At 8 a.m. today (Tuesday), Yellowstone National Park will open for its winter season — including the East Entrance.

Between now and mid-March, visitors can travel the park’s interior roads on commercially guided snowmobiles and snowcoaches from the North, West, East and South entrances, weather permitting. Visitors with proper permits can also take non-commercially guided snowmobile trips or anyone can enjoy activities like cross-country skiing or snowshoeing in the park.

For the past decade, the East Entrance Road over Sylvan Pass to Lake Butte Overlook has opened on Dec. 22, a week later than the other gates, and it closed a couple weeks earlier, on March 1. That was part of a deal struck in 2008, in which the Park Service abandoned its plans to close Sylvan Pass to winter use.

However, this fall, Yellowstone officials proposed putting the East Entrance on the same schedule as the rest of the gates. After evaluating public comments and “completing compliance requirements,” park officials recently decided to routinely open the East Entrance on Dec. 15 and close it March 15, depending on weather.

The Park Service received 32 pieces of correspondence related to the proposal, said Yellowstone spokeswoman Linda Veress.

“The majority of the comments received were supportive of aligning the East Entrance dates with the rest of the park,” Veress said.

Gary Fales Outfitting of Wapiti — the only vendor offering snowmobile trips through the East Entrance — had long lobbied for aligning the entrance’s operating dates with the other gates. Gary Fales said the increased number of days should make the business more profitable. The snowmobiles that are allowed in the park must meet “best available technology” requirements and have to be replaced every six years; the extended East Entrance season will give the Fales’ sleds the equivalent of two more seasons of use over their permitted lifespan.

Each December, Yellowstone officials open park roads to oversnow travel only. Winter travel ends in mid-March, when plowing crews begin to clear a winter’s worth of snow. Roads will start to open to automobiles in mid-April.

The one exception is the road from the park’s North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, through Mammoth Hot Springs to Cooke City, Montana. That road is plowed and open to automobiles all year.

Park officials warn that winter weather is extremely unpredictable and road closures or delays can occur with little or no warning and that visitors should “come prepared.”

“Carry personal emergency survival equipment and dress appropriately for outside activities in extremely cold weather,” they advise.

Additionally, the park is asking visitors to recreate responsibly to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“If you are sick, do not visit the park,” they said.

Visitor services will be limited this winter, and dates may be subject to change. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/visiting-yellowstone-in-winter.htm.