National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior

Yellowstone National Park
P.O. Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2012 12-027

YELL_Public_Affairs@nps.gov

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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK NEWS RELEASE
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Yellowstone’s South Entrance Opens To Cars Tomorrow

The South Entrance to Yellowstone National Park opens for automobile travel
at 8:00 a.m. Friday, May 11, allowing spring visitors from the Jackson,
Wyoming, area access to Lake and Old Faithful. The roads from the park’s
North and West Entrances opened as scheduled on April 20, and the East
Entrance opened May 4.

Visitors should be aware that spring in Yellowstone is very unpredictable
and can still bring cold temperatures, high winds and falling snow. Even
cleared sections of roads can be narrow and covered with a layer of snow,
ice and debris. Drivers should use extreme caution as road clearing
operations can be ongoing at any time throughout the park.

By Friday, most visitor facilities will be open at Mammoth Hot Springs and
Old Faithful, and limited facilities will be available at Canyon, Fishing
Bridge and Grant Village. The opening of popular campgrounds and trails,
especially those in the backcountry, could be delayed. A complete list of
facility and road closures can be found on the web at
www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/open_closedates.htm.

Updated Yellowstone National Park road information is available 24 hours a
day by calling 307-344-2117.

For information on roads outside of the park from Cooke City over Colter
Pass to the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, travelers in Wyoming may dial 511;
those outside of Wyoming may call 1-888-996-7623, or visit the Wyoming
Department of Transportation website at http://www.wyoroad.info/.

For information on the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge, Montana, travelers
in Montana may dial 511; those outside Montana may call 1-800-226-7623, or
visit the Montana Department of Transportation website at
http://mdt511.com/.

- www.nps.gov/yell -

What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to visit Yellowstone this
weekend!

A variety of public events are scheduled in West Yellowstone and Gardiner,
Montana, to bring attention to the role each individual can play in
protecting our environment.

This is also the first weekend of the season visitors can enter the park’s
north and west entrances and take private vehicles into Old Faithful,
Canyon, and Norris.

To top it all off, Saturday is also the start of National Park Week, with
the National Park Service offering free entry to Yellowstone and all other
national parks.

On Saturday, the community of West Yellowstone will host a day packed with
Earth Day events including demonstrations by the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery
Center and U.S. Forest Service, craft tables and face painting, and Earth
Day snacks and drinks. The events will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00
p.m. at the Holiday Inn.

The celebration shifts to Gardiner on Sunday, with a free community
electronics collection event from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00p.m.at the Yellowstone
Association’s offices near the Roosevelt Arch. This event is an
opportunity for any community members to bring in their outdated
electronics (TVs, computers, cell phones, etc.) for recycling.

At the same time, visitors and residents will also have an opportunity to
drop off used or expired bear spray canisters and see the new bear spray
canister recycling machine.

After the recycling event, there will also be a showing of the documentary
“Tapped” which explores the environmental, social, and economic impacts of
the proliferation of single-use disposable plastic water bottles.

Participants at both events will have a chance to win a variety of Earth
Day prizes.

This weekend’s Earth Day events are sponsored by the Yellowstone
Environmental Coordinating Committee (YECC). The group includes all those
who are involved in protecting the park and serving park visitors and
residents: the National Park Service, Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Delaware
North, Medcor, Yellowstone Park Service Stations, Yellowstone Association,
and Yellowstone Park Foundation.

Through the efforts of the YECC, Yellowstone has been able to make numerous
strides towards environmental sustainability in recent years. For
instance, through the work of the YECC partners, Yellowstone was able to
divert nearly 73% of its solid waste from entering the landfill last year.
This amounts to over 3,300 tons of material in 2011.

- www.nps.gov/yell -

National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior

Yellowstone National Park
P.O. Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2012 12-017

Al Nash or Dan Hottle
(307) 344-2015
YELL_Public_Affairs@nps.gov

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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK NEWS RELEASE
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Bicyclists Allowed On Some Yellowstone Roads

Two sure signs of the onset of spring in Yellowstone National Park are
early sightings of bears emerging from their dens, and the appearance of a
handful of hardy and prepared bicyclists on a few sections of park
roadways.

As park plow crews continue to clear roads for the start of automobile
travel next month, a portion of the park is open to bicyclists for this
short season. Now through April 19, the road between West Yellowstone,
Madison, Norris and Mammoth Hot Springs is open to travel by adventurous
and prepared bicyclists. There is no spring bicycle access to Old
Faithful or Canyon.

A bicycle trip into Yellowstone this time of year is not to be undertaken
lightly. The quickly changing weather can be blustery, snowy and brutally
cold. Snow and ice may cover sections of road. Bears, bison, elk, wolves,
and other wildlife could be encountered at any time. No services are along
these sections of road. Cyclists should expect to encounter -- and yield
to -- snowplows or other vehicles operated by park employees or
construction workers traveling in conjunction with park operations.

Bicyclists are required to ride single file and follow all other rules of
the road. They are strongly encouraged to carry bear spray, should be
prepared to turn around and backtrack when encountering wildlife on the
road, and must stay out of closed areas.

Riders need to be prepared to be out in severe winter conditions for an
extended period of time, in case they experience a mechanical breakdown,
injury or other emergency. Cell phone coverage throughout the park is
sparse, and rangers do not regularly patrol these routes at this time of
year, so riders must have a plan for self rescue or repair.

Snow removal efforts may also allow for a brief period of bike access into
the park sometime in May from the South Entrance to West Thumb and from the
East Entrance toward Sylvan Pass.

The road from the North Entrance at Gardiner, Mont., to Cooke City, Mont.,
at the park's Northeast Entrance is open all year to cyclists and
automobiles, weather permitting. Some interior park roads don’t open to
automobile travel until Memorial Day weekend.

Cyclists are urged to call 307-344-2107 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on
weekdays for updated road access information, or call 307-344-2113 for
24-hour weather information before traveling to the area. Additional
planning information is also available online at
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/springbike.htm.

Updated Yellowstone National Park road information is available 24 hours a
day by calling 307-344-2117.

- www.nps.gov/yell -

Twitter: @YellowstoneNPS
RSS Feed: http://www.nps.gov/feeds/getNewsRSS.htm?id=yell
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Public Affairs Office
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
(307) 344-2013
Yell_Public_Affairs@nps.gov
www.nps.gov/yell

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