The Mammoth General Store (the store will be closed for renovations from Sunday, March 12 through Tuesday, March 21; it will reopen to the public at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 22) and Mammoth Clinic remain open year round; and the road from the North Entrance to the Northeast Entrance of the park (Gardiner, Montana, to Cooke City, Montana) remains open year round to wheeled vehicles. Visitors are encouraged to call the park for current information prior to traveling to Yellowstone at (307) 344-7381.
As the end of the winter visitor season for Yellowstone National Park approaches, park snowmobile road conditions are deteriorating. The National Park Service (NPS) cautions visitors entering through the West Entrance that the 14-mile section of road between the West Entrance and Madison Junction is currently in extremely poor and unsafe condition with long patches of bare pavement in some areas. Deteriorating road conditions have been caused by unseasonably warm winter weather and minimal snowfall.
Because there is not enough snow for normal grooming to be effective, the NPS is trying a new procedure to attempt to keep the road open until the scheduled March 13 closing date. Beginning today, park staff will widen the road and grade down the moguls with snow grooming equipment. The soft, slushy layer will be removed, leveling the road to the hard ice floor surface.
Driving on ice packed roads can be considerably different than on snow packed roads, and drivers should use extra caution. Additionally, speed limits from West Yellowstone to Madison Junction will be posted at a maximum 35 miles per hour rather than 45 miles per hour. Also, groomers and equipment may be operating during daylight hours, so caution is advised for heavy equipment on the road.
Conditions could improve with colder temperatures and new snowfall, however continuing deteriorating conditions and additional warming may require closing the road before the scheduled closing date of March 13. The forecast for early this week is for colder temperatures with some snow showers.
