Visiting Yellowstone National Park In April

If you visit Yellowstone National Park in April you can expect extremely changeable weather conditions, fewer crowds, lower hotel prices, key road closures and lots of wildlife. We’ve visited Yellowstone in April and we think it’s a great time of year for you to visit if you want to avoid overcrowding and save money, as long as you don’t mind taking risks with logistics and weather.

In this guide we walk you through the 10 most important things you should know about visiting Yellowstone in April based on our experiences.

Our Experience

We first visited Yellowstone for 4 days in October 2019, and then we went back for another 4 days in late April 2021. It’s one of our favorite US national parks because it’s just so unique and fun to explore. Where else can you see an abundance of vibrant hot springs, bubbling mud pots and billowing geysers?!

What we liked most about our April trip to Yellowstone was incredibly quiet geyser basins and photo spots, as well as being able to book last minute hotel rooms at cheap rates. But it was cold, we had snow and some of the roads were closed so we couldn’t reach certain areas. It’s a trade-off that only works if you’re happy to give up some attractions, comfort and convenience in order to have a far more relaxing time. Read more about us.

READ: Visiting Yellowstone in October

1. Crowds

The month of April is something of an anomaly at Yellowstone National Park. Let’s say that April, May, September and October are the classic shoulder months for visitation. And now let’s take a look at the pre-covid tourism numbers for those months in 2019, according to these Yellowstone statistics.

• April – 48,150
• May – 434,385
• September – 693,119
• October – 171,339

What’s the first thing you notice? Surely there’s a 1 missing from before the 48 in April? No, there isn’t, it really is that quiet at Yellowstone. And a bit of quick math tells us that 48,150 / 30 = 1,605 visitors per day. But there’s a lot more to this story, so don’t miss the explanation in our “roads” section later in the guide (#3).

What you need to know for now is that if you visit in April, you’re going to have some of the most famous features in Yellowstone all to yourself. And this lack of crowds is going to be your overwhelming positive about visiting the park before it begins to get busier in May.

Our experience: During our trip, we met someone at Steamboat Geyser and asked why they chose to visit in April. The person said “well, you two and myself are making up the only 3 people in the whole of Norris Geyser Basin right now.” And he was right. We had free run of almost the entire park.

How Does Fewer Visitors Benefit You?

• All attractions (including Old Faithful) will be free from overcrowding
• You won’t have any issues getting parked at attractions
• The roads won’t be backed up every time you try to get anywhere
• You’ll be able to book cheaper hotel rooms around the park
• Park run lodging will have availability
• Fewer people and vehicles result in easier wildlife spotting opportunities

Just take a look at these NPS statistics showing percentage of total visitors to the park each month from 2014-2018. April accounts for 1.10%, whereas July accounts for 23.57%. The difference is enormous, and you’ll benefit in so many ways.

And after the NPS announced in February 2024 that Yellowstone received 4,501,382 visitors in 2023 (the second highest on record), we think April will become a more popular time to visit the park to avoid the crowds.

2. Weather

Yellowstone’s weather in April is a mixed bag. It essentially transitions from freezing and snowy to very cold and rainy, but you’ll still get some really beautiful sunny days even if it’s cold. You’re likely to see snowfall if you visit earlier in the month, but there’s a good chance you’ll still have hard packed snow on the ground throughout April because it doesn’t get consistently warm enough to melt.

Our experience: We had some seriously cold mornings and a lot of snow on the ground. But the only time we had any weather-related issues was at Norris Geyser Basin when its wooden boardwalk was covered in slippery slush. Otherwise, despite being chilly in the mornings and evenings, we were happy enough to take the trade-off with temperatures so we could enjoy the park in solitude.

Yellowstone April Weather Statistics

Here are the most important things you should know about the weather:

April 1st:

• High – 42°F (6°C)
• Low – 19°F (-7°C)
• Snow – 6.6 in
• Rain – 0.7 in
• Daylight – 12h 48m

April 30th:

• High – 51°F (11°C)
• Low – 27°F (-3°C)
• Snow – 3.4 in
• Rain – 1.4 in
• Daylight – 14h 13m

Source: Weather Spark

As you can see, the average highs and lows increase significantly throughout April, but you’re still going to deal with cold temperatures. Remember that these numbers don’t reflect wind chill, so the “real fee” temperatures could be much lower still if the wind picks up when you’re in the park.

What should you do to prepare?

• Pack for winter and hope for spring
• You must bring winter boots, coats and base layers
• Carry survival gear in your car in case you get stuck in snow
• Have a backup plan in case roads in, out or around the park close unexpectedly
• Keep a close eye on Yellowstone’s live conditions when you’re in the park

3. Roads

Remember we said there’s a reason April has such low visitor numbers? Well, here’s why: Some of Yellowstone’s most important roads don’t open until the third Friday of April each year. The map above shows which park roads open on certain dates throughout spring in 2024. And the key roads for you to consider are the blue roads, because if you visit Yellowstone before the third Friday you won’t be able to visit Old Faithful, Norris or Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in Canyon.

