You can drive only one road in Yellowstone in winter: from Gardiner, Montana, through the park to Cooke City. To see Old Faithful, you ride a snowcoach from Mammoth Hot Springs. Without a car, fly to Bozeman, take the lodges' winter shuttle to Mammoth, stay the night, then take the snowcoach the next morning. We read the park and lodge pages on 13 October 2026.
Only the Gardiner to Cooke City road stays open to cars
Getting there: "The only road generally open year-round to regular vehicles is from the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana" through the park to Cooke City, Montana, via Tower Junction. Most park roads are closed to regular vehicles from early November to late April (NPS park roads page, last updated 13 Oct 2026)
Note: Drive carefully on snow and ice. Most facilities are closed in winter, and cell service is limited (NPS winter page, last updated 28 Aug 2025)
This road passes Mammoth Hot Springs and the Lamar Valley. Mammoth is the only park hotel you can reach in your own car in winter, says the lodge operator. The Beartooth Highway, the other way to Cooke City, is a separate road that NPS lists as closed from 12 October 2026 and not open in winter.
The over-snow season: 15 December to mid-March
Hours: 2026-27 over-snow dates (snowcoach and snowmobile). Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris: 15 Dec 2026 to 7 Mar 2027. Norris to Madison, Norris to Canyon Village, and Canyon Village to Washburn Hot Springs Overlook: to 9 Mar. Canyon Village to Fishing Bridge: to 14 Mar. West, South and East entrances and the other groomed roads: to 15 Mar. All dates depend on weather (NPS park roads page, last updated 13 Oct 2026)
Note: Commercially guided snowcoach and snowmobile trips run on the interior roads. Snowmobiling without a guide needs a permit from the park's non-commercial snowmobile program (NPS winter page, last updated 28 Aug 2025)
Do not plan the trip around the last day. Warm weather and storms change the dates. National Parks Traveler reported in 2026 that a warm spell could even close the West Entrance to snowmobiles. That is a news report from one season, not a park rule.
Old Faithful by snowcoach from Mammoth
Getting there: Mammoth Hotel to Old Faithful Snow Lodge, daily. Check-in 7:45 a.m. (arrives about 12:00 p.m.) from 16 Dec 2026 to 7 Mar 2027, and 1:45 p.m. (arrives about 6:00 p.m.) from 16 Dec to 6 Mar. Adult $179.45, child 3 to 11 $89.72, under 3 free. Old Faithful to Mammoth is $182.90 for an adult and $91.45 for a child. Taxes and fees are included. The page calls the dates "estimated" (Yellowstone National Park Lodges, snowcoach page, no posting date, read 13 Oct 2026)
Note: Each guest gets two bags plus a small carry-on. A bag over 50 pounds, or a third bag, costs $25 (same page)
The lodges' own snowcoach leaves only from Mammoth, so you start your trip there. If you go by private snowmobile, you need no snowcoach booking.
Old Faithful Snow Lodge and the Mammoth Hotel
Hours: Old Faithful Snow Lodge: opens 16 Dec 2026, closes 7 Mar 2027. Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel: closes 8 Mar 2027, and winter transport, activities and tours start 15 Dec 2026. Dates are subject to change (Yellowstone National Park Lodges, winter lodges page, read 13 Oct 2026)
Note: NPS says to reserve as far ahead as possible through the lodge operator. Rooms have no TVs or radios, and the lodge page says severe weather can close roads and delay transport. Guests pay any added costs (NPS winter page, 28 Aug 2025, and the lodges page)
We did not find a room price. Check the lodge operator for your dates.
Getting to Gardiner and Bozeman without a car
Getting there: Winter airport shuttle, Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport to Mammoth: 15 Dec 2026 to 7 Mar 2027, check-in 1:30 p.m., arrives about 4:00 p.m., $110.81 an adult and $55.41 a child. Mammoth to the airport: 16 Dec 2026 to 8 Mar 2027, check-in 8:00 a.m., arrives about 10:30 a.m., $115.25 an adult. You need a lodge or tour booking with the same operator. The park entrance fee is not included (Yellowstone National Park Lodges, winter transportation page, no posting date, read 13 Oct 2026)
Note: Do not book a same-day shuttle if your flight lands after 1:30 p.m. or leaves before 12:00 p.m. The airport shuttle and the Old Faithful snowcoach cannot be booked on the same day, so you stay one night at Mammoth first (same page)
Note: NPS says commercial transport from Bozeman to Gardiner runs in winter and summer. NPS also says buses run from Bozeman to West Yellowstone all year on Highway 191. NPS names no companies (NPS directions page, last updated 11 Aug 2025)
NPS lists Bozeman and Billings in Montana, Cody and Jackson in Wyoming, and Idaho Falls as year-round airports near the park. For a car-free trip, the lodges' shuttle from Bozeman is the one route we could price.
West Yellowstone is the other base. National Parks Traveler reported in February 2026 that you book a snowcoach from there through an operator such as Yellowstone Expeditions or Backcountry Adventures. That is a news report, so ask the operator for its 2026-27 dates and prices.
The park fee
Price: $35 for a private vehicle, $20 a person for people on foot or bike aged 16 and over, $30 for a snowmobile. Each is good for 7 days. Non-US residents aged 16 and over pay an extra $100 each, unless they hold an Annual or America the Beautiful Pass (NPS fees page, last updated 16 Jun 2026)
What is checked here and what is not
Checked on 13 October 2026: NPS's park roads, winter, directions and fees pages, and the Yellowstone National Park Lodges pages on snowcoach transport, winter transport and winter lodges.
Not checked: the exact 2026-27 start announcement from NPS, Mammoth Hotel's winter room prices, flights to Bozeman, any bus company from Bozeman to Gardiner or West Yellowstone, and the West Yellowstone snowcoach operators' own sites. Several lodge pages carry no posting date. We did not visit Yellowstone for this page.
