The East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park will open for the season on Friday morning at 8.

As of last week, plows were clearing the road in Sylvan Pass area just inside the East Entrance. Roads should be clear and read for traffic by tomorrows opening. Visitors will be able to travel through the park’s East, West and North entrances to many popular park destinations including Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Norris Geyser Basin and Fishing Bridge.

Travel through the South Entrance to Grant Village, West Thumb Junction and on to Fishing Bridge and across Craig Pass to Old Faithful is set to open May 9, given favorable weather and road clearing progress.

According to Yellowstone Park website spring is an excellent time to enjoy to park’s wildlife without all the crowds:

If you like to avoid crowds, spring is the quietest time to visit the park. But please remember that Yellowstone is at a high elevation and while our calendars say spring, it may seem more like winter to some.

Between mid-March and the beginning of May there are few services available, but the roads in the northern end of the park are plowed and spring skiing is popular.

In May, when the park’s interior roads begin to open, the park awakens from a long winter and the large mammals here begin to give birth. The beautiful red colored baby bison arrive first, followed by baby elk and then the emergence of mother bears and their cubs.

Very limited visitor services will be available during the next several weeks. For updated information, visit http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/index.htm, or consult the park newspaper handed out at the entrance station.