Canyon Visitor Education Center

 

The Canyon Visitor Education Center is an excellent source of park information.

NPS/Diane Renkin

 

Enter the Canyon Visitor Education Center and the world of Yellowstone's supervolcano—an idea that has captured the minds and imaginations of people around the world. See, hear, and learn how the Yellowstone volcano, its geysers and hot springs, and geologic history shape the distribution and abundance of all life found here. Explore these ideas through interactive exhibits, animations, audio-visual productions, and real-time scientific data.

 

Canyon Visitor Education Center

Stop by the Canyon Visitor Education Center to learn more about the geologic story of the area, including the Yellowstone volcano, and view a room-size relief map of Yellowstone. You can also get orientation information, pick up a fishing permit (fees are payable by debit or credit card), shop for a souvenir, find out what ranger programs are available, watch a 20-minute film, or use the restrooms. Restrooms are available 24 hours a day.

Addresses

Physical Address

Grand Loop Road
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190

Mailing Address

P.O. Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190

Directions

The Canyon Visitor Education Center is located in the Canyon Village complex near the center of the Grand Loop Road system. It can be accessed from three different directions.

Hours & Seasons

Current Hours (April Hours)

April 18–April 30

• Every Day:9:00 AM–4:30 PM

Show Standard Hours

Standard Hours

• Every Day:8:00 AM–6:00 PM

Canyon Visitor Education Center is located north of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. Park information can be found on bulletin boards posted at the visitor center, as well as by using the NPS Yellowstone app.

Closures & Seasonal Exceptions

Spring Closure

March 10–April 17

• Every Day:Closed

April Hours

April 18–April 30

• Every Day:9:00 AM–4:30 PM

May Hours

May 1–May 25

• Every Day:9:00 AM–5:00 PM

October Hours

October 1–October 31

• Every Day:9:00 AM–5:00 PM

Winter Closure

November 1–December 14

• Every Day:Closed

Winter Warming Hut

December 15–March 9

• Every Day:9:00 AM–3:00 PM

Holidays

2025–2026

New Year's Day	January 1, 2026	9:00 AM–3:00 PM
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.	January 19, 2026	9:00 AM–3:00 PM
Washington's Birthday	February 16, 2026	9:00 AM–3:00 PM
Columbus Day	October 13, 2025	9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Veterans Day	November 11, 2025	Closed
Thanksgiving Day	November 27, 2025	Closed
Christmas Day	December 25, 2025	9:00 AM–3:00 PM
Holiday	Date	Hours

Amenities

• Assistive Listening Systems
• Assistive Listening Systems - T-Coil Compatible
• Audio Description
• Automated Entrance
• Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
• Baby Changing Station
• Bear Spray Purchase/Rental
• Captioned Media
• Elevator
• First Aid Kit Available
• Fishing Licenses Issued
• Gifts/Souvenirs/Books
• Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
• Information
• Information - Maps Available
• Information - Park Newspaper Available
• Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present
• Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board
• Large Print
• Low-Vision Access
• Open Captioning
• Permits Issued
• Recycling
• Restroom
• Restroom - Accessible
• Sign Language Interpreter
• Tactile Exhibit
• Theater/Auditorium
• Toilet - Flush
• Trash/Litter Receptacles
• Water - Bottle-Filling Station
• Water - Drinking/Potable
• Wheelchair Accessible

Contact Information

Email Address

Send this visitor center an email

Phone Numbers

• Voice phone number
  [phone]

Image Gallery

The exterior of Canyon Visitor Education Center in summer.

A room-size relief map of Yellowstone National Park.

A snowcoach parked in front of a snow-covered visitor center.

Visit the Canyon Visitor Education Center to learn about geology of the Yellowstone volcano and get park orientation information.
NPS/Jacob W. Frank

The large relief map in Canyon Visitor Education Center gives visitors a way to comprehend the landforms of Yellowstone.
NPS/Jacob W. Frank

The lobby and restrooms of Canyon Visitor Education Center are open in the winter.
NPS/Diane Renkin

 

Exhibits and Films

• An orientation film and safety short to help prepare you for your Yellowstone experience.
• A film on the geology of the park, Yellowstone: Land to Life, reveals how powerful geologic forces from fire to ice have combined to create a unique landscape which supports an abundant variety of life.
• A room-size relief model of Yellowstone National Park that illuminates and narrates the park's volcanic eruptions, lava flows, glaciers, and earthquake faults on the first floor; from the second floor view, hear tribes associated with the park interpret the park's geology from their perspective.
• A 9,000-pound, rotating globe illustrates volcanic hotspots found around the world.
• Exhibits on how magma rises to the earth's surface by heat convection—one of the geologic forces that shapes Yellowstone.
• Real-time earthquake data that is currently being collected in the park.
• Murals and enlarged photographs showing the enormity of Yellowstone's glaciers and their lasting effect on the landscape.
• Detailed panoramas, dioramas, and cross-sections of life in a lodgepole forest and a grassland-habitats made possible by Yellowstone's fire and ice.

 

• 

  Yellowstone - Land to Life

  An NPS film portraying Yellowstone's extreme geologic forces as they create unique landscapes that support an abundance of life.

  Duration:

  20 minutes, 34 seconds

 

Additional Canyon Area Information

 

 

Canyon Area Knowledge