Best time to visit Yellowstone National Park
The short answer
Best months to visit Yellowstone National Park: July–September. Daily highs run about 60–75°F, with visitor numbers near the yearly peak (July).
Hardest months: January–March and November, mostly because of cold weather.
How we picked these months: each month is scored on daily highs (65–82°F is ideal), rain, snow and seasonal closures, then reduced by up to 30% for crowds, measured against the park's busiest month. We list the months within 15% of the top score (at most 5).
Weather and crowds by month
Yellowstone National Park month by month
Park-wide averages across 10 locations. Crowds compare each month with the park's busiest month: Quiet is under 35% of it, Moderate under 60%, Busy under 85%, Peak above that.
| Month | Rating | High / low | Rain | Snow | Crowds | Closures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Poor | 23° / 9°F | 0 in | 15.6 in | Quiet | – |
| February | Poor | 24° / 10°F | 0 in | 20.9 in | Quiet | – |
| March | Poor | 33° / 17°F | 0.1 in | 17.3 in | Quiet | West Entrance; East Entrance; South Entrance |
| April | Poor | 40° / 21°F | 0.4 in | 15.7 in | Quiet | West Entrance; East Entrance; South Entrance |
| May | Poor | 50° / 29°F | 1.2 in | 8.5 in | Moderate | – |
| June | Good | 63° / 38°F | 2.1 in | 2.2 in | Peak | – |
| July | Best | 74° / 47°F | 1.1 in | – | Peak | – |
| August | Best | 71° / 47°F | 1.7 in | – | Peak | – |
| September | Best | 62° / 39°F | 1.9 in | 3.3 in | Peak | – |
| October | Poor | 46° / 27°F | 1.2 in | 9.7 in | Quiet | – |
| November | Poor | 32° / 15°F | 0.2 in | 15.7 in | Quiet | West Entrance; East Entrance; South Entrance |
| December | Poor | 23° / 8°F | 0 in | 18.5 in | Quiet | – |
Weather by location
Parks with a big range of elevation can differ a lot from one area to another. Open a location to see its own numbers.
Park-wide (center of the park)
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 7°F | 0 in | 15.7 in |
| February | 23°F | 8°F | 0 in | 21.5 in |
| March | 32°F | 14°F | 0.1 in | 18.6 in |
| April | 38°F | 19°F | 0.3 in | 18.2 in |
| May | 48°F | 27°F | 1.0 in | 9.8 in |
| June | 60°F | 35°F | 2.1 in | 2.6 in |
| July | 71°F | 45°F | 1.2 in | – |
| August | 69°F | 45°F | 2.0 in | – |
| September | 60°F | 38°F | 1.9 in | 4.3 in |
| October | 43°F | 24°F | 1.1 in | 10.4 in |
| November | 29°F | 13°F | 0.1 in | 15.7 in |
| December | 21°F | 7°F | 0 in | 18.1 in |
Old Faithful
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24°F | 12°F | 0 in | 21.6 in |
| February | 24°F | 12°F | 0 in | 29.8 in |
| March | 33°F | 18°F | 0.1 in | 24.0 in |
| April | 39°F | 22°F | 0.4 in | 18.6 in |
| May | 50°F | 31°F | 1.1 in | 9.3 in |
| June | 63°F | 40°F | 2.0 in | 2.3 in |
| July | 74°F | 49°F | 0.9 in | – |
| August | 72°F | 48°F | 1.7 in | – |
| September | 62°F | 41°F | 1.8 in | 3.7 in |
| October | 45°F | 28°F | 1.1 in | 12.2 in |
| November | 31°F | 16°F | 0.2 in | 20.4 in |
| December | 23°F | 10°F | 0 in | 27.1 in |
Grand Prismatic
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24°F | 9°F | 0 in | 17.6 in |
| February | 25°F | 11°F | 0 in | 23.7 in |
| March | 34°F | 17°F | 0.1 in | 19.4 in |
| April | 40°F | 22°F | 0.4 in | 15.2 in |
| May | 51°F | 29°F | 1.2 in | 7.8 in |
| June | 64°F | 39°F | 2.0 in | 2.0 in |
| July | 75°F | 47°F | 0.9 in | – |
| August | 72°F | 47°F | 1.6 in | – |
| September | 63°F | 40°F | 1.8 in | 3.0 in |
| October | 46°F | 26°F | 1.2 in | 9.8 in |
| November | 32°F | 14°F | 0.3 in | 16.8 in |
| December | 24°F | 8°F | 0 in | 23.3 in |
West Thumb
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 11°F | 0 in | 13.7 in |
| February | 23°F | 11°F | 0 in | 19.5 in |
