Parts Of Yellowstone National Park Reopen Days After Historic Flooding

WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT — Hundreds of cars, trucks and recreational vehicles lined up at Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday as parts of the park reopened for the first time since historic flooding last week washed out roads and bridges and swept away homes.

As Patch previously reported, all five park entrances were temporarily closed due to record levels of flooding that caused a rockslide to nearly crush a car and forced dozens of rescues.

Photos and videos (some with graphic language) showed a bridge near Tom Miner Basin being washed away by raging waters in the Yellowstone River.

The Montana National Guard rescued 87 people and an entire section of the North Entrance Road between Gardiner and Mammoth Hot Springs collapsed into the river. Many road sections completely disappeared and require substantial repairs, the park service said. This includes the North Entrance, Tower Junction to Northeast Entrance, Tower-Roosevelt to Canyon Junction and Canyon Junction to Fishing Bridge.

More than 10,000 visitors fled the park.

Saturday, the National Park Service said Yellowstone's south loop would reopen to the public at 8 a.m. Wednesday. The public can access the south loop from the East (Cody), West (West Yellowstone) and South (Grand Teton/Jackson) entrances.

Accessible areas include Madison, Old Faithful, Grant Village, Lake Village, Canyon Village and Norris.

The public's vehicles will be allowed entry based on whether the last numerical digit on their license plate is odd or even.

On odd days on the calendar, only odd-numbered last digits on license plates will be allowed to enter. On even-numbered days of the month, only license plates with even-numbered last digits (including zero) will be allowed in.

Those with custom plates that are letters-only will be classified as “odd” for entrance purposes.

Some exceptions apply, such as visitors with proof of overnight reservations in the park, including hotels, campgrounds and backcountry reservations.

Motorcycle groups will be allowed entry only on even dates.

“Less than six days ago, Yellowstone National Park was hit with devastating floods,” Superintendent Cam Sholly said in a statement. “Thanks to the tremendous efforts of our teams and partners, we are prepared to reopen the south loop of Yellowstone. It is impossible to reopen only one loop in the summer without implementing some type of system to manage visitation."

The park celebrated its 150th anniversary after recording a record 4.9 million visits last year.

Some premier attractions will be viewable, including the popular geyser Old Faithful.

However, the bears, wolves and bison that roam the wild Lamar Valley and the thermal features around Mammoth Hot Springs will not be accessible. Similarly, the northern half of the park where much of the wildlife live will be shuttered until at least early July.