The South Entrance to Yellowstone National Park will open, weather permitting, at 8 a.m. Friday to public motor vehicle traffic, the Park says in a press release.

The road to the South Entrance is U.S. Highway 287/191/89 and that connects to West Thumb to Old Faithful, West Thumb to Lake Village, and Tower-Roosevelt to Tower Fall.

Come prepared because services in the spring are limited.

The Park reminds visitors to watch for quickly changing weather conditions and possible temporary closures due to late spring storms.

Many areas of the park are still experiencing winter conditions and snow and ice may cover sections of road.

Stay informed about up-to-date road conditions including road construction, road improvement and traffic delays or call (307) 344-2117 for recorded information.

Receive Yellowstone road alerts on your mobile phone by texting "82190" to 888-777 (an automatic text reply will confirm receipt and provide instructions).

The Park again cautions visitors about wildlife.

  • Stay at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves, and 25 yards from all other wildlife.
  • Do not crowd or push wildlife, and be mindful as they endure this hardest part of the year.
  • Wildlife such as bison, elk and moose are stressed and weak due to a severe winter of above-average snowpack.
  • Bison and elk often use roads as travel corridors when the snow is deep, and higher than usual snowbanks this year prevent them from easily moving off the road.

At 8 a.m. May 26, the last remaining major park road to open, weather permitting, is from Canyon Village to Tower Fall (Dunraven Pass).

The park's North Entrance (Gardiner, Montana) and Northeast Entrance (Silver Gate and Cooke City, Montana) are open year-round to all traffic with no restrictions. Both road corridors have been repaired after last year's historic flood event.

For additional details, visit the park website at www.nps.gov/yell or download the National Park Service App.

And don't pet the fluffy cows.

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