With Spring, National Park Access Begins Reopening

There’s a very specific moment in the Tetons each year when winter loosens its grip—but summer hasn’t stormed in yet. Roads are clearing, wildlife is moving, and for a brief window, the parks feel quiet, spacious, and just a little wild again.

That moment is now. And this year, with the light winter, spring conditions have arrived early. 

Spring doesn’t just reopen the parks—it sets them in motion. Migratory birds return in flashes of color and song, elk and pronghorn begin their slow push back toward higher ground, and moose wade into willows and cottonwoods, stripping the season’s first sticky buds from tender branches. Even the bears are stirring, emerging from their long winter sleep with cubs in tow and a singular focus on food. It’s a season of movement and appetite, where nearly every corner of the ecosystem feels awake and in transition.

Grand Teton National Park

In Grand Teton National Park, spring access is already underway—just not in the way summer visitors might expect. While the park itself never closes, what’s open (and how you experience it) shifts dramatically this time of year. Right now, one of the most coveted experiences is also one of the simplest: Teton Park Road has been plowed, but it remains closed to vehicle traffic. Instead, it’s open to cyclists, walkers, and runners, offering a rare chance to move through the park without a single car in sight. It’s quiet, a little surreal, and arguably one of the best ways to take in the Tetons—if you don’t mind earning it with your legs.

The road is also open for four-legged friends; just make sure that your companion is on a leash at all times. 

In Moose, the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center is now open for the season, offering a warm place to orient yourself, check conditions, and get a sense of what’s accessible. Beyond that, most services and visitor hubs are still waking up, with additional openings rolling out through May as snowpack and conditions allow. It’s a pared-back version of the park—but for many, that’s exactly the appeal.

Yellowstone National Park

Just up the road, Yellowstone National Park is about to follow suit.

On April 17, the park begins its phased spring reopening, with the North Entrance at Gardiner and the West Entrance at West Yellowstone opening to vehicle traffic. From there, visitors will be able to travel key corridors through the park, including routes that connect Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin, Madison Junction, and the Old Faithful area.

That means some of Yellowstone’s most iconic features come back online right away. The steaming terraces of Mammoth, the dynamic and often unpredictable activity of Norris Geyser Basin, and the reliably dramatic eruptions of Old Faithful will all be accessible by road. It’s not the full park experience just yet, but it’s a substantial—and incredibly scenic—slice of it.

In the days leading up to the opening, there’s another short-lived window that seasoned locals quietly take advantage of: select Yellowstone roads are open to biking before cars are allowed in. For a brief stretch, you can ride through geyser country with nothing but the sound of wind, distant thermal features, and maybe a bison or two for company. It’s the kind of experience that feels almost impossible once summer traffic arrives.

Additional entrances and roads will open in stages over the following weeks, including the East Entrance on May 1 and the South Entrance—connecting Yellowstone to Grand Teton—on May 8, depending on conditions.

For now, though, this is the sweet spot. Grand Teton is open enough to explore, Yellowstone is just days away from reopening its main corridors, and the crowds haven’t fully arrived. It’s a season of contrast—snowbanks and sunshine, quiet roads and rushing rivers—and a reminder that the parks don’t need to be fully open to be fully worth it.

In fact, this might be when they’re at their best.