Yellowstone National Park announced Monday morning that effective immediately, some roads in the northern portion of the park are temporarily closed and visitors in the area are being evacuated.
Park officials said in a news release that the closures are due to “substantial flooding, rockslides, and mudslides on roadways from recent unprecedented amounts of rainfall.”
According to the release, the following roads are closed:
- North Entrance (Gardiner, Montana) to Mammoth Hot Springs
- Mammoth Hot Springs to Tower-Roosevelt
- Tower-Roosevelt to the Northeast Entrance
- Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris Junction
- Canyon Junction to Tower-Roosevelt
Yellowstone said some of the roads could remain closed for an extended period of time.
Aerial Video: Yellowstone National Park hit by flooding
The release included the following information:
- Preliminary assessments show multiple sections of road in the park have been washed out between Gardiner and Cooke City, Montana, and multiple bridges may be affected.
- Visitors currently in the northern portion of the park are being evacuated.
- US Highway 89 S is closed at Yankee Jim Canyon due to approximately 3 feet of water on the road. Check the Montana Department of Transportation [mdt.mt.gov] for road updates.
- The National Park Service, Park County, Montana, and state will work with the communities of Gardiner, Silver Gate and Cooke City to evaluate flooding impacts and provide support to residents.
- Crews will begin to assess damage in the southern portion of the park soon.
- Rainfall is expected to continue for the next several days.
- Stay informed about up-to-date road conditions in Yellowstone:
- Visit Park Roads [nps.gov].
- 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.
- Yellowstone will continue to communicate about this hazardous situation as more information is available.
MTN News will update this story with any additional information we receive. Additional photos courtesy of Yellowstone National Park:
