Yellowstone Just Announced New River Restrictions—Here’s What We Know

Montana is expecting some colder and wetter weather this weekend. There are winter storm warnings for parts of the state, especially in the Glacier National Park region, which could see significant snowfall in some locations, according to the National Weather Service and can affect the recent opening of the Going-to-the-Sun road.

READ MORE: Navigating Traffic and Wildlife In Glacier National Park

This isn't the best news for those who were planning trips to the area, especially the people who aren't prepared for Montana's drastically changing weather.

For other parts of the state, the upcoming forecast will hopefully help with the heat and drought conditions that have been affecting those areas.

Yellowstone Fishing Restrictions In Place

Recently, Yellowstone National Park announced fishing restrictions on some of the park's rivers due to low flows and rising water temperatures. The affected rivers will close fishing daily at 2 p.m.

• Madison River and tributaries
• Firehole River and tributaries
• Gibbon River and tributaries downstream of Norris CG

With the cooler weather forecast for the weekend these restrictions may be lifted soon, but as of now the restrictions are in place.

There is concern that having restrictions put in place this early in the year is a sign that other rivers in Montana will see the same type of restrictions earlier in than normal.

Yellowstone has reported that so far this year they have had a record number of visitors. In the month of May in 2025, they have seen 762,672 people visit the park. That is up from May of 2024, which saw 719,127 visitors, and it's more visitors than the past five years at the same time.

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We won't be surprised if Yellowstone and Glacier continue to be some of the most visited national parks in the country again this year.