Why Google Maps Keeps Closing Yellowstone’s East Entrance When It’s Open

The East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park opened on May 1, but Google and Apple Maps apparently did not get the memo. Even as vehicles streamed from Cody into Yellowstone, the navigation apps insisted the entrance was closed and would remain closed for almost a month. “Anybody heading toward Yellowstone that opening weekend would have seen that it was six hours from Cody to Old Faithful, because they would have had to go all the way up through Gardiner and come back down,” said Jennifer Thoma, executive director of the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce.

The problem has since been fixed, but this was not the first time the apps have gotten it wrong, and likely will not be the last. For Cody business owners, it is a frustrating problem with no clear point of contact. “I’ve never been able to get ahold of anybody who can tell me why this happens,” Thoma said. “It’s just the algorithm.”

Every year, the Cody chamber hosts a Park and Pancakes Breakfast on May 1. People enjoy a free breakfast before setting off for the East Entrance, which is usually open before the first pancake is flipped. But many who plugged Yellowstone into Google Maps that day were told the entrance was closed. Katy Eldridge of Louisiana was planning to enter through Cody in early May; Google Maps told her that U.S. Highway 14 between the East Entrance and Pahaska Tepee was closed until May 29. Scott Palmatier encountered the same problem. Thoma received dozens of calls and texts from concerned business owners. The issue was fixed a few days later—until the South Entrance opened on May 8. “When the South Entrance opened that Friday, it all reverted back to being incorrect and said the East Entrance was closed,” Thoma said.

Thoma has raised the issue with Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and the National Park Service. “They have nothing to do with it,” she said. She assumed she could call someone at Google to correct the problem, but has tried multiple times without success. The only agency that seems to have some ability to make a change is the Wyoming Department of Transportation, and it sometimes takes weeks to fully resolve the issue. Rick Howe, president and CEO of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, has the same problem at Yellowstone’s South Entrance. “You can’t call one person at Google, tell them when the park’s open, and make sure it’s reflected on the app,” he said. “Like every other technology platform, you may get somebody that’s in the U.S., or you may get somebody that’s in Norway.”

Thoma said these persistent issues are “killing tourism” in northwest Wyoming in early summer. She believes tourists avoid staging early May excursions out of Cody because the apps do not show the road open. One possible explanation is the historically unpredictable opening date for the East Entrance. While the North Entrance is open year-round and the West Entrance consistently opens in mid-April, the East Entrance opening depends on snow in Sylvan Pass. Superintendent Cam Sholly has worked to have it open by May 1 for several years, but the apps default to keeping it closed until June.

Howe noted that Google does not handle seasonal schedules well. “It works when things are consistent, but seasonal openings and closures of specific locations are really hard for the current platform to handle.” He added, “In today’s world, I feel like most people are savvy enough to call somebody and check for a second resource. I never expected Google to be 100% accurate about everything.” He advised trusting but verifying: the best sources for accurate information are the park itself and local chambers of commerce. “I find that very few people decide on their trips based on what Google Maps suggests,” he said. “That’s why we’re happy to be a resource for accurate information.”