Record floods and landslides following torrential rains led to the infrequent closure of all five entrances to Yellowstone National Park on Monday at the start of the summer tourist season, the park’s manager said.
The entire park, which includes parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, will remain closed to visitors, including those with reservations for accommodation and camping, at least until Wednesday, as employees assess damage to roads, bridges and other facilities.
Current conditions on the northern entrance to Yellowstone through the Gardner Canyon between Gardiner, Montana and the Mammoth Hot Springs.
We will continue to report this dangerous situation as more information becomes available. More information: pic.twitter.com/S5ysi4wf8a
– Yellowstone National Park (@YellowstoneNPS) June 13, 2022
All five entrances to the park were closed to inbound traffic for the first summer after a series of devastating wildfires in 1988. The National Park Office worked to reach visitors and staff staying in various locations, especially on the most affected northern flank. at Yellowstone, officials said.
“Our first priority is to evacuate the northern part of the park, where we have many accidents on roads and bridges, mudslides and other problems,” said park director Kam Sholi in a statement.
The Gardiner River along the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park is high enough to wash away part of the road. Photo: AP
The “gateway” community in Gardiner, Montana, north of the park’s northern border and home to many Yellowstone employees, has been cut off by a landslide in the area, according to the National Park Service.
Electricity has been cut off in many areas of the park, and preliminary estimates show that many sections of roads in Yellowstone have either been washed away or covered with rocks and mud, and a number of bridges have also been damaged, the park service said.
Various roads in the southern level of the park were on the verge of being flooded, according to the agency.
6/13/22 at 2:15 p.m. UPDATE: In effect immediately, there will be no incoming visitor traffic at any of the five entrances to Yellowstone National Park on Tuesday, June 14, and Wednesday, June 15, at least. Learn more: https://t.co/Kz2sEbOS7a
– Yellowstone National Park (@YellowstoneNPS) June 13, 2022
The floods and landslides were caused by days of torrential rains in the park and constant rains in much of the wider region after one of the wettest springs in many years. The park service characterized the levels of rainfall and floods that swept the park as unprecedented.
The sudden jump in summer temperatures over the past three days has also accelerated the melting and runoff of snow that has accumulated in the park’s higher altitudes since the late winter storms.
Heavy rains and rapid melting of snow have come together to create treacherous conditions in the park just two weeks after the start of the traditional holiday weekend for Remembrance Day of the US summer tourist season, which accounts for most of the annual 4 million visitors of Yellowstone.
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