Yellowstone East to West in mid-May

[slamrox]

Does anybody know if you can successfully drive from the East entrance to the West entrance in early to mid May?

Or is it just worth going over Yellowstone and entering from the West at that time?

Or is the Tetons better at this time of year? This is part of an east to west road trip.

Also does anybody have a recommendation on where to stay cheap (camping is okay but a good motel would work too) to see the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Blackhills, Crazy Horse, etc. over 2-3 days?

Thanks!
Samantha.

[Mass Tim]

According to the Yellowstone National Park website, the planned opening of the East Entrance is on May 4, 2012 (the West Entrance will open on April 20.) It appears that you would have to go through the heart of the park to get to places such as Old Faithful, as opposed to the southern loop, since that connection would not be open until May 11th.

[jps]

According to the Yellowstone National Park website, the planned opening of the East Entrance is on May 4, 2012 (the West Entrance will open on April 20.)

From this page: http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/directions.htm : South & East Entrances - Open to wheeled vehicles from the second Friday of May.
2nd Friday is 11May. So which is correct? I am also planning to visit YS in early May.

[glc]

The hours page that Tim linked takes precedence. Note that all dates are WEATHER PERMITTING.

To the OP - Rapid City will have the best selection of hotels and motels to pick from, and it's reasonably centrally located. Using the RTA hotel reservations, I see them starting in the mid $30's a night per room in May (Econo Lodge and Super 8).

[slamrox]

We will probably not get to Yellowstone until after May 11.

Do you still recommend going around it to the West entrance since we will be coming from the Custer/Rapid City area?
Anyone know how long that trip would be? Is there a good place to stop between the two?

We have been planning to drive hard, get far, and then relax for a while at a new destination but would be open to other suggestions.

[Midwest Michael]

It would really never make sense to go all the way to the west entrance if you are coming from South Dakota.

If weather/seasonal closures are an issue, going into the park via the North entrance would be the one you'd want (coming through Gardiner MT and the Mammoth Hot Springs area.)

The link that Tim provided above is specific to 2012, and includes a map of the park with opening dates at the bottom of the page (the link from JPS is a general guideline for their target dates, but they can and do change each year). Also keep in mind that a winter storm is still possible in May, and that may impact which roads will be open during your trip.