While snow squalls could lead to temporary road closures in Yellowstone National Park any day at this time of year, most interior roads in the park will close to wheeled-traffic for the winter on November 8, according to park officials.

Already there are few services available in the park, and temporary road closures are occurring almost daily as winter storms move through the area, they say.

The road from the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, through Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction, the Lamar Valley, and on to Cooke City is open to wheeled-vehicle travel all year. However, roads into the interior of the park and all other locations close to automobile traffic at 8:00 a.m., Monday morning, November 8. After that date, there will be no auto travel to places like Old Faithful, Canyon, and Fishing Bridge until the deep winter snowpack is cleared from the roads in the spring, Yellowstone officials said in a release.

The road over Dunraven Pass between Tower Fall and Canyon has already closed for the
season.

Visitors planning to take a fall or winter automobile trip into the park need to have flexible travel plans and be prepared for changing winter weather conditions, which can temporarily close some park roads at any time. Snow tires or tire chains may be required. Recorded information on road conditions is available 24 hours a day by calling 307-344-2117.

The seasonal road closure beginning November 8 allows the park to make preparations to reopen for snowmobile and snowcoach travel, which begins December 15.

Limited, managed snowmobile and snowcoach travel over groomed, snow-packed park roads will be permitted again this season under a temporary plan that allows up to 318 commercially guided, Best Available Technology snowmobiles, and up to 78 commercially-guided snowcoaches per day in Yellowstone.

The National Park Service is working on a new long-term winter use plan for the park. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be released for public review and comment in the spring of 2011.