| March | 31°F | 18°F | 0.1 in | 14.3 in |
| April | 37°F | 22°F | 0.3 in | 14.7 in |
| May | 47°F | 29°F | 1.0 in | 8.1 in |
| June | 59°F | 37°F | 1.5 in | 1.6 in |
| July | 72°F | 46°F | 0.9 in | – |
| August | 69°F | 47°F | 1.6 in | – |
| September | 61°F | 40°F | 2.1 in | 3.0 in |
| October | 45°F | 31°F | 1.2 in | 10.6 in |
| November | 32°F | 21°F | 0.2 in | 15.9 in |
| December | 22°F | 12°F | 0 in | 16.9 in |
Norris Geyser Basin
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21°F | 8°F | 0 in | 18.3 in |
| February | 23°F | 9°F | 0 in | 23.1 in |
| March | 32°F | 15°F | 0.1 in | 19.3 in |
| April | 39°F | 20°F | 0.3 in | 17.2 in |
| May | 49°F | 29°F | 1.2 in | 9.8 in |
| June | 63°F | 38°F | 2.3 in | 2.8 in |
| July | 74°F | 47°F | 1.1 in | – |
| August | 71°F | 46°F | 1.7 in | – |
| September | 61°F | 38°F | 1.7 in | 4.0 in |
| October | 44°F | 25°F | 1.2 in | 10.2 in |
| November | 29°F | 12°F | 0.2 in | 18.0 in |
| December | 21°F | 7°F | 0 in | 20.2 in |
Mammoth Hot Springs
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27°F | 9°F | 0 in | 11.6 in |
| February | 28°F | 11°F | 0.1 in | 16.2 in |
| March | 38°F | 18°F | 0.2 in | 14.3 in |
| April | 44°F | 23°F | 0.5 in | 13.2 in |
| May | 55°F | 30°F | 1.3 in | 7.2 in |
| June | 68°F | 39°F | 2.3 in | 1.4 in |
| July | 78°F | 47°F | 1.2 in | – |
| August | 75°F | 46°F | 1.6 in | – |
| September | 66°F | 38°F | 1.8 in | 2.5 in |
| October | 50°F | 26°F | 1.2 in | 7.6 in |
| November | 35°F | 13°F | 0.2 in | 13.3 in |
| December | 26°F | 7°F | 0 in | 13.3 in |
Madison
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23°F | 9°F | 0 in | 15.7 in |
| February | 26°F | 10°F | 0.1 in | 19.7 in |
| March | 35°F | 17°F | 0.1 in | 16.4 in |
| April | 42°F | 22°F | 0.4 in | 13.1 in |
| May | 53°F | 30°F | 1.5 in | 6.7 in |
| June | 66°F | 40°F | 2.0 in | 1.6 in |
| July | 77°F | 48°F | 0.9 in | – |
| August | 74°F | 47°F | 1.6 in | – |
| September | 64°F | 39°F | 2.0 in | 2.1 in |
| October | 47°F | 26°F | 1.3 in | 7.9 in |
| November | 32°F | 12°F | 0.3 in | 14.1 in |
| December | 23°F | 7°F | 0 in | 18.9 in |
Lake Village
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 11°F | 0 in | 13.1 in |
| February | 23°F | 11°F | 0 in | 18.3 in |
| March | 31°F | 18°F | 0.1 in | 15.6 in |
| April | 37°F | 22°F | 0.3 in | 15.2 in |
| May | 47°F | 30°F | 1.1 in | 8.6 in |
| June | 60°F | 39°F | 1.9 in | 2.4 in |
| July | 71°F | 48°F | 1.1 in | – |
| August | 69°F | 49°F | 1.8 in | – |
| September | 60°F | 42°F | 2.0 in | 3.4 in |
| October | 45°F | 31°F | 1.2 in | 9.1 in |
| November | 32°F | 20°F | 0.1 in | 13.9 in |
| December | 23°F | 12°F | 0 in | 16.0 in |
Lamar Valley
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25°F | 8°F | 0 in | 12.7 in |
| February | 26°F | 9°F | 0 in | 16.6 in |
| March | 36°F | 16°F | 0.1 in | 14.2 in |
| April | 42°F | 21°F | 0.3 in | 14.5 in |
| May | 52°F | 29°F | 1.2 in | 8.4 in |
| June | 65°F | 37°F | 2.5 in | 2.0 in |
| July | 75°F | 45°F | 1.3 in | – |
| August | 73°F | 45°F | 1.8 in | – |
| September | 64°F | 37°F | 1.8 in | 3.0 in |
| October | 47°F | 24°F | 1.3 in | 8.6 in |
| November | 33°F | 11°F | 0.2 in | 13.2 in |
| December | 24°F | 7°F | 0 in | 14.2 in |
Hayden Valley
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 9°F | 0 in | 15.8 in |
| February | 23°F | 9°F | 0 in | 21.0 in |
| March | 32°F | 16°F | 0.1 in | 17.4 in |
| April | 38°F | 21°F | 0.3 in | 16.8 in |
| May | 49°F | 29°F | 1.1 in | 9.3 in |
| June | 61°F | 38°F | 2.2 in | 2.9 in |
| July | 72°F | 47°F | 1.1 in | – |
| August | 70°F | 47°F | 1.7 in | – |
| September | 61°F | 39°F | 1.7 in | 4.3 in |
| October | 44°F | 25°F | 1.1 in | 10.3 in |
