The West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park was efficient every time we went through. We never…read moreencountered a longer WEEKDAY-delay at the entrance than 15min, on different weekdays approximately 6:30am, 8am, 8:30am, 10:30am, and 11am. (Jul 2026). On the other hand, even when we entered at 6:30am, traffic built up by the time we got to popular locations to the south between the entrance and Old Faithful. Not terribly bad, but enough that we would have started earlier if we could have. Studying traffic apps, it looked like traffic was better entering before 5:30am or maybe even 6am. We never saw bad backups (besides wildlife sightings) going north, or going all the way west between the north and south loops. We never started early enough to see sunrise inside the park. At the entrance, the far right lane was for pre-paid passes. With three other lanes open, the prepaid lane wasnt even twice as fast as the others. It was around two-cars faster when the other lanes were 6 or 8 cars. Pretty efficient. And they give you a useful park map, though you can buy more detailed maps and guidebooks at the park's visitors centers and around town. We used the free ones :-) We felt that the NPS app had info that's easier to access than their website. And believe it when they say cell service is limited to the major sights and visitor centers. Even GPS was spotty. So, after our first couple hours in the park, we made a point to download maps and info before the next leg of the trip, and on the second time in, we downloaded the night before.

If you end up trying to save money by staying in Idaho when visiting Yellowstone rather than…read morestaying in Wyoming, this is likely the main entrance you'll use to exit and re-enter the park during the days you visit. This community that the entrance is next to is also called West Yellowstone, and there's a lot of cute stuff there including a national park visitor center, gas stations, souvenirs and gift shops, and of course lots of restaurants and dessert shops. As for the entrance itself: if you come in during the most congested hours (usually 8-10am or so), despite the fact that there are usually 5-7 lanes open, the traffic will back up all the way down the road from the entrance to the main road of west Yellowstone. People do a decent job of spreading out to try to get in as quickly as possible, but you will have to wait at least a bit. It looks a lot worse than it is; I went in around 8:30 am or so and the number of cars was absolutely ABSURD, but the wait for me to eventually get to a ranger was only about 20-25 minutes. After you get through the entrance, there is a short length of two lanes, and then that becomes one lane. So long as there isn't an animal crossing, the lane does move just fine (at speed limit which is 35-45 mph). Overall - don't be too dismayed by the crazy line to get into the park at this entrance, it does move fast and the advantage of a nice visitor center and tons of food, gas and other resources like minutes from that entrance makes it a great spot to look for lodging or a break in between a visit to Yellowstone.

The two male employees were very friendly and helpful. They greeted us when we walked in and asked…read moreif they could find items for us. I ended up buying three pairs of outdoor pants, a down vest and jacket that were all on sale plus a pair of pants that were regular price. They had a good inventory of clothes in my size. The only negative was the dark, small changing room. I wish it had better lighting and more room so I could really see how the clothes looked.

If you're looking for a Fly Fishing trip in the Yellowstone area I highly recommend Madison River…read moreOutfitters! Competitively priced and our guide Jake was WONDERFUL! Enthusiastic, helpful and we caught lots of fish!! Highlight of our vacation! (July 2022)

We recently took a guided kayak tour down the Madison River and into Hebgen Lake. Debbie was our…read moreguide and she made our first experience fun. She was very knowledgeable and personable. Lava Creek was very helpful and flexible with our vacation schedule. If we make it back to West Yellowstone we will definitely be contacting Lava Creek again.

Lava Creek is the place to go if you need to rent kayaks for Yellowstone National Park. They got…read moreus outfitted with boats and all the gear we needed -- paddles, PFDs, dry bags, bilge pump -- to have a fantastic paddling trip in Yellowstone's Lewis and Shoshone lakes. The owners were extremely friendly and knowledgeable, and they are located right outside the park in West Yellowstone (there are no kayak/canoe rental agencies inside the park).