Our experience: We knew about the roads opening after mid-April, so we planned to arrive near the end of the month and we highly recommend you do the same. In truth, most of the top attractions are accessible once the roads to Old Faithful, Norris and Canyon open. So we didn’t miss out on too many places, and again, we think it’s just part of the trade-off for fewer crowds.

What Changes?

We created the infographic below to show you exactly what it means for your visit:

As you can see, there’s so much more you can see if you arrive into Yellowstone after the roads open on the third Friday of April. It’s important to know that you’ll be severely limited if you arrive earlier.

Finally, once those roads open in mid-April, you can also enter Yellowstone via west entrance at the resort town of West Yellowstone. This means you can more easily access the park from Salt Lake City airport and you can book hotels in West Yellowstone.

READ: Airports near Yellowstone

4. Grand Teton

Are you planning to see Grand Teton when you go to Yellowstone? Together, we think they’re the best places to visit in Wyoming, but you’ll have two problems in April: The road between Yellowstone’s south entrance (at West Thumb) and Grand Teton is closed, and Teton Park Road which takes you to Jenny Lake is also closed. You could drive around from West Yellowstone to Jackson, but you’d only be able to see half of Grand Teton anyway. Check Grand Teton live road conditions here.

Our experience: We spent 2 amazing days in Grand Teton after visiting Yellowstone the first time in October 2019. It instantly became one of our favorite national parks because it’s incredibly photogenic and it’s so easy to visit. So we were definitely frustrated we couldn’t go again when we visited the area in April. The bottom line is, you should wait for May if you want to visit both parks in one trip.

READ: How to spend 2 days in Grand Teton

5. Hotels

You have 3 options for lodging when you visit Yellowstone:

• Stay at a national park lodge, cabin or hotel inside the park.
• Book a room in a non-national park hotel outside the park.
• Camp or park your RV in a campground inside or outside the park.

Almost all official Yellowstone national park lodging is closed through April (not opening until May), with the exception of Mammoth Hot Springs and Old Faithful Snow Lodge. But both open around the fourth Friday in April, so unless you’re visiting at the very end of the month, they won’t factor into your plans anyway. Here’s a full list of all Yellowstone lodges opening and closing dates.

Tent camping will be cold and even RV camping will be cold unless you have a good heating system in place. As a result, that means you’ll to fight with the other 50,000 tourists for hotel rooms in West Yellowstone and Gardiner. The good news is that there’s plenty of options available for you.

Our experience: We spent 2 nights in Gardiner and 2 nights in West Yellowstone when we visited in spring. Gardiner was much quieter but food options were limited, whereas West Yellowstone was much busier but there were also lots more restaurants. We’ve written about the top rated hotels in the four towns around Yellowstone on our site Best Hotels Anywhere.

Hotel Recommendations

West Yellowstone:

• Budget: Kelly Inn
• Luxury: Explorer Cabins

Gardiner:

• Mid-budget: Riverside Cottages
• Mid-budget: Gateway Inn

Exclusive: If you’re planning to camp, why not take advantage of our exclusive no-strings 30-day free trial with The Dyrt PRO to get reservations at sold out campgrounds or find dispersed camping spots around the park.

READ: Where to stay in Yellowstone

6. Wildlife

Yellowstone is one of the best places in the United States to see wildlife roaming in the wild. And April is a great time to spot animals because many are just waking up after hibernating through a harsh winter, and there’s also fewer cars and tourists so they don’t scare as easily. Plus, bear cubs, moose calves, elk calves and most famously bison calves will stretch their legs for the very first time in spring.

Our experience: In October we saw lots of bison, deer elk and coyotes. And during our April trip we saw a bear at Upper Mammoth Terrace (we think it was a black bear, not a grizzly), a lone wolf near Grand Prismatic Spring, an eagle on the Yellowstone River near South Rim Drive and lots more bison (including a huge bison jam between Mammoth and Norris).

Where To See Animals

Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley are the two famous places you’ll hear about for seeing animals in Yellowstone. And they’re great, but just know that you’ll see animals all over the park. You can visit Lamar Valley in April, but the road to Hayden Valley doesn’t open until early May.

Grizzly bears are commonly spotted around Yellowstone Lake in later spring, but it’s closed in April. Just remember to very careful if you see a bear defending a food source, such as the carcass of an animal that couldn’t survive the winter.

Wolves are commonly seen around both Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley in spring, but you could see one anywhere else in the park like we did near Grand Prismatic Spring.

If you see a group of people with telescopes or heavy duty binoculars, chances are they’re looking at something worth stopping for. But that doesn’t mean abandon your car in the road. You must be respectful and quietly approach.

