The best time to visit Yellowstone to avoid crowds is during the shoulder seasons of April-May or late September-October. Yellowstone can get incredibly crowded, with the park seeing over 4.7 million visitors in 2024 alone, with the majority visiting during the summer months. July is the peak, with nearly 1 million people visiting that month alone.
The good news is that you don’t have to be stuck in a traffic jam. Learn when to visit Yellowstone to avoid crowds and get the most out of your trip with these 11 tips.
When Is Peak Season in Yellowstone?
The main visitor season in Yellowstone runs from May through September, when most roads and facilities are open. But the busiest period is the three-month window of June, July and August. A “peak” day means parking lots at major hubs like the Grand Prismatic Spring and Fairy Falls fill by 10 a.m., lines for food get long fast and the famous “bison jams” can stop traffic for an hour.
Because of those intense crowds, July is typically the busiest month, while May and September are often considered the best months for Yellowstone if you want a balance between weather and space. Even during these shoulder months, travelers should still expect crowds at major attractions.
When to Visit Yellowstone to Avoid Crowds
The true shoulder seasons are April to early May and September to October. For many travelers, the best time to visit Yellowstone National Park is late spring or early fall, when crowds fade and wildlife sightings peak. Late spring is “baby season,” when you can see bison calves and bear cubs. Fall is when the elk rut is in full swing and the aspen trees turn golden.
Like any other time of year, a shoulder season trip requires planning. You must be prepared for cold weather and, most importantly, road closures. In spring, most park roads are closed to cars until the third Friday in April, and high-altitude passes like Dunraven open even later. In fall, services start shutting down in mid-September, and most roads close for the season by the first Sunday in November.
Tips to Avoid Yellowstone Crowds
These practical tips for visiting Yellowstone help you to enjoy every hour inside the park, without the traffic and long lines.
1. Know Before You Go
Before you head out to Yellowstone Park, it’s best to consider these things:
- Book 3 to 6 months in advance: Accommodations, car rentals and any tours fill up months in advance. This is non-negotiable if you plan a trip in July or August.
- The NPS app is your lifeline: Cell service in the park is almost non-existent. Download the free National Park Service (NPS) app and save Yellowstone's maps for offline use, then check road closures before you lose signal.
- Check for reservation/timed-entry systems: To manage traffic, the park may use reservation or timed-entry systems for popular areas or specific entrances. Check the official NPS website for the latest rules before your trip, as these can change yearly.
2. Time Your Visit for Maximum Solitude
If you’re looking for a bit of solitude on your trip to Yellowstone National Park, consider:
- Avoiding the peak (July & August): These are the busiest months for a reason. July 2021 was the single busiest month ever recorded in the park.
- Targeting the shoulder seasons: Consider late May, and September after Labor Day, for the best balance of milder weather and fewer crowds.
- Embracing the winter: Less than 5 percent of visitors go to the park in winter, offering unparalleled solitude. Most of the park is closed to automobile traffic then, making the season of snow and steam the quietest experience possible.
3. Harness Local Knowledge
For good insights you might not find online, lean on local knowledge. Start by stopping at a visitor center and talking to a park ranger. Ask about current conditions, any road closures and their personal pick for a less-crowded hike. They always have the most up-to-date information.
You can also get great advice from the gateway towns. Talk to servers and baristas in Gardiner, West Yellowstone or Cody. Ask them where they go on their day off. They might point you toward a place like the Bechler-Falls River basin in the park’s southwest corner, an area full of waterfalls and rivers and perfect for hiking far from the main loop.
4. Stay Where You Play
The park’s main roads and attractions get packed between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. as day-trippers flood in, filling the parking lots and creating long lines. The road from the West Entrance to Old Faithful is a well-known bottleneck, especially at midday.
Lodging inside the park is the easiest way to get around this problem. It lets you get to the popular areas before they get busy or after the day-trippers have left. You can go to a place like West Thumb Geyser Basin before sunrise and be the first to have the spot to yourself. Two recommended options are the Yellowstone Park Hotel and the Explorer Cabins at Yellowstone.
5. Embrace Dawn and Dusk
The easiest way to beat the 9-to-3 rush is to explore the park at dawn and dusk. At these times, the tour buses and day-trippers are gone, and it’s also when wildlife is most active.
You could, for example:
- Visit iconic thermal spots like Old Faithful and the Grand Prismatic Spring at sunrise. The boardwalks will be nearly empty, and the cold morning air makes the steam look even more dramatic.
- Explore major sites like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone during golden hour. By then, the tour buses have cleared out, leaving the views for you.
6. Avoid Main Arteries During Peak Times
The road from the West Entrance to the Old Faithful corridor is the park’s main artery. During that 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. peak, this two-lane road can feel like a parking lot because most day-trippers head there first, creating the park's well-known traffic jams.
