Yellowstone in April
Jun 23rd, 2005, 05:12 PM
#1
Yellowstone in April
I was thinking about possibly visiting Yellowstone during my kids' spring vacation next year, which runs from April 7th through 18th. On the one hand, this might be a good way to beat the sumer crowds, but what's the weather like that time of year? Would it still be chilly enough to interfere with any of your likely activities?
Jun 23rd, 2005, 05:35 PM
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I don't know about next year, but this year the road to Old Faithful didn't open up until April 22. Doesn't sound like you will be able to see all of the park.
Yosemite National Park in California might be a good choice. We go often in April. The high country won't be open but the beautiful valley where the waterfalls are is open year round.
Utahtea
Yosemite National Park in California might be a good choice. We go often in April. The high country won't be open but the beautiful valley where the waterfalls are is open year round.
Utahtea
Jun 23rd, 2005, 05:44 PM
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We closed down the park one year in October - the last weekend accomodations and roads were opened to the public. Appropriately enough, it snowed that weekend.
There are (were) snowmobile tours that entered the park during winter months. That may be one way to see the park if there is still enough snow on the ground. I'd wait until later in the year.
If you haven't been to the Grand Canyon before, that may be an option. I went on spring break one year - and it snowed for 2 days too. But, the canyon was beautiful in the snow.
There are (were) snowmobile tours that entered the park during winter months. That may be one way to see the park if there is still enough snow on the ground. I'd wait until later in the year.
If you haven't been to the Grand Canyon before, that may be an option. I went on spring break one year - and it snowed for 2 days too. But, the canyon was beautiful in the snow.
Jun 23rd, 2005, 05:50 PM
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I've always wanted to go to Yellowstone in the winter and snowmobile in!
It looks like they close the roads to snowmobiles in early March to start plowing them for the April Openings!
http://www.nps.gov/yell/press/0509.htm
Utahtea
It looks like they close the roads to snowmobiles in early March to start plowing them for the April Openings!
http://www.nps.gov/yell/press/0509.htm
Utahtea
Jun 24th, 2005, 04:38 PM
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There won't be any lodging available in the park as a few of the hotels and cabins open in mid-May and then the rest at the beginning of June.
The amount of snow and how cold it was during the winter affects when the roads open in the spring. Although the park usually has a tentative opening date for each section of the road. And because the terrain is different in each section, you can have some park roads open and some closed. For example, Old Faithful Inn opens in early May. But one year, for the first couple of weeks OFI was open, the section of the Lower Loop Road from West Thumb to Old Faithful was not open because it had not been plowed due to heavy snow. If you entered from the south (Jackson and GTNP), you had to go from West Thumb to Lake/Fishing Bridge to Canyon, to Norris, to Madison to Old Faithful.
If any of the roads are open, your only activities would be sight-seeing from the car, maybe some hiking, or photography.
I’ve been in the park when it snowed (didn’t accumulate) on the first day of summer and when it snowed on Labor Day. It’s always possible for the temps to be low enough to snow any day during the summer. I checked monthly averages on weather.com for YNP for April and the average high is 43 with the average low 21.
The amount of snow and how cold it was during the winter affects when the roads open in the spring. Although the park usually has a tentative opening date for each section of the road. And because the terrain is different in each section, you can have some park roads open and some closed. For example, Old Faithful Inn opens in early May. But one year, for the first couple of weeks OFI was open, the section of the Lower Loop Road from West Thumb to Old Faithful was not open because it had not been plowed due to heavy snow. If you entered from the south (Jackson and GTNP), you had to go from West Thumb to Lake/Fishing Bridge to Canyon, to Norris, to Madison to Old Faithful.
If any of the roads are open, your only activities would be sight-seeing from the car, maybe some hiking, or photography.
I’ve been in the park when it snowed (didn’t accumulate) on the first day of summer and when it snowed on Labor Day. It’s always possible for the temps to be low enough to snow any day during the summer. I checked monthly averages on weather.com for YNP for April and the average high is 43 with the average low 21.
