Winter Use Management

a group of snowmobiles and a large yellow snowcoach passing a group of bison a snowy road
Snowmobiles and a snowcoach passing a group of bison on a park road.

The National Park Service (NPS) mission is a dual mandate: preserve Yellowstone’s resources and make the park available and accessible for enjoyment and appreciation. The ways in which visitors access Yellowstone in winter can affect the park’s plants, animals, and wild character in ways more profound—and potentially more damaging–than at other times of the year. To meet its mission, the NPS has worked carefully to develop a long-term plan for winter use in Yellowstone that both protects the park’s resources and provides outstanding opportunities “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.”

NPS Regulation 36 CFR 2.18 prohibits snowmobile use in national parks when there is no specific rule authorizing their use. This is known as the “closed unless open rule”— without a specific rule, oversnow vehicles would be prohibited from entering Yellowstone.

 
 

Our Goals

For years, the NPS managed the park in winter with interim management plans in the face of repeated courtroom challenges over snowmobiles and other winter operations. The final rule, published in October 2013, concluded more than 15 years of planning efforts and litigation, addressed concerns raised by the public (overcrowding, impacts on natural resources, noise and air pollution, availability of facilities/services, snowmobile restrictions, importance of winter visitation to the economy, wildlife using groomed roads, displacement of wildlife, and health and human safety), and established long-term management of winter use in Yellowstone.

We work to provide a high-quality, safe, and educational winter experience.

We work to provide for visitor and employee health and safety.

We will protect wilderness character and values.

We will preserve pristine air quality.

We will preserve natural soundscapes.

We will mitigate impacts to wildlife.

We will coordinate with partners and gateway communities.

 
three photos side-by-side showing oversnow travel on park roads
From left to right: (1) Xanterra Bombardier snowcoaches at Swan Lake Flat; (2) A commercially guided snowmobile group passing bison near Lower Geyser Basin; (3) A snowcoach and group of bison along the Madison River.

Winter Use Management in Yellowstone

NPS Regulation 36 CFR 2.18 prohibits snowmobile use in national parks when there is no specific rule authorizing their use. This is known as the “closed unless open rule” — without a specific rule, oversnow vehicles would be prohibited from entering Yellowstone. The final Rule authorizing OSV use in Yellowstone was published in the Federal Register on Oct. 23, 2013, and was based upon the environmental analyses contained within the 2012-2013 Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and Record of Decision. The final Rule provides mechanisms to make the park cleaner and quieter than previously authorized; provides greater flexibility for OSV commercial tour operators; rewards new oversnow technologies; and allows for increases in public visitation.

The specific parameters established by the final Rule for winter use in Yellowstone are:

  • Up to 110 daily transportation events.
  • 46 reserved for commercially guided snowmobiles.
  • 4 reserved for non-commercially guided snowmobiles.
  • No less than 60 events reserved for snowcoaches.
  • New "best available technology" (New BAT) is required for snowmobiles by December 2015. Under New BAT, snowmobile transportation events can be up to 10 snowmobiles in a group, with group size averaging seven each winter.
  • BAT is required for all snowcoaches by December 2016, sooner for newer models.
  • Voluntary "Enhanced BAT" (E-BAT) certification will allow commercial tour operators to increase the average numbers of snowmobiles in their groups from seven to eight and snowcoaches from one to one-and-a-half across the season.
  • One non-commercially guided group of up to five snowmobiles is permitted to enter through each of the four park entrances every day.
  • OSV's may continue to use Sylvan Pass; however, the pass may be closed at any time due to avalanche danger or mitigation efforts.
  • Park managers are collaborating with the public by implementing an Adaptive Management Program, which will combine science with public input, to ensure that OSV use impacts stay within limits predicted in the final Plan/SEIS.
 
a large yellow snow bus on a snowy road near bison
A snowcoach near the Madison River and bison.

Adaptive Management Program

The final Rule in 2013 authorized an adaptive management program to inform and improve winter use management. Adaptive management is a three-step process: management, monitoring, and evaluation, which improve resource protection by blending science and public engagement. It enables natural resource managers to acknowledge uncertainties in the management of natural systems and respond to changing conditions while working with the public and interested stakeholders. Collaborative adaptive management, the approach Yellowstone is taking, emphasizes joint learning and an active partnership between managers, scientists, and other stakeholders, including the public.

