Montana Entrances to Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone Country Providing three of the five entrances to Yellowstone Montana Visitor National Park, Montana isn’t just the first gateway Information Centers into the park, it’s the most inspiring. BELGRADE NORTH ENTRANCE: GARDINER, MONTANA The only year-round entrance into the park is Have questions while on the road? Learn more at through Gardiner and leads straight into the heart BELGRADE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE of Yellowstone. 10 E. Main St. • 406.388.1616 visityellowstonecountry.com, or call us. Our travel team [email protected] is waiting to answer questions at 1.800.736.5276. NORTHEAST ENTRANCE: visitor.belgradechamber.org SILVER GATE/COOKE CITY, MONTANA Enter through Cooke City during the spring, summer or fall to traverse the winding Beartooth Highway. BIG SKY MONTANA ROAD CONDITIONS WEST ENTRANCE: WEST YELLOWSTONE, MONTANA Know before you go. Check updated Montana road From this picturesque, all-American small town, conditions by calling 511 or 1.800.226.ROAD (7623), take one of the many available year-round tours Donnie Sexton BIG SKY & GREATER YELLOWSTONE into the park. VISITOR CENTER or visiting mdt.mt.gov/travinfo. 55 Lone Mountain Trail 406.995.3000 • 800.943.4111 [email protected] visitbigsky.com YELLOWSTONE COUNTRY MONTANA BIG TIMBER Townsend Custer k C ree R SWEET GRASS COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ile C enm A Gallatin Boulder te Z (Open Memorial Day Weekend - September 30) Six Radersburg Toston Y
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G Canyon S Hidden Norris Lake E Geyser Village GRAND CANYON OF THE YELLOWSTONE LIVINGSTON Lima Lower Elk Basin Reservoir Red Rock L. 20 Norris YELLOWSTONE FALLS Lake HAYDEN VALLEY Swan Lake Yellowstone Madison Artist Paintpots La er WYOMING R iver Henry’s Airport mar Riv ed Rock R Lake SULPHUR LIVINGSTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Monida 509 (WYS) West Gibbon Falls CALDRON MONTANA Mud Volcano & VISITOR CENTER Lakeview Mt Jefferson Yellowstone Lower Lake 10203’ Geyser Fishing Bridge 303 E. Park St. • 406.222.0850 Big WEST ENTRANCE Basin Fountain Village Paint Pot IDAHO Springs West [email protected] Upper Macks Inn Geyser Thumb Map Symbols and Other Features Targhee National Forest Basin discoverlivingston.com Island Park Yellowstone Reservoir Old Lake EAST ENTRANCE Island Park Faithful to Cody, WY Interstate Mountain Peak Canoe
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s Shoshone ’ Friendly Hiking Trail y Lake r Heart State Road Airport RED LODGE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE n Lewis Lake Lake e & VISITOR CENTER H Ski Resort Ice Climbing 191 Secondary Road 701 Broadway Ave. N. • 406.446.1718 IDAHO YELLOWSTONE 89 Continental Divide Hot Spring Bison Upper Lilypad Lake NATIONAL PARK [email protected] Mesa 287 Falls SOUTH ENTRANCE Scenic Drive Photo Opportunity Moose redlodge.com Warm River JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, JR. Bear MEMORIAL PARKWAY Dam Camping Enlarged Area Ashton THREE FORKS Lewis and Clark’s Trail Guest Ranch Elk
Jackson Montana State Park Motorized Boating Bighorn Sheep THREE FORKS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Lake Colter Bay MONTANA Visitor Center (Open Memorial Day Weekend - Labor Day Weekend) Entrance to Yellowstone E Jackson Lake G 110 N. Main St. • 406.285.4753 IDAHO National Park
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O NATIONAL PARK T Jenny Lake E Visitor Center WEST YELLOWSTONE T Hiking Museum Downhill Skiing & Snowboarding Fishing Golfing River Nordic Skiing nake Mountain Biking Bird Watching WEST YELLOWSTONE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE S Dog Sledding & VISITOR CENTER Horseback Riding Rock Climbing 30 Yellowstone Ave. • 406.646.7701 Jackson Sleigh Rides Hole Canoeing Ice Climbing [email protected] Snowcoach Tours destinationyellowstone.com Whitewater Rafting Zip Lining Snowmobiling Printed in Montana for free distribution. Farmers Market ATV Indicates free Wi-Fi Take the scenic route. Let our rivers wind their way in and our mountains grab hold. Be charmed by our towns. Get lost for a little The Yellowstone you haven’t seen yet. while, in a place you’ll (happily) never really return from. Boldly go in the direction of a life well lived. Your thirst for adventure—for the unknown and all that comes with it—will be more than quenched. Explore the unexpected. Because pictures are one thing. But well-told tales about undiscovered places are even better.
