Yellowstone Closed All Gates - Flooding, Mudslides

[Janet H]

The park has been temporarily closed at all gates due to flooding and rock slides. No inbound visitor traffic will be allowed into the park until conditions stabilize and the park can assess damage to roads and bridges and other facilities. This includes visitors with lodging and camping reservations.
https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/news/220613.htm

 

[pvstoy]

YIKES!

 

[buckland]

My wife leaves this Sunday for a week at a Yellowstone …or I guess maybe not… looks like some major damage.

 

[Wango]

Crazy, i live in Big Sky and we have had rock/land slides. High water in Gallatin Canyon, bridges out in Paradise Valley and now all entrances closed. Plus, still raining and a winter storm watch for tonight.
Nuts.

 

[ski3pin]

Wow, just wow!

 

[Taku]

At least six washouts along the Gardner River. Hopefully they will take this opportunity to move the road completely out of the river canyon as it should be. Red Lodge MT also having major flooding with the rain on snow event as it the Paradise Valley.

 

[craig333]

Crazy weather there and here. Right now Hwy 70 is closed for mudslides while in the valley fires are burning.

 

[JWL]

Meanwhile down in Texas and most of the SW we are in an extreme drought!
What climate change?

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Check out the Yellowstone site for some video of the flooding.
Go to park alerts for "more"info.
Also still photos.
It's going to be a long time before the Gardner road is back.
Several massive washouts/slides.
Rob doesn't look very good for the wife's trip.
Frank

 

[buckland]

Sure doesn't . They have an air B&B outside west gate for 5 days so maybe they can still hike. Thereafter up to Wyoming to a dude ranch for horseback trips. Me... I'm on dog duty and glad of it. I feel so bad about the park...already stressed by overuse. Hopefully some emergency funds to set things better.

 

[craig333]

A FWC camper is stuck in the park. He's got plenty of fuel and food and water. More worried about to keep his kids happy until they can get out.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Latest this morning that I saw. from the park site.
The north loop road will be closed more then likely the
rest of the season.
South loop should open soon but the park is looking
into a reservation system to prevent over crowding.
Not a fun time to go to YNP.
We haven't been since our spring/fall trips in 2015.
Sure miss going but don't think we'll get back any time soon.
Lots of photos to keep me occupied.

Frank

 

[buckland]

Frank the last time I was there I just drove through, camped one night (motorcycle) in 1981 coming home from an overseas posting. I was driving my old motorcycle home from California (my bother 'borrowed it' while I was gone for 2 years. It was like another planet and I hope to get there again... but want to go when there are the least amount of people. I suppose that is winter.... maybe a shoulder season? My wife is still going but gets it probably not going in Park... there is much to see all around the West entrance so she is still heading west on Sunday. What I worry about is the overflow from there to al the other parks. Not my cup of tea.

 

[Wango]

Being so close, (40 milesish) from west, and a nice drive to the north entrance, this is pretty disheartening. Was planning a trip throught gardner, through the lamar valley, beartooth pass, hellroaring and back down chief joseph to cody this weekend. Nope. I personally know a lot of people that this is going to really hurt them financially. Was here during the fires in 1988, starting to feel alot like that.
w

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

From 2002 through 2015 we made 13 trips there.
We got to be park junkies.
Always in spring/fall.

I don't think we would recognize the place now with all the visitors.
We got very spoiled with our trips.

Most trips the crowds were not a problem and we could get into
some of the hard to get CGs.
Our last trips 2015 are in my blog.

Hope your wife has a good time.There are other things to do in the area.
The park might be open next week so she can get in.
Frank

 

[pvstoy]

Being so close, (40 milesish) from west, and a nice drive to the north entrance, this is pretty disheartening. Was planning a trip throught gardner, through the lamar valley, beartooth pass, hellroaring and back down chief joseph to cody this weekend. Nope. I personally know a lot of people that this is going to really hurt them financially. Was here during the fires in 1988, starting to feel alot like that.
w

There are so many sections of the road washed out from Gardner to Mammoth that they are going to be busy. Mammoth is where all the park offices are. There is a high clearance road to get there.

When Beartooth pass is closed, Cook City has the only road through Lamar Valley, and that road is closed. Big impact for them.

Lots of work hauling material to repair all the sections and that takes time. Have to fix the first one to get access to the second one and so on.

The animals residents don't care and might be loving it with no people impacts.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

I have been thinking about the winter access to Cooke City.
Chief Joseph Pass is open from Cody to Clarks Fork Picnic area.( according to road info)

The road is closed from there to Cooke City in winter.Could they keep that open due to the emergency?

Yellowstone sure is going to be interesting for visiting ,for some time.

NP info is that the southern loop should open 6/19-6/20.

They mentioned a reservation system to enter.

Frank

 

[Wango]

Casa, i know that there was a recent meeting in cooke city discussing keeping chief joseph open all year. A friend lives there and says it has been an ongoing battle for years. The closed stretch in the winter is about 8 miles, and runs through some serious avalanche terrain. i suspect that it will stay open this year, possibly for good now. From what my friend says, the majority want it but there are many entities that are involved. Crazy time around here.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Thanks Wango.
Just read on the YNP site the park will open the SOUTH LOOP for visitors
on 22 June @ 8am.They are using a license plate method.

Odd numbers on odd days,even Numbers on even days.

There is more info on the site under FAQS.
Frank

 

[buckland]

Well Frank The Mrs and her gal pals got in for a full day through the southern entrance. Only crowds at old faithful, otherwise it wasn't 'peoplely'. Horseback trips into the Tetons yesterday so doing ok. Good weather too.Hot.