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Some Parts Of Yellowstone National Park Running Out Of Snow For Snowmobiles, Snowcoaches

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Published Date

February 17, 2015
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Poor snow conditions on the road from West Yellowstone, Mont., to Madison Junction and on to Old Faithful in Yellowstone has led to curbs on snowmobile and snowcoach access/NPS 

While New England is setting records with its snowfalls this winter, Yellowstone National Park has been enduring a poor snow season. So poor, in fact, that a lack of snow and warm weather has forced the park to shut down access to some snowmobilers and snowcoaches.

Park staff said Tuesday that a long stretch of unseasonally mild temperatures, limited snowfall, and oversnow traffic have combined to produce a dramatic reduction in the snowpack on the road segments linking West Yellowstone and Old Faithful.

"There are many areas along the road from West Yellowstone through Madison Junction to Old Faithful where large portions of the pavement are visible. This results in unsafe operating conditions for snowmobiles and snowcoaches with ski steering," a park release said. "Due to these circumstances as well as the current and forecast weather conditions, as of Tuesday morning, February 17, guided visitor travel on this road segment is limited to commercial snowcoaches with rubber tracks or commercial wheeled vehicles."

Despite the changing conditions, the release added, visitors may not use their own private wheeled vehicles to travel into the park from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful.

Conditions on all other interior park roads that are groomed for commercial and non-commercially guided snowmobiles and commercial snowcoaches remain fair to good.

As of Tuesday, park staff said guided travel from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful would continue as scheduled through March 15.

The road from the park'™s North Entrance at Gardiner, Mont., through Mammoth Hot Springs and on to Cooke City, Mont., outside the park'™s Northeast Entrance is open to automobile travel all year.

 

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