Winter road closures in the national parks: what's posted for 2026

Every fall, many of the best-known scenic drives in the national parks close for the season. Some close on a fixed date every year. Others close when the first big storm arrives, which can mean any day in October or November. Here's what the National Park Service has posted as of Oct. 24, 2026, for parks where winter closures are most likely to change a trip. Things change quickly this time of year, so treat this as a starting point and check the park's own road page before you leave.

Closures on a set date

Yellowstone. Most park roads and the West, South and East entrances close to regular vehicle traffic on Nov. 1, so Saturday, Oct. 31 is the last day to drive most of the park this year. The park says the road over Dunraven Pass (Tower Fall to Canyon Junction) stays open through Oct. 31, weather permitting. Weather can still close it sooner: on Oct. 22 the park posted that Dunraven Pass and Sylvan Pass would close temporarily at 5 p.m. on Oct. 23 for winter weather, to be re-checked the next morning. All winter, the one road you can drive is the one between the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, and the Northeast Entrance at Cooke City/Silver Gate. It passes Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction and Lamar Valley and stays open year-round, weather permitting. Snowmobile and snowcoach season starts Dec. 15. For road updates, call (307) 344-2117 for a recording, or text "82190" to 888-777 for road alerts.

Great Smoky Mountains. The main roads stay open year-round, weather permitting: Newfound Gap Road (US 441), Little River Road and Cades Cove Loop Road. Several secondary roads close on dates posted for the 2026 season:

• Heintooga Ridge Road: open through Oct. 31.
• Parson Branch Road and Rich Mountain Road: open through Nov. 9.
• Kuwohi Road (formerly Clingmans Dome Road), Little Greenbrier Road and the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail: open through Nov. 29.
• Forge Creek Road: open through Dec. 31.
• Upper Tremont, Wear Cove and Cataloochee roads: year-round, but snow, ice or mud can close them.

Straight Fork Road and the one-way Heintooga Round Bottom Road are currently closed. The park lists Straight Fork's season as "TBD" because of damage from Hurricane Helene.

Mount Rainier. From Nov. 1 to May 1, every vehicle in the park has to carry tire chains, including four-wheel drives. The park says this applies whatever tires you have and whatever the weather. On Oct. 22 the park posted that its regular winter closures are in place on the Paradise Valley, Ricksecker Point, White River and Sunrise roads. State Routes 123 (Cayuse Pass) and 410 (Chinook Pass) through the park are expected to close in mid- to late November, depending on weather. The gate at Longmire can close at any time for safety, and the park posts its daily status in the alerts at the top of its website.

Closures that follow the weather

Glacier. The alpine stretch of Going-to-the-Sun Road usually closes around the third Monday of October, or earlier if winter weather arrives first. This year it's closed for the season at Avalanche Creek on the west side and Jackson Glacier Overlook on the east side. The road near the West Entrance stays open year-round. Glacier sends road updates by text: send GNPROADS to 333111.

Rocky Mountain. Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the U.S., closed at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, ahead of forecast snow. The closure points are Many Parks Curve on the east side and the Colorado River Trailhead on the west. The park's recorded road line is 970-586-1222. Old Fall River Road is closed to vehicles for the season, but since Oct. 17 it has been open for the winter to bicycles, walkers and leashed pets. Bear Lake Road is open year-round, but expect snow and ice on it.

Grand Canyon North Rim. The North Rim is open through Nov. 30, 2026, or until the first major snowstorm. Cape Royal Road and Point Imperial Road are closed from sunset Oct. 15 to sunrise Nov. 3 for road repairs. The park also says there are no services, fuel or water on the North Rim, and the campground has closed for the season.

Great Basin. Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive is closed to vehicles at Mather Overlook because of winter weather.

Denali. The park road is open to vehicles only as far as Mile 3, at Park Headquarters. You can keep going on foot.

Olympic. In the Quinault area, the temporary bridge between North Shore Road and South Shore Road came out on Oct. 22 for the winter. Use South Shore Road to reach Graves Creek.

How to use this list

When a park says "typically" or "weather permitting," it's telling you the date can move. A storm can close a road weeks before its usual date, and a dry fall can keep it open longer. Before any drive into a park this time of year, three checks will save you trouble:

• Open the park's own road status or conditions page on nps.gov. These pages are linked below.
• Look at the alerts banner at the top of the park's nps.gov homepage. Temporary closures usually show up there first.
• Check the forecast for the park itself at weather.gov. Mountain roads can be snowy when the nearest town is dry.

Our park pages pull in the latest NPS alerts and National Weather Service warnings for each park. For a full walkthrough, see our guide to checking whether a park is open before you drive.