It’s time to go. Learn more at visityellowstonecountry.com, or call us. Our travel team is waiting to answer questions at 1.800.736.5276.
Paradise Valley, Montana Scenic Drives You’ll be hard pressed to find a road in Yellowstone Country that isn’t scenic. PARADISE VALLEY YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK Every switchback will surprise you. Every view is a bolt from the blue. And each mile marker reveals another place to pull over and rethink where you spend those ROUTE: Livingston to Gardiner ROAD: U.S. Highway 89 S. ROUTE: Gardiner to Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris Geyser Basin hard-earned vacation days. MILES: 54.3 TIME: 58 minutes ROAD: U.S. Highway 89 S. MILES: 54.4 TIME: 1 hour + 40 minutes
From the well-known to the less traveled, you’ll find routes both rugged Follow the Yellowstone River along the soaring peaks of the Absaroka Mountains to ROUTE: Norris Geyser Basin to Canyon Village ROAD: Norris Canyon Road and relaxed, on and off the beaten path. Take your time and take it all in. the east, with the picturesque Gallatin Range to the west. Stop at Mallard’s Rest MILES: 12.3 TIME: 21 minutes Fishing Access Site (13 miles from Livingston at mile marker 42), for what might be the most scenic part of the drive—the ultimate in Montana views. This aptly Explore some of our top picks below, or surprise yourself and go your own way, ROUTE: Canyon Village to Tower-Roosevelt ROAD: Grand Loop Road because that’s just it…our open roads are wide open for wandering. named panoramic river valley is the perfect place to get knee deep in a sleepy stretch of the river to cast a fly rod. On your way back to Livingston, take Route MILES: 18.7 TIME: 37 minutes 540 and stop in Pray, MT for a soak at Chico Hot Springs, a historic resort settled BEARTOOTH HIGHWAY in the foothills of the Absarokas. ROUTE: Red Lodge to Cooke City ROUTE: Tower-Roosevelt to Cooke City ROAD: U.S. Highway 212 E. ROAD: U.S. Highway 212 MILES: 33.2 TIME: 50 minutes MILES: 68 TIME: 3 hours Take the long, scenic route from Gardiner to Cooke City, Montana through the northwest corner of Yellowstone National Park. First stop: Mammoth Hot Springs. It’s not always about how high you climb, but Spend a day or more exploring steaming thermal features like hot springs terraces, in this case, it helps. This All-American Road is hiking or biking, or touring historic Fort Yellowstone and the Albright Visitor the highest-elevation highway in the Northern Center. Up next: The unique rainbow-colored Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest Rockies. On the Road’s Charles Kuralt called it thermal area in Yellowstone. From there, head to Canyon Village to witness “the most beautiful drive in America.” It’s hard Yellowstone’s 20-mile-long Grand Canyon. Next stop: Yellowstone’s Tower- to argue with that. This route ribbons through Roosevelt area to visit Tower Fall, Calcite Springs Overlook, Lamar Buffalo Ranch the Absaroka and Beartooth mountain ranges, and the Roosevelt Lodge. Last stop: Cooke City by way of the Lamar Valley. with numerous scenic pull-outs and views of Roosevelt Arch | Gardiner, Montana 20 peaks towering over 12,000 feet. Pull over and explore alpine plateaus, glacial lakes, WINTER IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK Winter transforms the park into a sublime wonderland of steamy geysers against lush forested valleys and cascading waterfalls. ABSAROKEE LOOP pure white snow. From West Yellowstone, take a snowcoach or snowmobile tour Added Bonus: Both Red Lodge and Cooke City ROUTE: Absarokee to Nye ROAD: State Highway 419/Nye Road + State Highway 78 into the park to view Steamboat Geyser—the world’s largest. Embark on the are impossible towns not to explore. If you have MILES: 21.5 TIME: 34 minutes surreal with an overnight at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Beartooth Highway the time, you’d be ahead to do just that. ROUTE: Nye to Fishtail