Yellowstone roads closed!
Got notice this morning that we should not show up for camping this Wednesday 6/15. Rain on snow event caused roads to blow out.
Forum Discussion
The North Entrance road appears to be the most damaged area in the park. There is a back service road/track that goes thru the hills from Mammoth to Gardiner. There has been much local discussion about improving that road exactly because of this possibility. But there is a strong lobby against ANY construction within the park. They have stymied any improvements up to now. Realistically, that road should be improved to the point it becomes the primary entrance road. It isn’t as scenic as the road thru the Gardiner River Canyon, but it wouldn’t be subject to flooding and annual rock slides.
Another concern is highway 89 from Livingston/I-90 to Gardiner may have also suffered catastrophic damage. Water was multiple feet deep across the highway in Yankee Jim Canyon and a highway bridge over the Yellowstone north of the canyon had a washout on one end and it is unknown if the bridge has suffered structural damage.
There is also a significant threat of catastrophic flooding returning later in the week as more rain is forecast and will be accompanied by much higher temperatures creating rapid snow melt and huge runoff. All in all this could be close to a death blow to the town of Gardiner which is 100% dependent on summer tourism and Yellowstone Park.
Another concern is highway 89 from Livingston/I-90 to Gardiner may have also suffered catastrophic damage. Water was multiple feet deep across the highway in Yankee Jim Canyon and a highway bridge over the Yellowstone north of the canyon had a washout on one end and it is unknown if the bridge has suffered structural damage.
There is also a significant threat of catastrophic flooding returning later in the week as more rain is forecast and will be accompanied by much higher temperatures creating rapid snow melt and huge runoff. All in all this could be close to a death blow to the town of Gardiner which is 100% dependent on summer tourism and Yellowstone Park.
