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Which is better East or West entrance of Yellowstone?

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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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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Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone The two most popular attractions here are the Upper Falls and the Lower Falls. The impressive Lower Falls drops approximately 300 feet, while the Upper Falls drops slightly over 100 feet. This picturesque area of Yellowstone is filled with alpine trees, hot springs, and steam vents.

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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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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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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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Madison Junction is a good place to watch elk during the september rut. The Lower Loop of Yellowstone's Grand Loop is the more popular loop as it has the lion's share of Yellowstone's thermal features, Old Faithful being one of them as well as Yellowstone Lake and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

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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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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 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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One of the best ways to see Yellowstone is to hit the trails. Walking even a ½ mile on a boardwalk or trail offers you a more complete sense of Yellowstone's features and landscape. So dust off your hiking shoes, park the car, and see the wonders of Yellowstone that lie beyond your car window.

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Yellowstone National Park can get very crowded during peak season (June, July, and August). The best months to visit Yellowstone are April, September, and October. These “off season” months provide more chances to catch a glimpse of the local wildlife and enjoy thinner crowds.

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The Grand Loop takes between 4 to 7 hours to drive in full. During the summer season, cars are the best option for taking a trip around Yellowstone unless you are riding with a bus tour or concessionaire that provides transportation.

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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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Here's how you can forge your own path in America's greatest wilderness.
  1. Go off-road. There's an old saying in Yellowstone: 97 percent of visitors use three percent of the park. ...
  2. Avoid peak season. ...
  3. Embrace the lesser-known. ...
  4. Discover alternative views. ...
  5. Seek insider tips.


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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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The mornings (dawn until 11 a.m.) and evenings (6 p.m. until dusk) are perfect window times for beating the tour groups and family wagons and securing a spot with an uninterrupted view. If you prefer the morning, all you need is a trusty alarm clock, maybe a strong cup of coffee and an early start to the day.

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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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