| November | 30°F | 14°F | 0.1 in | 15.8 in |
| December | 22°F | 8°F | 0 in | 17.1 in |
Yellowstone National Park by season
Spring (March–May)
Spring (March–May) is a difficult time to visit Yellowstone National Park. Daily highs average 33–50°F and lows 17–29°F. Expect about 0.6 in of rain a month and 13.8 in of snow, with up to 43 in on the ground. Visitor numbers run 4–54% of the busiest month, which is quiet by this park's standards. Closures listed by the NPS: West Entrance; East Entrance; South Entrance.
Summer (June–August)
Summer (June–August) is among the best times to visit Yellowstone National Park. Daily highs average 63–74°F and lows 38–47°F. Expect about 1.6 in of rain a month; some snow can linger on the ground. Visitor numbers run 88–100% of the busiest month, which is peak by this park's standards.
Fall (September–November)
Fall (September–November) is a difficult time to visit Yellowstone National Park. Daily highs average 32–62°F and lows 15–39°F. Expect about 1.1 in of rain a month and 9.6 in of snow, with up to 10 in on the ground. Visitor numbers run 3–86% of the busiest month, which is moderate by this park's standards. Closures listed by the NPS: West Entrance; East Entrance; South Entrance.
Winter (December–February)
Winter (December–February) is a difficult time to visit Yellowstone National Park. Daily highs average 23–24°F and lows 8–10°F. Expect about 0.0 in of rain a month and 18.3 in of snow, with up to 40 in on the ground. Visitor numbers run 4–5% of the busiest month, which is quiet by this park's standards.
For what to do in each season, see our guides to trip planning, fees and hours, trails, camping and things to do, where the planning page also has our written advice on when to go. In-depth topic guides cover individual places and hikes.
Seasonal closures
Closures listed in the NPS operating hours, shown as month and day. Exact dates change every year with snow and staffing.
- West Entrance: closed about Mar 16 – Apr 20
- West Entrance: closed about Nov 1 – Dec 14
- East Entrance: closed about Mar 16 – May 4
- East Entrance: closed about Nov 1 – Dec 14
- South Entrance: closed about Mar 16 – May 11
- South Entrance: closed about Nov 1 – Dec 14
- Adjacent to the town of West Yellowstone, Montana, the West Entrance is usually open (weather-dependent) to wheeled vehicles from the third Friday in April through early November, and to tracked-oversnow (snowmobiles and snowcoaches) vehicles from December 15 to March 15.
- US Highway 212 east of Cooke City is closed to wheeled vehicles November through April.
- The road from Mammoth to Norris opens to wheeled vehicles the third Friday in April through early November, and to tracked-oversnow vehicles, conditions permitting, from December 15 to early March.
- Depending on the weather and conditions, this entrance usually opens to wheeled vehicles the first Friday in May and to tracked-oversnow vehicles December 22 through March 15.
What the National Park Service says about the weather
Yellowstone's weather can vary quite a bit, even in a single day. In the summer, daytime highs can exceed 70°F (21°C), only to drop 20 or more degrees when a thunderstorm rolls through. It can snow during any month of the year, and winter lows frequently drop below 0°F (-18°C), especially at night. Bring a range of clothing options, including a warm jacket and rain gear, even in the summer.
Weather: modeled monthly averages for 2014-2023 (Open-Meteo Archive API), averaged over 10 locations. Modeled grid cells can read cooler than weather stations in deep canyons and deserts, and warmer or colder at high elevation. Visits: monthly recreation visits for 2021-2024, National Park Service.
