Everything You Need To Know About Spring Biking In Yellowstone Without Cars
Biking in Yellowstone National Park without cars was a bucket list activity for me. Over the years, I’ve mostly visited Yellowstone during its peak summer seasons when it is busy with tourists from all over the world.
I’ve also experienced Yellowstone during its quiet winter season when we took a snowcoach to Old Faithful Snow Lodge to cross-country ski the nearby trails. It was so peaceful and beautiful, and I loved having this amazing national park practically to ourselves.
When I found out that each spring Yellowstone opens a 49 mile stretch of road for just a few short weeks from the West Yellowstone entrance to Mammoth Hot Springs exclusively for bikers and walkers, I knew this was an amazing opportunity to experience Yellowstone in a truly unique and memorable way.
If you have the opportunity, you should definitely bike Yellowstone during this narrow window in the spring when it is closed to cars. What an extraordinary way to experience this special national park!
Here are all the questions I had prior to our spring bike ride in Yellowstone along with everything you need to know and tips learned along the way about biking Yellowstone without cars.
P.S. Also read our 5 Day Yellowstone With Kids Itinerary to learn how to best see this amazing park during peak season.
Heads Up: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission if you make a purchase through our links, at no additional cost to you. We don’t do sponsored posts, free trips, or accept items for reviews. We only link to things we like and use personally. Read more about our philosophy.
When Are The Roads In Yellowstone Closed To Cars?
The only road in Yellowstone that is open year-round to cars is from the North Entrance at Gardiner, MT, through the Lamar Valley, to Cooke City, MT.
In general, all other park roads are closed to cars during the winter season from early November to late-April.
During winter season, you can still visit Yellowstone with a commercially-guided snowmobile or snowcoach tour, which is another simply awesome winter trip in its own right!
When Can You Bike Yellowstone Without Cars?
The timing for biking Yellowstone without cars varies every spring depending on the winter snowfall, but it generally opens to bicyclists sometime between late March and the first two weeks of April and right before most of the roads open to cars for the season.
The park will open the roads to bicyclists after they’ve had an opportunity to snow plow the roads in preparation for most of the park roads opening in mid-April.
In 2026, roads will begin opening on April 17. See road conditions here.
Keep in mind that spring snowfall can limit conditions for biking, so it’s really up to mother nature during this time period whether the roads will be clear enough to bike.
Tip: Check out the webcam at the West Entrance to get an idea of how the road is looking.
See Yellowstone’s biking web page to see whether it is open to cyclists.
Also, if you’ve missed this spring’s car free biking opportunity, I really like biking the easy and scenic Shortline Trail in West Yellowstone.
What Is The Road Like Between Yellowstone’s West Entrance and Mammoth Hot Springs?
There is so much incredible scenic beauty packed into this bike ride whether you bike just a few miles or its entirety.
The 49 mile stretch of road between Yellowstone’s West Entrance and Mammoth Hot Springs takes you along the Madison River, past open valleys where bison roam, by thermal features like Terrace Spring and Norris Basin, and beautiful waterfalls.
From the West Entrance, the road begins with a relatively flat grade and follows the Madison River. It’s a very scenic section of the ride.
The West Entrance road continues to steadily gain elevation as it nears Madison Junction at roughly mile 14.
From Madison Junction, you’ll turn left on the Grand Loop Road and continue climbing to Gibbon Falls.
From Gibbon Falls to Norris Geyser Basin, the road continues to climb over this 10 mile stretch with an overall elevation gain of 700 ft.
From Norris Basin to Mammoth Hot Springs, the road drops 1040 ft over 19.5 miles.
Note: Unfortunately, you can’t bike from Madison Junction to Old Faithful. The road is closed to bicyclists for “bear management.” Enough said, we went the other way!
If you are looking for an overnight before or after your ride, you can stay in Gardiner, MT (see lodging) just north of Mammoth Hot Springs or in the town of West Yellowstone (see lodging.) which is next to the West Entrance.
If you are an avid biker, the ride is very doable. If you are a recreational biker like me who bikes occasionally, I recommend renting an e-bike or just biking a shorter section of the road (see route options below.)
