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program opens on its own calendar
Lets one permit holder lead up to five snowmobiles into the park without a commercial guide, for a maximum of three days. $40 per day plus a $6 application fee, and every machine must meet the park’s New Best Available Technology standard.
| Permit | Required: Yellowstone Non-Commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program Official page |
|---|---|
| Application window | the lottery is open 1 to 31 August only, winners are notified in early September, and any unclaimed or cancelled permits go first-come on Recreation.gov from 1 October. |
| Odds of drawing | A small number of permits against everyone who does not want to pay for a commercial guide. Holiday and February weekends are the contested dates. |
| If your application is denied | Book a commercially guided snowmobile day instead, which needs no lottery and reaches the same destinations, or take a snowcoach. Cancelled permits also go first-come from 1 October, so the August result is not the last word. |
| Trip starts from | West Yellowstone, MT, flying into Bozeman Yellowstone (BZN) |
What to pack for Yellowstone in winter
Built from this route, not a generic list. Every line says why it is here.
On every day of this trip
Because you are sleeping indoors
For the driving days
Specific to Yellowstone in winter
What winter Yellowstone asks of you that summer does not.
The roads decide your trip
Interior roads open to oversnow travel about 15 December and close in mid-March. Only Gardiner to Cooke City is open to cars, and only that.
Inside the park, guided or lottery
Snowmobiling in Yellowstone means a commercial guide, or a permit from the August lottery. There is no third option and no walk-up.
Outside the park, ride freely
The Custer Gallatin trails at West Yellowstone need no guide and no park permit. 135+ miles groomed, 1 December to 31 March.
Nowhere to camp on this route
Mammoth is the only campground open in winter, and it sits on the far side of a park you cannot drive across. This is a trip with hotel rooms in it.
Winter Yellowstone, answered.
Yellowstone in winter: the questions people ask most.
Only on one road. The route from the North Entrance at Gardiner through Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction and the Lamar Valley to the Northeast Entrance at Cooke City is plowed and open to ordinary cars all winter. Every other park road, including the one to Old Faithful, closes to wheeled vehicles in early November and reopens around 15 December to oversnow travel only.
Walk it with someone who knows the ground.
Tell us your dates and we put you in front of the licensed local guide who runs this route. They carry the permits, the food plan and the shuttles, and they have walked it in the weather you are about to walk it in.
- Asking is free. No card, no deposit, nothing held.
- A real guide, not a call centre. Licensed, insured and local to this route.
- You carry a pack. They carry the rest. Permits, resupply and the logistics that sink most attempts.
Guides set their own rate, so the figure below is the going price for this route. Your guide confirms the real number against your dates and group size.
- 3 nights, rooms along the route
from $124 a nightfrom $372
- Yellowstone Non-Commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program permitBooked separately on Recreation.gov, and on its own timeline. The fee is small but the window is the part that matters.
Yulia, ExplorOFF founder★★★★★5.0 from 20+ guided tripsGoogleAirbnbFrom$3,495per person, 4 days guided- Everything in Glamped, plus a local guide
- Airport pickup, every drive, all the gear
- Weather turns, they rewrite the day
Written and walked by Yulia Vasilyeva · Co-founder · Lead planner and guide
Three years leading guided hikes in the Pacific Northwest, rated 5.0 by 20+ verified guests, and she builds every custom itinerary herself. Based in Seattle.
Booking your Yellowstone in winter trip
Everything below is booked with the operators direct. We earn a commission on some of them, which is what keeps the itineraries free to read.
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Glacier at Memorial Day
The other Montana park with a road that the snow decides, and a plowing schedule worth planning around.
What adventurers say about us.
All reviews are from verified guests. ★★★★★ 5.0 average from 20+ bookings.
"Felt like going out with a really knowledgeable friend who just happens to know everything about the area. No awkward tour-guide energy, just a magnificent day."
"Yulia is an incredible guide. She knew every trail, every viewpoint, and exactly how to pace the day for our group. The photos she took of us were stunning. 100% booking again."
"I was visiting Seattle solo and this was the best decision I made on the trip. Yulia picked me up, had snacks, and took us to a trail I never would have found on my own. Absolute must-do."
"We did this as a couple's trip and it was perfect. Yulia adapted everything to us, our pace, our interests, our photo obsession. The mountain views were unreal."
"Phenomenal experience. Yulia has deep local knowledge and a real passion for the outdoors. She went out of her way to show us the hidden gems tourists never see. Will remember this forever."
"I've done a few guided hikes and this was by far the best. Yulia is warm, funny, and genuinely expert. The trail she chose had the most insane wildflower bloom, we got so lucky."
Fees, reservation windows, shuttle dates and trail closures are planning estimates. Confirm hours, road status and any reservations with the land manager before you go.
What other travelers are saying
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Didn't win? We keep watching. We check recreation.gov every day for The Enchantments, Half Dome and Angels Landing, and email you the moment a sold-out date frees up. Cancellations are the second chance most people never hear about.
“I’ve requested to book a Chain Lakes Loop guide on ExplorOFF, and it was the best idea ever! I highly recommend going with their guided option since you get a real human connection on the trail and don’t have to worry about a thing. Yulia was great to talk to!”