Yellowstone National Park’s Northeast Entrance is not open year-round. HOWEVER, it is open during Winter Months to vehicle traffic coming from Gardnier ONLY.
Here’s the scoop: It Opens generally the end of May and Closes the middle of October to wheeled vehicle travel (you can travel east to Silver Gate, Montana and Cooke City, Montana at which point Hwy 212 (Bearthooth Hwy to Cody is Closed during the winter). The locals here call this “The Plug”. The only Park Entrance that is OPEN year-round is the North Entrance. The term “Open” means, it’s staffed with Rangers. REPEAT: During the winter, you CANNOT travel east of Cooke City, Montana via wheeled vehicles to Cody, WY. The road is closed for the winter and is not maintained. You must travel back through the park to the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana. You can travel to Silver Gate, Montana and Cooke City, Montana year-round.
The Northeast Entrance Station to Yellowstone National Park, in Park County, Montana, is a rustic log building designed by the National Park Service Branch of Plans and Design under the direction of Thomas Chalmers Vint and built in 1935. The entrance station straddles U.S. Route 212 west of Silver Gate. As a pristine example of its type, and being an ambitious one for its time, it was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places at the same time
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
Driving into Cooke City via the Northeast Entrance Yellowstone National Park is probably in not the best drive in the Park. You have a few options. The BEST and fastest way is through the North Entrance (Gardnier). The North Entrance is open year round. You can drive to Mammoth Hot Springs (Only 5 miles away) to Tower-Roosevelt all the way through Lamar Valley. This by far is the best and quickest route to Cooke City. Always give yourself extra time. Wildlife can often walk right down the road. Bear and Bison jams will definitely hold you up.
Depending on which way to drive into Cooke City through the NE Entrance you will come to Lamar Valley. Lamar Valley is rich with Wildlife and of course is a great place to spot Wolves. It’s quite common to visit Lamar Valley and see zero snow, and come up to Cooke City and be in feet of snow. Which makes Cooke City a beautiful place to visit in the Spring.
Driving Times:
East Entrance (From Cody, WY) to Northeast Entrance (Cooke City) 5.5 hours *
West Entrance (West Yellowstone) to Northeast Entrance (Cooke City) 4 hours *
South Entrance (Grand Teton’s) to Northeast Entrance (Cooke City) 5 hours *
North Entrance (Gardnier MT) to Northeast Entrance (Cooke City) 1.5 hours *
Make sure you check the road conditions via Yellowstone National Park BEFORE you travel
*Depends on Wildlife on the Road. Bison don’t care about your travel plans.
Gas Stations are available in the Park between June 22nd – July 1st and close October 15th – 30th. It depends on what service station is in what area of the park. Check HERE for Details
This region in the park has several options for staying overnight. Roosevelt Lodge right at Tower–Roosevelt provides cabin accommodations.
Just south of there, at Tower Fall, is the Tower Fall campground. Heading out to the Northeast Entrance are the Slough Creek and Pebble Creek campgrounds. All three of these campgrounds are reservable campgrounds run by the National Park Service. AT THIS TIME PEBBLE CREEK CAMPGROUNDS ARE NOT OPEN DUE TO 2022 FLOOD.
