West Yellowstone, MT: Where to Stay, What to Do & Getting Into the Park

Last updated: October 28, 2026

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West Yellowstone is the Montana town at Yellowstone’s West Entrance, about 30 minutes’ drive from Madison Junction and roughly an hour or more from Old Faithful (NPS Directions). The town was incorporated in 1966 and has been a park gateway since the early 1900s. It has a small resident population, but the town says visitation “tops 4 million people per year” (Town of West Yellowstone). It’s the main starting point for snowmobile and snowcoach trips in winter, and for the geyser basins in summer.

This guide covers when the West Entrance is open, how to get to town (including the seasonal airport), things to do in and around West Yellowstone, and where to stay. For an overview of all three Montana entrances, see Visiting Yellowstone from Montana. For more park guides, go to our Yellowstone hub.

Where West Yellowstone is

The West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce puts the town in the southwest corner of Gallatin County. The Wyoming border is 3 miles away, inside the park, and the Idaho line is 9 miles away. Bozeman is 90 miles north and Idaho Falls 110 miles south (West Yellowstone Chamber FAQ). Big Sky is about 45 miles north on US 191; see our Big Sky guide.

Getting into the park through the West Entrance

When the West Entrance is open

All dates can change with the weather. Roads typically open at 8 a.m. on the first day (NPS Park Roads).

Drive times from the West Entrance (NPS averages)

Source: NPS Directions. NPS warns that wildlife on the road, weather and construction can add delays.

Entrance fees (2026)

• Private vehicle: $35, valid for 7 days (NPS Fees).
• Non-U.S. residents (2026 rule): a $100 per-person nonresident fee for visitors 16 and older, on top of the entrance fee, unless they enter with an annual or America the Beautiful pass (NPS Fees).

Visitor information

The West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center has a Chamber of Commerce desk, open year-round, and an NPS desk. In 2026 the NPS desk was open April 17 to Oct. 31, and it reopens for winter on Dec. 15, 2026 (NPS Operating Dates).

Getting to West Yellowstone

The Chamber advises reserving a rental car ahead of time when flying into WYS, because “vehicles are limited.” In summer, you can compare rental cars in West Yellowstone, including the Yellowstone Airport (WYS) counters. The rest of the year, or if WYS doesn’t fit your schedule, compare rental cars at Bozeman’s airport (BZN).

Winter driving: The Chamber advises carrying chains from November through April and keeping the gas tank and washer fluid full (Chamber: Transportation). Check MDT 511 before driving US 191 or US 20.

Things to do in West Yellowstone

Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center

The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center is a not-for-profit wildlife park and education center. It has been AZA-accredited since 2001 and sits about a block from the park’s West Entrance. Many of its animals can’t survive in the wild. It’s open 365 days a year, because “GWDC bears do NOT hibernate,” and admission is good for two consecutive days. Posted hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with last admission at 3:30 p.m., and the center notes that “hours change with the seasons.” Current admission rates are posted on its hours and rates page (GWDC).

Earthquake Lake Visitor Center (Custer Gallatin National Forest)

On Aug. 17, 1959, the magnitude 7.3 Hebgen Lake Earthquake (per the U.S. Geological Survey; some sources cite a surface-wave magnitude of 7.5) triggered a landslide that dropped more than 80 million tons of rock into the Madison River canyon in under a minute. The slide formed Earthquake Lake, and the earthquake killed 28 people (USGS). The Forest Service’s visitor center overlooks the slide and has exhibits, a working seismograph and a walk to the Memorial Boulder (USFS).

• Where: 27 miles northwest of West Yellowstone on US 287. Take US 191 north 8 miles, then US 287 west 17 miles (USFS).
• When: From the Friday of Memorial Day weekend through Sept. 15, daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. In the off-season, contact the Hebgen Lake Ranger District.

Around town

• Historic walking tour: This self-guided route follows the Painted Bear Paw Trail through the Oregon Short Line Historic District. Brochures are at the Museum of the Yellowstone (Chamber).
• Other attractions the Chamber lists include the Yellowstone Giant Screen Theater and the Yellowstone Aerial Adventures zipline and ropes course (Chamber FAQ).

Guided park tours

The Chamber suggests seeing the park over several days, for example by doing the Lower Loop one day and the Upper Loop another (Chamber FAQ). If you’d rather not drive, compare a Yellowstone Lower Loop day tour from West Yellowstone.