7. Hiking

If you’re a keen hiker, you might want to look away now: April is not the month to visit Yellowstone for hitting the trails. Trust us, we know! Mount Washburn is the most popular hike in the park but the trailhead can’t be accessed until the end of May. Many other trailheads can’t be accessed and even those that can are likely to be covered in deep snow anyway. But you can walk around the wooden boardwalks in the geyser basins, so there’s plenty of places to stretch your legs.

Our experience: We’d say the most frustrating part of our trip was the closure of Fairy Falls Trail, which you have to hike for a mile to get to the classic elevated photo overlooking Grand Prismatic Spring. But we also didn’t fancy meeting a hungry grizzly bear face to face, so we adhered to the rules, they’re in place for a reason.

Why Are The Best Trails Closed?

Roads: Firstly, you can’t actually access some hikes like Avalanche Peak, Storm Point, Tower Fall or Mt Washburn because the roads leading to the trailheads are closed in April.

Snow: Many trailhead signs are sticking out from a foot or two of snow. You can clearly see when trails are inaccessible, even along North Rim Drive and South Rim Drive at Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone because it just doesn’t look safe.

Bears: Yes, Yellowstone’s grizzly bears are awake and they’re hungry. Certain hiking trails are closed where bear activity is high (like Fairy Falls Trail was closed for us because of bear activity). Plus, the snow is still an issue and there’s very few people around in case you have an incident.

8. Waterfalls

Waterfalls in the US are best seen in spring and early summer for full flowing, powerful falls. So when the snow begins to melt after a long winter season, Yellowstone’s waterfalls are a joy to behold. But the problem is whether or not you can actually see them due to trail closures at this time of year. We think May or June would be a better time to visit if waterfall photography is your top priority.

Our experience: We focused our attention on Lower Falls in Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone because it’s by far the star waterfall attraction in the park. Artist Point is our favorite view but we recommend driving both Rims for various perspectives. We’ll hike to the other major waterfalls when we next visit Yellowstone in May or June.

Best Falls To See

• Yellowstone Lower Falls
• Yellowstone Upper Falls
• Union Falls
• Fairy Falls
• Gibbon Falls
• Firehole Falls
• Mystic Falls
• Tower Falls
• Undine Falls

9. Geysers And Hot Springs

Yellowstone’s geysers and hot springs look more visually appealing in the summer months because there’s plenty of warm air surrounding the geothermal features, which means very little steam is created. So if you visit in April, you’ll have ground snow partly covering hot springs and lots of steam billowing, which isn’t ideal. You also won’t be able to visit West Thumb geyser basin at all because the roads don’t open until mid-May.

Our experience: When we were sat by ourselves on the bleachers waiting for Old Faithful to erupt, we commented that we were fine with the snow and steam! We were able to see most of the important geothermal features but only because we visited near the end of April, which you must also do if you want to see Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic and Norris.

Which Should You See?

• Upper Basin (Old Faithful)
• Midway Basin (Grand Prismatic)
• Lower Basin (Fountain Paint Pot)
• Biscuit Basin
• Black Sand Basin
• Artists Paintpots
• Norris Basin
• Mammoth Hot Springs

10. Photography

If photography is your top priority in Yellowstone and Grand Teton, you might want to reconsider which month you visit. We recommend holding off until mid-May at least otherwise you won’t be able to reach some the best photo spots in both parks, sunrises and sunsets are freezing cold, and you’ll end up with lots of whites from snow or blown out skies.

Our experience: We’re travel photographers, so we’re always out for sunrises and sunsets no matter the temperatures or conditions. But we struggled in Yellowstone. It was so cold, there was so much snow and we couldn’t get to places like Fairy Falls or even into Grand Teton at all. Our next trip will be in May or June to focus more on hiking and photography.

The Morgan Conclusion

Late April is a fantastic time to visit Yellowstone if your highest priority is to avoid crowds. You’d benefit from quiet roads and geothermal features, lots of wildlife spotting opportunities, and cheaper hotels in Gardiner and West Yellowstone.

But you’d have to contend with cold temperatures, major hiking trails being closed, some park roads being closed and not being able to drive directly to Grand Teton. If you’re happy to take on the risk, we can tell you from experience that Yellowstone is refreshingly quiet in late April.

More From Yellowstone + Grand Teton

• Best things to do in Yellowstone
• 4 days in Yellowstone itinerary
• Closest airports for Yellowstone
• Where to stay at Yellowstone
• Grand Teton 2 days itinerary
• Salt Lake City to Yellowstone road trip
• Mt Rushmore to Yellowstone road trip

More Seasonal Guides

• Acadia National Park in the fall
• Death Valley in December
• Grand Canyon in winter
• Lake Tahoe in November
• Las Vegas in November
• New York City in April
• New York City in winter
• Sedona in December
• Yellowstone in October
• Yosemite in October
• Zion National Park in winter

Want more Yellowstone information? Head over to our Yellowstone Travel Guide for everything you need about planning your first visit to the park.

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We hope this guide to visiting Yellowstone in April helps with planning your trip to Wyoming!

Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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