Yellowstone National Park's winter landscape offers a magical experience for those willing to brave its cold temperatures. Most roads in the park are groomed for over-snow traffic via either snowcoaches or snowmobiles. The majority of visitors to the park travel these roads with commercially guided tours. However, the park has set aside four trips per day for groups that want to enter Yellowstone without commercial guides. This program, called the Non-Commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program (N-CGSAP), allows one group of up to five snowmobiles through each of the North, South, East and West entrances per day. Trips can be 1, 2 or 3 days in length.
Groups may apply for permits for up to three days/two nights and can leave and re-enter the park through any gate during that time. Group leaders must be 18 years old by the first day of their trip and all snowmobile operators must carry a valid driver's licenses. Costs include a $6 application fee and a $40 per day recreation fee upon trip confirmation.
Entrance fees will be collected at the time of your arrival or purchase in advance. The park honors valid America the Beautiful-the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes (also known as an interagency passes, e.g., Senior, 4th Grade, Military, etc.).
The lottery opens annually for applications in August. Open dates/entrances (due to cancellations or spaces that were not filled through the lottery) will be available on a first-come, first-served basis on Recreation.gov beginning October 1 and throughout the remainder of the season.
Permits may be available throughout the winter open season due to non-assignment or cancellation. Check back often.
Permit holders are responsible for renting or bringing their own approved Best Available Technology (BAT) snowmobiles. We recommend reviewing approved models or checking for availability with Authorized Snowmobile Rentals before finalizing your permit. Currently, there are no rental companies located at the South and North Entrances and renters will likely need to transport snowmobiles from a rental company to those entrances.
Permit & Season Information
This permit allows people to snowmobile in Yellowstone without the presence of a commercial guide. Up to four non-commercially guided groups are allowed to enter the park daily, one at each oversnow entrance.
The winter snowmobile season runs from December 15 through March 15.
Entrance open dates: 2024-2025 season
North: December 15 - March 2
East: December 15 – March 15
South: December 15 – March 15
West: December 15 – March 15
The following road segments close to oversnow travel prior to March 15:
Mammoth to Norris closes 9 PM on March 2.
Norris to Madison and Norris to Canyon closes 9 PM on March 4.
Canyon to Fishing Bridge closes 9 PM on March 9.
Important Dates
| Dates | Information |
|---|---|
| August 1, 2024 - August 31, 2024 | Lottery applications accepted. Lottery closes at 11:59 p.m. MT, August 31 |
| September 5, 2024 | Lottery results announced |
| September 30, 2024 | Deadline to accept awarded permit by 11:59 p.m. MT |
| October 1, 2024 | Remaining inventory available online at Recreation.gov at 8:00 a.m. MT |
| December 15, 2024 - March 15, 2025 | Permit required. Assigned through lottery and via cancellations or spaces that were not filled through the lottery on a first-come, first-served basis |
Lottery Information
Applications for the Non-Commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program Permit are accepted August 1 through 31, 2024. Only one application per-person will be accepted. Each application can have up to eight options of entrance, start date, and length of trip.
Successful applicants will be notified by September 5, 2024 and must accept their reservation no later than 11:59 p.m. MT, September 30, 2024.
When accepting your reservation be prepared to:
- Pay the $40 per-day recreation fee
- Provide group information (number of snowmobiles and names)
Group information may be changed at any time prior to receiving your permit.
If you decline, cancel or fail to accept a permit by the deadline, it will become available on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning October 1, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. MT.
Individuals may only obtain one permit through the lottery, but may obtain a second permit during the first-come, first-served period (a maximum two trips as a group leader during the season).
How Does the Quota Work for this Permit?
The quota for this permit is measured in groups entering per day. Up to four non-commercially guided snowmobile groups can enter each day, one group per oversnow entrance.
A two or three-day permit will use the quota for that specific entrance for all two or three days, respectively.
Groups must begin their trip and enter the park from the reserved entrance location.
Changing to another entrance is not permitted unless there is available quota.
Each group can have a maximum of five snowmobiles.