Winter in West Yellowstone

• Into the park: In winter, the only ways in from the West Entrance are a commercially guided snowmobile trip or a snowcoach. Federal rules give the West Entrance the largest daily allotment of commercially guided snowmobile groups of any entrance: 23 a day, plus 1 non-commercially guided group (36 CFR 7.13). Full rules and the NPS list of authorized operators are in Yellowstone in Winter from Montana. To see current West Yellowstone tours on Viator. For snowcoach and snowmobile bookings, the NPS authorized-operator list in the winter guide is the main resource.
• Nordic skiing: The Rendezvous Ski Trails, on the southwest edge of town, have more than 35 km of groomed trails and a biathlon course. The area has more than 50 km of groomed Nordic trails in all. The Riverside Trail leads into Yellowstone along the Madison River (Chamber: Skiing).
• Snowmobiling outside the park: The Chamber cites more than 400 miles of groomed snowmobile trails around town. It works with the Forest Service on grooming them (Chamber: Winter; Chamber information).
• Ice fishing on Hebgen Lake, and sledding at Pioneer City Park (Chamber: Winter).

Where to stay in West Yellowstone

• In town: The Chamber says summer is the busiest season and advises booking lodging before you travel. It keeps a daily list of properties with vacancies in summer, and a list of open restaurants in the off-season, when some places close (Chamber FAQ). To compare hotels for your dates: hotels in West Yellowstone on Expedia.
• Cabins and houses: For a family or group: vacation rentals in West Yellowstone on Vrbo.
• Inside the park: All in-park lodging is run by Yellowstone National Park Lodges, the park’s authorized concessioner, which takes all reservations. NPS advises booking “as early as possible” (NPS Lodging).
• Taxes on your bill: West Yellowstone charges a 4% local resort tax (3% plus 1% for infrastructure) on lodging, meals and other covered purchases, on top of Montana’s 8% lodging tax. See Does Montana Have a Sales Tax? for sources.

Coming from Bozeman instead? See our Bozeman town page.

This guide is general travel information, not legal or safety advice. Park rules, road dates and airline schedules change; confirm them with NPS, the airport and your operator before you go.

Frequently asked questions

Is Yellowstone’s West Entrance open in winter?
Not to cars. It closes to regular vehicles on Nov. 1. From Dec. 15, 2026 to March 15, 2027, it’s open only to guided snowmobiles and snowcoaches (NPS).

How far is Old Faithful from West Yellowstone?
NPS’s average drive time is 30 minutes to Madison Junction, then 35–45 minutes to Old Faithful (NPS).

Does West Yellowstone have an airport?
Yes, Yellowstone Airport (WYS). It has seasonal flights to Denver and Salt Lake City, from early May through mid-October according to MDT (MDT). The rest of the year, Bozeman (90 miles) is the closest year-round airport, according to the Chamber.

Is the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center open in winter?
Yes. It’s open every day of the year (GWDC).

Sources

• Town of West Yellowstone: https://www.townofwestyellowstone.com/
• West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce: https://destinationyellowstone.com/plan/faqs/ ; /plan/travel-info/transportation/ ; /play/activities/skiing/ ; /play/seasons/winter/ ; /play/attractions/historic-walking-tour/ ; /chamber-information/
• NPS: Directions https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/directions.htm ; Park Roads https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/parkroads.htm ; Operating Dates https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/operating-dates.htm ; Fees https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/fees.htm ; Lodging https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/lodging.htm ; news release 26026 https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/news/26026.htm
• USGS, 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake: https://www.usgs.gov/news/60-years-1959-m73-hebgen-lake-earthquake-its-history-and-effects-yellowstone-region
• 36 CFR 7.13: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-I/part-7/section-7.13
• Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center: https://www.grizzlydiscoveryctr.org/ ; https://www.grizzlydiscoveryctr.org/hours-rates
• USFS Custer Gallatin, Earthquake Lake Visitor Center: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/custergallatin/recreation/earthquake-lake-visitor-center ; https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/custergallatin/offices/earthquake-lake-visitor-center
• Yellowstone Airport (MDT): https://yellowstoneairport.mdt.mt.gov/ ; https://yellowstoneairport.mdt.mt.gov/airport-info.aspx ; MDT Aeronautics https://www.mdt.mt.gov/contact/organization/aeronautics.aspx

Cole Bennett edits MontanaHelp, a research-driven guide to moving to and living in Montana. Articles cite official and public sources and are updated as rules and data change. AI tools help research and draft them; a person runs the editorial process and spot-checks one article per batch before it’s published.

AI tools helped research and draft this article. A person runs MontanaHelp’s editorial process and spot-checks one article per batch before it’s published.