Overflights conducted this week by Yellowstone National Park have shown severe damage to multiple sections of roads between the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, Mammoth Hot Springs, Lamar Valley and Cooke City, Montana, near the Northeast Entrance.
Many sections of road in these areas are completely wiped-out and will require substantial time and effort to rebuild.
The National Park Service plans to repair these roads as soon as possible; however, it is likely that road sections in northern Yellowstone will not reopen this year due to the time required for repairs.
All entrances to Yellowstone National Park remain temporarily closed while the park waits for flood waters to recede and can conduct evaluations on roads, bridges, and wastewater treatment facilities to ensure visitor and employee safety.
There will be no inbound visitor traffic at any of the five entrances into the park, including visitors with lodging and camping reservations, until conditions improve and park infrastructure is evaluated.
Northern Yellowstone more impacted by flood damage
The park’s southern loop appears to be less impacted than the northern roads and teams will assess damage to determine when opening of the southern loop is feasible. This closure will extend through at least June 19.
The park is determining how many visitors can safely visit the southern loop once it’s safe to reopen. This will likely mean implementation of some type of temporary reservation system to prevent gridlock and reduce impacts on park infrastructure.
Yellowstone’s backcountry is also temporarily closed while crews assess damage to backcountry campsites, trails, and bridges.
The National Park Service, surrounding counties and states of Montana and Wyoming are working with the park’s gateway communities to evaluate flooding impacts and provide immediate support to residents and visitors.
Water levels are expected to recede today in the afternoon; however, additional flood events are possible through this weekend.
Water and wastewater systems at Canyon Village and Mammoth Hot Springs are being impacted by flooding conditions and are being monitored.
Visitors planning to travel to Yellowstone in the upcoming weeks should stay informed about the current situation and pay close attention to the status of road and weather conditions.
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