Wildlife
One of the best reasons to bike Yellowstone is to see wildlife. Be safe and respectful of your viewing distance and bring bear spray. We saw lots of bison, no bears (I’m ok with that), and a pair of sandhill cranes.
On our trip, we experienced 3 “bison jams” where the bison blocked the road. We waited at one “jam” for about 20 minutes for them to amble to one side so we could pass. It’s a bit terrifying to ride past them even at a fair distance.
Where Can I Rent A Bike?
I was really glad to have a pedal-assist e-bike, because although it required me to pedal, it didn’t wear me out. It would have been a tough go of it facing the headwind on our return to West Yellowstone after having biked several miles already.
If you don’t have a bike or want to rent an e-bike (which I did), you have a couple of options.
If you are in Bozeman, you can rent a bike ($50-$80 for 24 hours) at Owenhouse Cycling.
Owenhouse has townie bikes, gravel bikes, and mountain bikes. I rented a townie pedal assist e-bike, and it was very comfortable and really made the bike ride easy enough to do.
My husband, who is a strong biker and bikes frequently, rented a gravel bike and I was able to keep up with him on the e-bike no problem. He felt it was a very doable ride without an e-bike, so it really depends on your fitness level and how often you bike.
In West Yellowstone, you can rent bikes (no e-bikes) from Freeheel & Wheel which is conveniently located right across the street from the Visitor Center where most start their ride into the park. They offer kids and adults bikes as well as pull-along kid trailers.
If you want to rent an e-bike in West Yellowstone, Yellowstone Adventures will set you up for $125 for 24 hours. It’s just 0.4 miles from the Visitor Center.
Reserve bikes in advance if you can. They sell out!
Where Do I Park To Bike Yellowstone?
There are about a dozen spots on West Entrance Road on the right just outside of Yellowstone’s West Entrance.
Most bicyclists park at the West Yellowstone Visitor Center and bike the 1/2 mile to the West Entrance to the park.
The Visitor Center is open year-round as are their restrooms, so it’s a good stop before you begin your ride. It’s also a good opportunity to check-in with the ranger to see if there are any particular hazards, changing weather conditions, or anything else to note.
Good Turnaround Points On Your Yellowstone Bike Ride
You have several ride options depending on where you start (West Yellowstone or Mammoth Hot Springs) and how far you want to go. It would be worth it just to bike for a short stretch and return when you’re ready (remember that head wind though!)
It seems like most cyclists start at West Yellowstone rather than starting at Mammoth and ride a partial section of the road.
From West Yellowstone, it starts off relatively flat and you’ll get to experience riding along the beautiful Madison River.
My family always enjoys a destination bike ride, so I scouted several possible turnaround points.
The distances shown below are measured from the starting point at the West Yellowstone Visitor Center and are listed from the shortest distance to the longest:
- Turnaround Point 1- Madison River Boardwalk at Two Ribbons Trail (about 3.2 miles; relatively flat)
- Turnaround Point 2- Madison Junction/Madison Campground (14 miles; 150 ft climb)
- Turnaround Point 3- Terrace Spring (15 miles; 200 ft climb)
- Turnaround Point 4- Gibbon Falls (19 miles; 300 ft climb)
If you are starting your ride at West Yellowstone, one thing to keep in mind is that there is almost always a head wind when returning east back to West Yellowstone.
Option 1- Bike To The Madison River Boardwalk At Two Ribbons Trail
(3.2 miles from Yellowstone West Entrance; relatively flat)
This route from the West Yellowstone Entrance to Two Ribbons Trail is the easiest and the flattest portion of road but still packs a punch in its scenic beauty.
This would be a good route for a family bike ride or if you’re pulling a kid trailer.
After riding about 3 miles, you’ll turn left to reach the Two Ribbons Trail which leads you on a boardwalk to the banks of the Madison River. (I don’t remember seeing a sign for it but it’s a notable turnoff).
Walk along the boardwalk and soak in the views. This area would be a really pleasant place to picnic.
Option 2- Bike To Madison Campground/Madison Junction
(14 miles from Yellowstone West Entrance; 150 ft climb)
If you’re feeling good and want more distance, bike to the end of the West Entrance Road where it intersects with Yellowstone’s Grand Loop Road.