The objectives of the program are to:

  • Evaluate the impacts of OSV use and help managers implement actions that keep impacts within the range predicted under the final Plan/SEIS.
  • Gather additional data to compare impacts from a group of snowmobiles versus a snowcoach.
  • Reduce impacts on park resources after implementation of the final Rule by gathering additional data on the overall social and ecological impacts of winter use.

To meet these objectives, the NPS collaborated with the public and other partners to develop a long-term, sustainable adaptive management plan for winter use in Yellowstone National Park. This plan outlined a process for public engagement and for prioritizing indicators to address scientific uncertainty and monitor resources of interest. NPS staff released the final adaptive management plan for winter use to the public in December 2016. Public input was included through participation in the Adaptive Management Team and the Adaptive Management Working Group. Meetings were also held throughout the region and were available remotely via webinar.

Adaptive Management Team

The winter use Adaptive Management Team is the broader public engagement body that encompasses all working groups and will provide feedback on the overall implementation of the Adaptive Management Program, including Adaptive Management Plan drafts. The Team focuses on the Adaptive Management Program in its entirety, and meets regularly to coordinate across impact topics, and to provide feedback to the NPS on Adaptive Management Program operations. The team also discusses the results of monitoring, how those results are related to the impacts that were described in the final Plan/SEIS, and, if warranted, discuss potential, adaptive changes that may be considered by the NPS. The team is composed of the Adaptive Management Program Coordinator, all working group leads, working group participants and other interested parties.

Adaptive Management Program Working Groups

The NPS is asking for feedback from working groups, made up of interested stakeholders and citizens, to develop a long-term and sustainable winter use Adaptive Management Plan (AMP), which will guide the park's future data collection on the impacts of winter use. Working groups are sub-groups of the larger adaptive management team, which meets to discuss ideas across topics and provide feedback on the overall AMP process.

The working groups focus on five impact topics: wildlife (suspended in winter 2021-2022), air quality and soundscape, human dimensions, operations and technology, and the non-commercially guided snowmobile access program. Each working group develops a monitoring strategy for its impact topic in coordination with an NPS subject-matter expert. Specifically, working groups are tasked with providing feedback on what resource or impact questions should be monitored to address key scientific uncertainties about their impact topic, and on how to design a fiscally sustainable, efficient, and feasible monitoring strategy to achieve key monitoring objectives going forward. Park managers then use the results of winter use monitoring and stakeholder input to make decisions that best protect park resources and the visitor experience.

 

 
two people riding snowmobiles on a snowy road
Two non-commercially guided snowmobilers on a snowy park road.

Questions & Answers

 

 

More Information

 
Bombardiers make their way through the rocky formation called the Hoodoos on the way to Mammoth.
History of the Debate

Winter use planning is one of the most contentious issues for park managers and visitors with the debate spanning more than 80 years.

two park rangers inspecting the wing of a small bird
Science Publications & Reports

View science publications and reports created by Yellowstone's Center for Resources on a variety of park topics.

A snow-covered evergreen tree sits in the foreground of visitors on a wooden boardwalk amongst steam
Explore in Winter

Ready to brave the cold? Check out this information for planning a winter visit.

Snowmobiles and a snowcoach ride by a small group of bison
Ride a Snowmobile or Snowcoach

Take a guided tour of wintry Yellowstone.

Snowmobile rider taking photo
Snowmobile Access Program

Learn about our non-commercially guided snowmobile program.

A fox jumps in the air with its nose pointed down towards the ground, which is blanketed in snow.
Winter Ecology

Winter in Yellowstone is a place of magic and vulnerability. Learn how wildlife endures the extremes of cold and the absence of food.

two park rangers walking with bison seen in the background
Management

Learn about the current natural and cultural resource issues that Yellowstone is managing for this and future generations.

 

Winter Use Management News

 
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    Last updated: March 7, 2024

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    Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190-0168

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