Which entrance of Yellowstone is best?

Entering Yellowstone from the west puts visitors in the very heart of Yellowstone's geyser country, meaning it's the quickest way to visit Old Faithful and a number of the park's best-known attractions. Roads are very well-maintained in this section of the park, providing comfortable driving conditions.



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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 area of Yellowstone closest to the East Entrance is a lot quieter than other parts of the park. Once you pass through the entrance, you'll continue seeing gorgeous geology and foliage all the way to the lake.

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That's because so many people are only interested in what they can see from the road. Your single best bet for enjoying a bit of solitude is to park your vehicle at a trailhead and do some hiking. Yellowstone has all kinds of trails running through lesser-known areas that are incredibly scenic without the fanfare.

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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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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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To drive from the East Entrance to the West Entrance takes about 2.5 hours. To drive from the Northeast Entrance to the North Entrance takes about 1.25 hours.

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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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Perhaps the most popular and well-known place to spot animals in Yellowstone National Park is Lamar Valley. Located in the northeastern corner of the park, the closest entrance is the Northeast Entrance, which is found after a beautiful drive from Red Lodge and the Beartooth Highway.

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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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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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Protect yourself and the sights you plan to enjoy by following a few simple rules:
  • Never approach wildlife. The animals in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how calm they appear to be. ...
  • Stay on boardwalks and trails in thermal areas. ...
  • Never feed wildlife. ...
  • Never park in the road or block traffic.


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Protect yourself and the sights you plan to enjoy by following a few simple rules:
  • Never approach wildlife. The animals in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how calm they appear to be. ...
  • Stay on boardwalks and trails in thermal areas. ...
  • Never feed wildlife. ...
  • Never park in the road or block traffic.


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When booking, weekdays, especially midweek, are usually less busy than weekends. The busiest months in Yellowstone are July and August. July 2021 was Yellowstone's single busiest month ever with over one million visitors.

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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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In this “Grand Canyon of Yellowstone”, families can view yellow-tinted cliffs and the Yellowstone River at its most active at both the Upper and Lower Falls. The best hiking and waterfall viewing is found at Lower Falls, which can be viewed by car pull-out along the North Rim Drive at Lookout Point and Red Rock Point.

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Yellowstone is open 365 days per year, 24 hours per day. This means that if you want to hike a trail at sunrise, you will be able to get in, and if you want to stargaze at 2 a.m., you'll be able to get out. Open roads are not gated.

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