There are no landmarks there per se, but you could bike through the nearby Madison Campground before returning.
Option 3- Bike To Terrace Spring
(15 miles from Yellowstone West Entrance; 200 ft climb)
After biking along the Madison River, you’ll climb very gradually to the Madison Junction where you’ll turn left on the Grand Loop Road.
If you turn right at the junction, it leads to Old Faithful. Unfortunately this section of the road is not open to biking as “bear management” is taking place in that area. Enough said, we went left!
Fortunately, just 0.6 miles past Madison Junction, you’ll reach one of Yellowstone’s many thermal features, Terrace Spring. It’s a quiet thermal area (no gushing geysers here), but it’s still fun to see the steam rising from the water colored with orange and blue pools.
There is a boardwalk accessible past the bridge for more views of the spring, but you can view it just fine from the road.
Option 4- Bike To Gibbon Falls
(19 miles from Yellowstone West Entrance; 300 ft climb)
We chose to bike to Gibbon Falls and turn around there. It’s a very large and scenic waterfall, and a great place to get off your bike and take in the views.
You’ll feel the steady climb from Madison Junction to Gibbon Falls, so it feels good to stretch your legs here before returning back to West.
It took us about 2 hours to bike from the West Entrance to Gibbon Falls.
We had a perfect day for biking. 50 degrees and mostly sunny. Keep in mind that this may be a bit of a unicorn in terms of conditions encountered during a typical April.
We definitely encountered a head wind on the way back to the West Entrance, so we weren’t able to just coast back downhill. I was happy to have an e-bike for the return trip.
According to my Map My Fitness app, this is our total elevation for the out and back from West Yellowstone to Gibbon Falls. Our total mileage was 39.5 miles. Not a huge gain in elevation overall, but it definitely gets steeper once you pass Madison Junction.
Riverside Drive
On the way back to West Yellowstone, I highly recommend taking the short and scenic Riverside Drive which parallels the park road and then reconnects to it in 1.5 miles.
It hugs the Madison River and is incredibly scenic. It’s another good area to spot wildlife as evidenced by the bison scat on the road!
The turnoff to Riverside Drive is on the right about 5 miles east of the West Entrance. It is usually a one-way (east to west) short drive for cars on their way to exiting the park.
We actually encountered just a bit of snow in the shade here, so it may likely be snow covered during more typical Yellowstone Aprils. Might be worth a look though! Had the entire road to ourselves.
Riverside Drive takes you 1 mile along the Madison River’s edge 
On the 1 mile Riverside Dr on the way back to West Yellowstone
A Few More Things To Know About Biking Yellowstone With No Cars
Although the route is closed to cars, you will encounter the occasional car as you go along as contractors and workers are attending to maintenance and getting ready for the park opening.
On our ride, we saw 4 cars. So be aware, follow NPS biking rules as well as the usual rules of the road.
In the picture below, the oncoming car actually helped to guide the bison to the side of the road so we could pass. Good timing!
Keep in mind that if your bike breaks down or you have an accident, you’re mostly on your own. There are no services in the park during this time.
Know your biking ability, check the weather forecast, and bring plenty of water, food, clothing layers, a first aid kit, and a basic bike repair kit.
Cell phone service is spotty at best, so don’t rely on it. We have AT&T and did have coverage at various points along the way.
I also recommend wearing bike shorts (Amazon) for longer rides! I wore mine under my hiking pants and that worked well. Pearl Izumi (REI) is reputable quality brand.
Overall Impressions
Biking Yellowstone with no cars was an amazing opportunity to see this wonderful national park up close in its quiet, natural setting before the tourists arrive later in April.
I loved seeing the Madison River winding alongside us, the steam rising from Terrace Spring, the sound of crashing water at Gibbons Falls, and the bison roaming freely. It was simply awesome!
I enjoyed the e-bike (my first time on one) and it definitely made it an easy ride.
Yellowstone National Park is an amazing place and is certainly a bucket list family trip. Too busy to plan your trip to Yellowstone? Our Yellowstone With Kids Itinerary details 5 days in the park, complete with lodging, tips, and more. Happy Trails! – Amy
