Which entrance is best for Yellowstone National Park?

One of the reasons why the West Entrance is the most used is that it's the closest entrance to the Lower Loop in Yellowstone, where most of the big attractions are. Some of those popular attractions include: Madison Valley. A great place to see wildlife like elk and bison.



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The best entrances to stay if you will not be staying within Yellowstone National Park are the West and North Entrances. This is because these entrances are close to the Grand Loop within Yellowstone, as well as their gateway towns enabling visitors to get to the heart of Yellowstone with the least amount of driving.

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The West Entrance is an excellent jumping-off point for seeing some of the best geysers in the park! From here, you're close to Norris, Old Faithful, and Grand Prismatic just to name a few. Because of its location, this entrance is usually my preferred place to stay near the park.

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The best entrances to stay if you will not be staying within Yellowstone National Park are the West and North Entrances. This is because these entrances are close to the Grand Loop within Yellowstone, as well as their gateway towns enabling visitors to get to the heart of Yellowstone with the least amount of driving.

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West Yellowstone Entrance The West Entrance is the park's busiest and most popular entrance, and it's also the second-closest to Bozeman International Airport, taking roughly two hours to drive to the West Entrance.

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The best entrances to stay if you will not be staying within Yellowstone National Park are the West and North Entrances. This is because these entrances are close to the Grand Loop within Yellowstone, as well as their gateway towns enabling visitors to get to the heart of Yellowstone with the least amount of driving.

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The East Entrance to Yellowstone is one of the least-used entrances because of its remoteness, lack of hotels by the entrance gate, and distance from the Grand Loop Road (where most of the attractions are). However, it is one of the prettiest drives to enter the park.

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You could easily take two weeks to explore Yellowstone (and you might want to after you spend a day here). To truly experience the best aspects of the park, you'll want to plan at least three days. But if you only have one day to spend in the park, you want to get the most out of your time here.

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Driving Yellowstone's lower loop allows you to get the most out of your short visit. So if you have 1 day in Yellowstone and you want to see the 'musts', this is the area you should focus on.

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Simply driving the entire distance, whether going clockwise or counter, could take four to seven hours. And even if the speed limit is 45 mph, you'll want to take your sweet time, especially around the winding turns, epic scenery and stopped traffic due to wildlife in or near the road.

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What Yellowstone entrance is closest to Jackson Hole? Yellowstone is most accessible from Jackson Hole through the South Entrance just north of Jackson Lake. From the town of Jackson, the south entrance is about 57 miles, which takes about one hour 15 minutes in normal summer conditions.

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Although an entrance pass is required to enter Yellowstone National Park, vehicle reservations are not needed. You are encouraged to purchase an entrance pass before arriving to save time, but you may also purchase passes at any entrance station upon arrival. Find out more about entrance passes below.

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YELLOWSTONE SCENIC DRIVES
  • Beartooth Highway. “My favorite is driving over the Beartooths,” says Holly Williams, program volunteer with Yellowstone Forever. ...
  • Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. ...
  • Grand Teton National Park and the John D Rockefeller, Jr Memorial Parkway. ...
  • Paradise Valley.


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You can drive to Old Faithful. If you enter the park from the West Entrance, Old Faithful is 32 miles from West Yellowstone, the closest gateway city to the famous geyser. Plan on the drive taking between 45 minutes to over an hour.

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Yellowstone National Park's West Entrance opens to the public on the 3rd (third) Friday of April at 8:00 am. Unless weather or other conditions do not allow. The West entrance closes normally the 1st (first) Monday of November at 9:00 pm. The only Entrance OPEN Year Round is the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana.

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Where to See Wolves: In Yellowstone, the most frequently spotted wolf packs roam the Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley, Canyon area and Blacktail Deer Plateau. In Grand Teton, see them in Willow Flats. Dawn and dusk are best.

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Yellowstone's wildlife is most active in the early morning and evenings, away from the heat of the day.

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