All entrances to Yellowstone National Park were temporarily closed at 11 am yesterday due to substantial flooding, rockslides, and mudslides on roadways caused by unprecedented amounts of rainfall and flooding. There will be no inbound visitor traffic at any of the five entrances into Yellowstone National Park on Tuesday, June 14, and Wednesday, June 15, at a minimum.
“Due to record flooding events in the park and more precipitation in the forecast, we have made the decision to close Yellowstone to all inbound visitation. Our first priority has been to evacuate the northern section of the park where we have multiple road and bridge failures, mudslides and other issues. The community of Gardiner is currently isolated, and we are working with the county and State of Montana to provide necessary support to residents, who are currently without water and power in some areas. Due to predictions of higher flood levels in areas of the park’s southern loop, in addition to concerns with water and wastewater systems, we will begin to move visitors in the southern loop out of the park later today in coordination with our in-park business partners. We will not know timing of the park’s reopening until flood waters subside and we’re able to assess the damage throughout the park. It is likely that the northern loop will be closed for a substantial amount of time. I appreciate the efforts of the Yellowstone team and partners to safely evacuate areas of the park and of our gateway community partners who are helping us through this major event. We appreciate the support offered by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service and the Montana and Wyoming governors.”
– Superintendent Cam Sholly
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.
A family staying at a short-term rental house in Gardiner near the park entrance is unable to leave their rental cabin due to flooding in the area, reports KSL. The couple arrived at their rental on Saturday with their family and expected to leave Monday morning.
“That’s not happening any time soon. The water levels were high on Saturday, but within the past 10 to 12 hours, things have gotten rougher.”
– Stranded family told CNN
Closed entrances include:
- North
- Northeast
- West
- South
- East
The power is out in multiple locations in the park and many park roads may remain closed for an extended period of time. Preliminary assessments show multiple sections of roads throughout the park have been either washed out or covered in mud or rocks, and multiple bridges may be affected. Strains on wastewater and water treatment facilities could become a factor and the park is taking precautions to ensure facilities are not failing.
Rainfall is expected to continue for the next several days and flood levels measured on the Yellowstone River are beyond record levels. Visitors planning on going to Yellowstone in the upcoming weeks should pay close attention to the status of road conditions. With additional rainfall forecasted, the park does not want large numbers of day-use visitors stranded in the park.
The National Park Service, surrounding counties, and the states of Montana and Wyoming are working with the gateway communities to evaluate flooding impacts and provide support to residents.
Stay informed about up-to-date road conditions in Yellowstone:
- Visit Park Roads.
- To receive Yellowstone road alerts on your mobile phone, text “82190” to 888-777 (an automatic text reply will confirm receipt and provide instructions).
- Call (307) 344-2117 for a recorded message.
- Find photos on Flickr of this extremely hazardous situation in Yellowstone National Park.
Yellowstone will continue to communicate about this hazardous situation as more information is available.
Yellowstone Flooding Photos:
