Glacier and Yellowstone waive entrance fees during National Park Week
Published: April 13, 2010
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced all 392 national parks will have free admission during National Park Week, April 17-25.
"We are rolling out the red carpet and inviting everyone to visit a national park and help celebrate National Park Week" said Secretary Salazar. “Parks are fun and affordable destinations and great places to engage in healthy, outdoor activities, whether for a few hours or a few days.”
National Park Week, a program of the National Park Service, is an opportunity to engage families and communities in America’s outdoors, reconnecting them with nature and creating close-to-home opportunities for people to get outside, be active, and have fun.
"National parks preserve our heritage, promote recreational experiences, and provide places of quiet refuge," said National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis.
Glacier National Park
"There are great recreational opportunities in Glacier this spring,” says park superintendent Chas Cartwright. “Roads are being plowed and opened as fast as safely possible. Hiking and biking is possible on some roads beyond vehicle closures." Signs will indicate when caution should be exercised and when closures for hikers/bicyclists are in effect.
Other National Park Week highlights include the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and a number of events celebrating the 100th anniversary of Glacier National Park (http://www.glaciercentennial.org).
Visitors in Glacier should always be alert for snowplows and other heavy equipment on park roads as well as areas of ice, slush, avalanche zones and/or fallen rock. Current road conditions are available on the park’s road status website www.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm. Travelers may also call park headquarters at 406-888-7800 for current road and weather conditions.
Yellowstone National Park
At Yellowstone, bears have started to emerge from their dens. Seasonal Bear Management Area closures are designed to reduce encounters with bears in areas that have a high density of elk and bison carcasses and provide areas where bears can roam free from human disturbance.
They include Firehole Lake Drive, which will be closed through June 15; and the Blacktail area south of the road between Mammoth Hot Springs and Tower Junction, which will be closed through June 30. Prior to hiking, skiing, or snowshoeing in the park, check at park visitor centers or the park website at for dates and locations of bear closure areas.
While crews have begun clearing roads of snow and ice, it will be a month or more before the roads in the interior of Yellowstone National park are ready for visitors traveling in cars, trailers, RVs and buses. During this time, adventurous bicyclists will be allowed to ride between West Yellowstone, Madison, Norris, and Mammoth Hot Springs.
Cycling in Yellowstone National Park during this time of year is not for the faint of heart. The cleared section of the road may be narrow and covered with a layer of snow and ice, and pullouts may remain filled with snow. The road in the active construction zone between Norris and Madison through Gibbon Canyon is unpaved, rough, and may be very muddy.
Cyclists should also expect to encounter snowplows or other vehicles operated by park employees or construction workers traveling in conjunction with park operations.
Cyclists are asked to ride single file, encouraged to carry bear spray, and should be prepared to turn around and backtrack when encountering wildlife on the road. More information is available online at www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/springbike.htm.
Snow removal efforts may also allow for a brief period of bicycle-only access into the park sometime in May from the South Entrance to West Thumb, and from the East Entrance toward Sylvan Pass. There is no seasonal bicycle-only access to Old Faithful or Canyon.
The weather is unpredictable, and severe winter conditions can be encountered at any time. Cyclists are urged to call 307-344-2109 from 8 a.m.-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.
