Yellowstone National Park - Facilities

Museum of the National Park Ranger

Closed for the season.

Location
About 1 mile north of Norris Junction along the entrance road to the Norris Campground.

Closures
Open late May.

Special Programs
A small auditorium shows a laser-disc production of the 25-minute movie, "An American Legacy," which tells the story of the development of the National Park Service.

Exhibits
Exhibits at historic soldier station depict the development of the park ranger profession from its roots in the military traditions through early rangers and to the present array of NPS staff specialized duties.

Available Facilities
Restrooms at the nearby campground.

Norris Geyser Basin Museum

Open
Closed for the season.

Location
The Norris Geyser Basin Museum is located 1/4 mile east of Norris Junction just off the Grand Loop Road. Built in 1929 - 1930, it is a National Historic Landmark.

Closures
Open late May.

Exhibits
Exhibits on geothermal geology, Norris Geyser Basin features, and life in thermal areas featured.

Available Facilities
Seasonally, restrooms (near the parking lot) and book sales.

VISITOR CENTERS

Albright Visitor Center

Open
Open daily, year-round, 9 am–5 pm

Location
The Albright Visitor Center and Museum is located at Mammoth Hot Springs, five miles south of the North Entrance and at the northwest corner of the upper loop of the Grand Loop Road.

Special Programs
Film and video presentations are shown every half hour in summer and on request in winter. Films include The Challenge of Yellowstone (25 min) on the history of Yellowstone and the evolution of the national park idea, and Thomas "Yellowstone" Moran (12 min) on Moran"s contribution toward the establishment of Yellowstone National Park.

Exhibits
The visitor center (formerly bachelor officers" quarters) now houses a museum about history: Native Americans, the mountain men, early exploration, the Army days, and early National Park Service. Of special note are the Moran Gallery where fine reproductions of watercolor sketches by the painter and expeditioner Thomas Moran are displayed, and the Jackson Gallery where original photographs by William Henry Jackson, also of the 1871 Hayden Survey, are exhibited.

Available Facilities
Restrooms, exhibits, book sales, backcountry permits, fishing permits, and (seasonally) nearby gas, food, lodging, and general store.

Canyon Visitor Center

Open
Closed for the season

Location
The Canyon Visitor Center is located 1/8 mile southeast of Canyon Junction in the Canyon Village complex.

Closures
Open late May.

Exhibits
An exhibit on the Yellowstone Bison is the result of a cooperative effort between Yellowstone National Park and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming. The exhibit deals with the natural history of bison and the bison as a symbol of wildness; it also includes information on the current bison management controversy.

Available Facilities
Seasonally - Restrooms, exhibits, book sales, backcountry permits, fishing permits, and nearby gas, food, lodging, and general store.

Fishing Bridge Visitor Center

Open
Closed for the season.

Location
The Fishing Bridge Museum and Visitor Center is located one mile off the Grand Loop Road on the East Entrance Road. Built in 1931, it is a National Historic Landmark.

Closures
Open late May.

Exhibits
The historic bird specimens (by Carl Russell) were installed in 1931, provide a good overview of the birds of Yellowstone. Other displays include a grizzly sow and two cubs and a family of river otters.

Available Facilities
Restrooms adjacent to the parking area, exhibits, book sales, and fishing permits.

Grant Village Visitor Center

Open
Closed for the season.

Location
The Grant Visitor Center is located on the shore of the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake in Grant Village one mile from the Grant Village Junction.

Closures
Open late May.

Special Programs
The movie Yellowstone: The Unfinished Song on the 1988 fires (20 minutes) is shown on a regular schedule throughout the summer months.

Exhibits
An exhibit that interprets fire"s role in the environment, using the fires of 1988 as the example, is featured.

Available Facilities
Restrooms, exhibits, book sales, fishing permits, and nearby gas, food, lodging, and general store.

Madison Information Station

Open
Closed for the season.

Information & YA store. Call 307-344-2821.

Location
The Madison Information Station is located just south of Madison Junction in the Madison Picnic Area. Built in 1929 - 1930, it is a National Historic Landmark.

Closures
Open late May.

Exhibits
Information and orientation is provided.

Available Facilities
Restrooms adjacent to the parking area, small exhibit area, and book sales.

Old Faithful Visitor Center

Open
Open daily through Nov. 2, then closed.
Reopens Dec. 17–Mar. 15
Daily, 9 am–5 pm Book Store books, videos, maps, other educational items.

Location
On the Grand Loop Road 16 miles south of Madison Junction and located only 200 yards from Old Faithful Geyser.

Special Programs
Evening ranger-led programs are presented here during the summer and the winter seasons.

Available Facilities
Seasonally - Restrooms, exhibits, book sales, backcountry permits, fishing permits, and nearby gas, food, lodging, and general store.

West Thumb Information Station

Open
Dec. 17–March 15
During the winter, this facility serves as the West Thumb Warming Hut. Visitors can warm up, read interpretive exhibits on history and a variety of winter topics, and get their questions answered by an Interpretive staff person.

Location
Located just east of the junction of the Old Faithful / South Entrance Road and the Bridge Bay / Fishing Bridge / Lake Road. In the West Thumb Geyser Basin area on the shore of Yellowstone Lake.

Closures
Open from late May through September

Exhibits
Park information and small bookstore.

Available Facilities
Restrooms nearby.

West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce Public Lands Desk

Open
Monday–Friday 8 am–5 pm

Information, publications. Call 406-646-4403.

West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce staff available year-round. Monday–Friday, 8 am–5 pm Call 406-646-7701.

Location
West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce Building at the corner of Yellowstone Avenue and Canyon Street in West Yellowstone, Montana.

Special Programs
Ranger led activities, talks and evening programs.

Available Facilities
Accessible restrooms, brochures and park information, fishing permits, and nearby activities, food, fuel, lodging, and stores.