to Absarokee ROADS: State Highway 419/Nye Road GALLATIN CANYON MILES: 23.3 TIME: 27 minutes ROUTE: Bozeman to Big Sky ROAD: U.S. Highway 191 S. MILES: 44.1 TIME: 55 minutes Wind your way westward along the wild Stillwater River from Absarokee to Nye. The captivating Gallatin Canyon calls, with towering rock formations, deep forests Travel through grasslands and a small burn area into a narrow canyon stretch. and valleys for miles. If you’re up for a little off-road exploration, you’ll find hiking This quiet road turns to gravel at the Nye Basin, but stays open year-round. trails and mountain lakes on either side of the canyon. Or cast a fly rod into the Bring your fly rod. The Stillwater fishing access sites are many and the blue-ribbon trout waters of the Gallatin River—also a great place to spot rafters rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout are as well. Follow Fishtail Creek right into and kayakers. Roadside Attraction Alert: Bighorn sheep. They’re no strangers to the town of Fishtail. Fuel up at the Fishtail General Store, founded in 1900, this area, along with the occasional bear, moose or deer. Keep an eye out…they Yellowstone which peddles everything but the kitchen sink—from fishing gear to gifts to National Park like to cross the road. hand-dipped ice cream.
Hibernation is for the bears. You’re a snow seeker and Montana’s Yellowstone Country is an alpine mecca of diverse winter terrain, both wild and tamed. We get deep with over 400 inches of the fluffy white stuff every season. So get out, feel the crunch of snow underfoot, breathe in the crisp winter air and leave your tracks on as many mountains as you can. SLOPES AND RESORTS Home to three of Montana’s four largest ski areas, Yellowstone Country owns some of the best skiing in North America. Big Sky Resort offers 5,800 acres of terrain with 4,350 feet of vertical drop and unbelievable views. Bridger Bowl is known for its light, dry powder and the steep chutes experts crave. Red Lodge Mountain provides the ultimate ski vacation—mixed terrain, spectacular vistas and inviting après decks. SNOWMOBILING West Yellowstone is one of the “best of the best” snowmobiling destinations in North America. The season starts early and ends late, averaging 153 inches of dry, powdery snow each year. Cooke City is equally amazing, with late-season backcountry snowmobiling extending into June and sometimes even July. NORDIC SKIING Nordic skiing + supervolcano = a volcanic winter wonderland with miles of untouched snow through national forests and state parks. Notable trails in Yellowstone Country: Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Bohart Ranch in Bozeman and Rendezvous Ski Trails in West Yellowstone. DOG SLEDDING Madison River, Montana Mush your way through Montana trails to a hot springs soak or a backcountry yurt. Outfitters and lodges in Big Sky, West Yellowstone and Paradise Valley offer half-day, full-day or overnight guided excursions of this increasingly FALL FOR COLOR IN YELLOWSTONE popular winter activity. There’s always plenty of room to breathe in Montana, but in the fall, perhaps even a little more. Autumn in Yellowstone Country is pure gold. Brown trout Winter in SLEIGH RIDES are biting. Elk are bugling. Birds are migrating overhead. Hillsides are aflame It’s as enchanting as it sounds. Pure mountain magic. Experience the spirit of with tamaracks and rivers are lined with the oranges and yellows of aspen Yellowstone Country Montana winter in Yellowstone Country with a horse-drawn sleigh ride. Glide across the and cottonwood trees. Evening sunlight filters through autumn’s hues. Fall is snow toward a romantic dinner at Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky or make a the time to take a scenic drive, fish a quiet river, bike or hike the park. See new family memory exploring the winter wilderness. Montana in full color. Big Sky, Montana
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