Opening Day in Yellowstone National Park has been on our Yellowstone bucket list for a while, and last year, we finally made it happen!

We were already in Gardiner, working on the Cozy Yellowstone Compound and getting our second cabin ready for its first rental season, and decided to sneak into the park for a couple of hours between projects.

Opening Day was the perfect excuse to step away from to-do lists and remind ourselves why we’re renovating a fixer-upper just outside the park’s North Entrance.

What “Opening Day” Actually Means

Yellowstone doesn’t close in winter. In fact, the North Entrance in Gardiner stays open 24/7 year-round, and you can always drive from Gardiner to Mammoth Hot Springs and Lamar Valley.

When people talk about “Opening Day,” they’re usually referring to when Yellowstone’s West Entrance opens to vehicles for the first time that year, typically in mid-April.

For 2025, Yellowstone’s Opening Day was April 18th. For 2026, Opening Day is April 17th. You can confirm the current year's opening day here.

The West Entrance opening starts the first major wave of interior road access for the summer. Once it opens, you can drive from Mammoth to Canyon Village and down to Old Faithful. This makes Opening Day the first chance of the season to reach Old Faithful by regular car instead of snowcoach. From there, the rest of the park opens in phases over the following weeks.

What to Do in Yellowstone on Opening Day

These are our Opening Day highlights, but if you’re planning your own trip, our Yellowstone Travel Guide walks through when to visit, where to stay, what’s open by season, and how to plan your days inside the park.

1. See Old Faithful Geyser Erupt

Here’s what Opening Day actually meant to us: we wanted to see Old Faithful erupt for the first time of the season.

Of course, Old Faithful erupts year-round, whether anyone is there to watch it or not, but there’s something special about being among the first visitors back in the park once the road reopens. For us, it marked the start of Yellowstone’s drivable season and our first chance to see Old Faithful by car after winter.

The Old Faithful Visitor Center opens starting Opening Day with hours from 9 am to 5 pm. That’s where you’ll find eruption predictions, ranger info, exhibits, and indoor restrooms.

If you arrive before 9 am or after closing, there’s a standard restroom with running water next to the Old Faithful Upper Service Station / Yellowstone General Store. That’s your most reliable early-season bathroom option. Dining options at Old Faithful usually open later in spring, so food is limited this early inside the park.

While you’re waiting for the next eruption, take time to walk the boardwalks through the Upper Geyser Basin. There are dozens of geysers and hot springs in this area, and early season is especially peaceful. It’s a great way to stretch your legs and explore while keeping an eye on eruption times.

2. Wander Fountain Paint Pots and Artist Paintpots Trails

After Old Faithful, we headed toward the Lower Geyser Basin, starting with Fountain Paint Pots, which is one of my favorite stops in Yellowstone.

Fountain Paint Pots is the only place in the park where you can see all four thermal features in one short walk: hot springs, geysers, mud pots, and fumaroles. It’s an easy stop with a big payoff.

We’ve also been unbelievably lucky here. Across different visits, we’ve seen Fountain Geyser erupt twice! It erupts roughly every six to eight hours and isn’t predictable, so catching it comes down to timing.

Driving between Fountain Flat Drive and the Lower Geyser Basin is another highlight. This is what we call the “Yellowstone on Fire” area. Steam vents everywhere, heat shimmers across the flats, mineral runoff colors the ground, and snow still lingers in shaded spots. Cold spring air makes the steam thicker, and the whole area feels especially wild.

We also walked the trail at Artist Paint Pots. It’s a slightly longer loop than Fountain Paint Pots and gives elevated views over bubbling mud pots and colorful pools. If you want something quieter than Old Faithful but still visually interesting, this is a great early-season walk.

3. Explore Norris Geyser Basin

Opening Day is also a great time to visit Norris Geyser Basin. It’s quieter than later in the season, which makes it easier to wander the boardwalks and take your time.

This is where you’ll find Steamboat Geyser, the world’s tallest active geyser. You’re unlikely to catch an eruption, but it’s still worth stopping by to see the area and walk the basin.

Early season usually means patches of snow on parts of the boardwalk, so take it slow and wear shoes with good traction. Like everywhere else in the park this time of year, layers matter. One minute it feels warm in the sun, and the next the wind comes through, and you’ll be glad you brought a jacket.

If you’re building an Opening Day route, Norris is an easy add and gives you a different feel than Old Faithful and the Lower Geyser Basin.

4. Visit Grand Prismatic Spring at Sunset

Sunset is my favorite time of day to visit Grand Prismatic Spring, no matter what time of year it is.

The colors deepen, the steam softens the edges of everything, and the whole spring glows. It’s one of those places where you don’t feel rushed to take photos or move on. You just stand there for a while and take it in.

If you can time Grand Prismatic for sunset on Opening Day, do it. It’s a beautiful way to end the afternoon and one of my favorite moments anywhere in the park.

5. Wildlife Watching

Wildlife watching is our favorite thing to do in Yellowstone year-round. Opening Day comes at a time when animals are active and moving around more. It’s a great window to look for bison, bald eagles, bears emerging from hibernation (and if you’re really lucky, a cub or two in tow), coyotes, and wolves. You can see wildlife anywhere in the park, but early season often means fewer cars on interior roads, which makes spotting animals a little easier.

We actually got stuck in a bison jam driving back from Old Faithful on Opening Day. Bison jams are when one or more bison block, cross, or walk the roadway, and there’s nothing you can do but wait them out.

Our favorite area for wildlife watching on Opening Day is the drive from Mammoth Hot Springs to Lamar Valley. This stretch consistently delivers for us and feels especially alive in spring, with wide open views and plenty of pullouts for safely watching animals from a distance. We’ve been able to spot wolves, coyotes, bald eagles, foxes, bighorn sheep, mama grizzly bears and cubs, black bears, and more wildlife along this route.

If wildlife is high on your list, give yourself extra time for this drive. It’s not something you rush through, and that’s part of the experience.

Where to Find Food Inside the Park on Opening Day

During opening week, the Mammoth General Store was open, and it was the only place in the park selling food at that point.

If you’re heading deeper into Yellowstone on Opening Day, plan to bring snacks or lunch. Services are minimal, and it’s easy to underestimate how long you’ll spend wandering geyser basins.

What’s the Weather Like on Opening Day in Yellowstone

April weather in Yellowstone is unpredictable. Layers matter! We break down exactly what we bring for spring visits (including footwear, outer layers, and cold-weather essentials) in our Yellowstone Packing List.

Roads are usually clear, but trails will typically still have some lingering snow, so you’ll want comfortable hiking boots with good traction. It’ll be cold in the shade, but it can get warm in the sun. One minute, you might be comfortable in shorts. A few minutes later, the wind picks up, and you’re reaching for gloves and a winter jacket. Pack for a variety of temperatures and conditions.

Here’s more about what to expect in Yellowstone in April.

Is Opening Day Worth It?

Opening Day isn’t about seeing everything, as most of the roads inside the park are still closed. You won’t be able to drive to Yellowstone Lake, West Thumb Geyser Basin, most of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Hayden Valley, Tower Fall, Dunraven Pass, etc.

Instead, Opening Day is about experiencing Yellowstone as it transitions from winter to spring, and it’s almost like Opening Day marks and celebrates that transition. It’s an exciting day, because it signals the end of winter and the start of a full season of adventures ahead.

If you’re flexible with the weather and okay with limited services and attractions, Opening Day is a unique and fun time of year to visit. For us, squeezing it in between renovation projects made it one of our most memorable Yellowstone outings yet!

What It’s Like on Opening Day in Yellowstone