In 142 paved miles, Grand Loop Road circles through Yellowstone National Park. The road is rarely straight, instead curving on a narrow thread through rugged mountains and volcanic landscapes. En route, it passes geysers, hot springs, historic points, rivers, waterfalls, mountains, and wildlife. Often, you’ll feel like your head is swiveling back and forth to take in all the sights.

To enter Yellowstone, hop in to meet Grand Loop Road via one of five entrances. These entrances are at West Yellowstone, Gardiner, and Silver Gate in Montana. In Wyoming, they are near Pahaska Tepee west of Cody and the South Entrance, which is north of John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway and Grand Teton National Park.

The stretch of loop road between Mammoth Hot Springs and Tower-Roosevelt Junction remains open year-round. Other segments of Grand Loop Road open for the summer at various times during spring between mid-April and late May. All of Grand Loop closes to vehicles in early November. In winter, it is only accessible by snowcoach or snowmobile. Consult the park website before your trip to find out about construction alerts, weather conditions, and closures.

One short cut connects the east and west sides of Grand Loop Road. It links Canyon Junction with Norris Junction on a forested climb over the Continental Divide.

 

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  Photo by Jacob W Frank/NPS