To dodge the crowds, avoid that area in the middle of the day. Instead, plan to be in the less-crowded parts of the park during that window. Head over to the Yellowstone Lake area to kayak or picnic, especially the quieter east side. Or, explore the northern loop, which often has less traffic than the Geyser Basins.
7. Become a “Geyser Gazer”
Everyone crowds around Old Faithful because it’s predictable. You can often see even more spectacular eruptions, with almost no one around, by learning to “geyser gaze.”
- Go beyond Old Faithful: Other amazing geysers like Great Fountain, Riverside and Grand erupt less often, but they still have predictable windows of time and fewer crowds.
- Use a geyser app: Download a crowd-sourced app like GeyserTimes. It tracks recent eruptions to give you the best guess on when those other geysers might go, saving you from waiting for hours.
- Talk to the community: You will often see a small group of people with radios and chairs waiting patiently. These “Geyser Gazers” are a friendly community that loves to share their insights with other people. Politely ask them what they are watching, as they share eruption info and are the best source of real-time news.
8. Hike to Escape the Crowds
The easiest way to leave the crowds behind is to get out of your car and walk. You often only need to go a few hundred yards down a trail to find real quiet.
A perfect example is at the Grand Prismatic Spring. The boardwalk at the spring’s edge gets overcrowded. Instead, go to the Fairy Falls trailhead and take the short 1.2-mile round-trip hike up to the Grand Prismatic Overlook. You get an iconic aerial view of the spring and leave the boardwalk crowds far below.
For even more solitude, you can take the relatively flat 5-mile round-trip hike to Lone Star Geyser and watch it erupt without a crowd. Or, for a true backcountry day, plan the longer trek to Shoshone Geyser Basin, the park’s largest remote thermal area.
9. Find Solitude Near Water
You do not always need a long hike to find a quiet spot. You can find solitude and beauty at Yellowstone Lake, which has a 141-mile shoreline. A quiet stretch is on the lake’s east side, along the East Entrance Road, near Sedge Bay or Steamboat Point. It is a classic pull-off for a picnic, to watch for waterfowl or just to enjoy the huge, empty view, far from the West Thumb crowds.
The same idea works for the park’s many rivers. Find a pullout along the Madison River (near the West Entrance) or the Yellowstone River (between Canyon and Lake) and walk a short way along the bank. A good local tip is to bring a camp chair. People do this all the time to watch the fly-fishers and wait for the elk to come down in the evening.
10. Un-Pack Your Itinerary
It’s tempting to plan every minute of a Yellowstone trip, but an overpacked schedule is often the first thing to fall apart. A “bison jam” can stop traffic for an hour, wrecking your plans. You might also hear that Riverside Geyser is due to erupt in 30 minutes, an opportunity you’ll have to miss if you are rushing to your next stop. A too-tight schedule can make you feel stressed by these moments instead of enjoying them.
The best parts of the park do not run on a clock. Geysers and wildlife do not appear on cue. The real tip is to leave open space in your day for spontaneity. You have to build in time to simply sit, wait and watch.
11. Explore the Greater Yellowstone Area
Sometimes the best way to beat the park crowds is to leave the park entirely for a day or two. The “Greater Yellowstone Area” includes surrounding national forests and state parks that have similar scenery with almost no people. A perfect example is Cody, Wyoming. The drive from the park’s East Entrance to Cody, along the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway, is considered one of the most beautiful routes in the country.
Instead of fighting for a parking spot, you can spend a day exploring history at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West or the historic Old Trail Town. At night, the Cody Nite Rodeo runs all summer long and is a perfect way to wow your kids at a National Park experience. For a quiet hike, head to local routes like the Shoshone River Trails.
FAQ
Here are a few quick answers to other common questions about planning your trip.
When is the “sweet spot” for good weather and fewer crowds in Yellowstone?
The best balance of good weather and fewer crowds is typically in late May or September, after Labor Day. The least crowded time to visit Yellowstone is typically between October and April, though weather conditions can be extreme, and most park roads are closed to cars.
Do I need a reservation to enter Yellowstone?
As of this writing, you do not need a park-wide reservation just to enter Yellowstone. However, all lodging and campgrounds inside the park require reservations, and you should check the official NPS website for any new timed-entry pilot programs.
What are the best hours of the day to visit popular spots like Old Faithful?
The best hours are early in the morning (before 9 a.m.) and late in the afternoon (after 3 p.m.). You'll find quieter boardwalks are quieter, better light and fewer tour buses and day-trippers.
Plan Your Yellowstone Adventure With AAA
These tips show that beating the Yellowstone crowds is all about smart planning, not just luck. Once you’ve used these strategies to master this park, you’ll be ready to tackle the rest of the national parks checklist.
AAA Travel agents can book your hotels, sort out car rentals and build your full itinerary. A AAA membership connects you to those experts as part of the package and gives you peace of mind with roadside assistance for the drive