Spent the day with Michael on the Madison River. He was incredibly patient with me, a novice and my…read morehusband who had a little experience. Caught some amazing fish and can't wait to come back. Michael has a great balance of knowledge and patience and I highly recommend a day on the river with him.

I was referred to Big Sky Anglers by the Worldmark West Yellowstone Resort to get information about…read morelocal fishing spots and get a fishing license. Though they only sold fishing licenses for in the park, they were so helpful showing me on the map of local, out of the park, rivers and lakes, I could try. Also they were so helpful to tell me where I could get a Montana fishing licenses and bait to use. They informed me of a lot of rules I needed to know too. They were busy and I was impressed they took the time to help me out when they knew I wasn't going to buy anything there. I really appreciated their time and great customer service. Thank you. I wish I remembered the young man helping me. He was great!

New Coach Patrick, our guide, is phenomenal! He helped us…read morethrough everything from providing waders, a gourmet lunch, fly fishing rods, flies, teaching us the basics, and was very patient and kind! I think our family has caught the fly fishing fever! We caught a variety of beautiful trout ranging in size 12-17 inches. Best decision I made about our vacation was to go fly fishing with Blue Ribbon Flies. Everyone in the store is friendly and thank you Cam for the tip about moose!

This was our first time fly fishing, and we had an incredible time with Patrick as our guide. He…read morewas patient, gave great instruction and put us in the best spots on the Madison River. Very knowledgable. The highlight of the day was getting to catch a beautiful little Brown while my son netted the fish--Patrick coaching both of us and there to take the picture! A memory of a lifetime! The lunch was great, and Patrick made everything enjoyable. We couldn't have been more pleased.

Took the family out for a day trip, caught fish, had a good lunch, amazing views. Good times had by…read moreall! Montana is amazing. CGA Outfitters rocks.

From the owner: CGA Outfitters offers fly fishing beautiful Montana for all species of fish that Western Montana…read morehas to offer on rivers, lake, and reservoirs in rafts, drift boats and motor boats.

Just finished a fabulous 2-day tour of Yellowstone Park with Cara from IN-Our-Nature. Even though…read moreI had been to Yellowstone in the past, and thought I knew the sites fairly well, with Cara's in-depth knowledge of the park, its wildlife, the geology and natural history, all together made for a memorable trip. Of course we did get to see a lot of wildlife, and some that I would not have seen on my own, like the wolves and mountain goats, but I came away feeling like I not only had a great time , but learned a whole lot at the same time.

Had a great tour with Cara as our guide. She was knowledgeable about the wildlife and seemed to be…read moreable to see bears with her naked eyes that we were barely able to see with her spotting scopes. The tour started with hot coffee and we got a mid-morning snack as well as lunch. We saw so many animals and birds. It was really one of the best trips we'd been on!!

Great tour of the Grand Tetons. Kilmeny was helpful in getting us better situated for pickup and…read moreEddie went above and beyond to make a great tour. He was very knowledgeable and friendly. A great day!

Great float down the Snake River with Zack. Very family…read morefriendly with a few faster areas with light splashing. Beautiful views of the mountains with plenty of wild life. Highly recommend

These men run a great business. The front office is honest. The men (Thomas was my contact) are…read moreintelligent with problem-solving and SKILLED. They are worthy of your business.

From the owner: Stephens Marine is a boat dealer, located in Bozeman, Montana. We serve customers throughout the…read moreregion with a full line of high quality aluminum fishing boats for lake or river. At Stephens Marine you will find a variety of power fishing and river boats. You will love our fair prices and excellent service. We have a small town atmosphere and there is no pressure in our sales approach. We offer Custom Weld & Wooldridge Boats. Ask about custom orders. Call or stop in today! How to find us: From I-90 take the Belgrade Exit (Jackrabbit Lane) south. We are located approximately 1.5 miles south of the Interstate on the southeast corner of Jackrabbit Lane & East Cameron Bridge Road.