Yellowstone National Park guide · 1 min read
Snow in Any Month: Packing for Yellowstone
Snow can fall in Yellowstone during any month of the year, July included. Most of the park sits at 6,000 feet or higher, and that elevation makes the weather hard to predict.
A calm, sunny morning can turn cold, wet and windy by afternoon, and temperatures can swing widely within a single day.
Summer days usually reach the 70s and 80s, but afternoon thunderstorms are common, especially in July and August. A passing storm can drop the temperature by 20 degrees or more. Gusty winds from the south and southwest often come first, with rain and lightning close behind. If you are hiking or boating as a storm builds, get off the water, ridges and open ground. A forest of evenly sized trees offers better cover from lightning than a meadow.
Nights stay cool even in summer. Depending on elevation, temperatures can slip into the 20s with a light freeze. Whatever the season, pack a warm jacket and rain gear, plus several layers you can add or remove as conditions shift.
Winter is far colder. Lows regularly fall below zero, and some nights reach 30 below. Wear adjustable layers under a hooded, windproof outer shell, with wool or synthetic insulation underneath. Skip cotton, which stops keeping you warm once it gets wet. Insulated boots, wool socks, gaiters, mittens and a balaclava or hood help hold in heat. Sunglasses and sunscreen guard against bright sunlight reflecting off the snow.
Visitors who come ready for the cold can ski, snowshoe or join commercially guided snowcoach and snowmobile tours. Winter also brings wolves in Lamar Valley, foxes and coyotes hunting in snowy meadows, and trees coated in rime ice near the steaming thermal areas.
