Yellowstone Closed All Gates - Flooding

[ChrisParise]

Clarkbre,


Always good to get it straight from the NPS!

Chris

Sent from my SM-A505U1 using Forest River Forums mobile app

[NevadaMiniLite]

Yellowstone partially reopens

https://www.foxnews.com/us/yellowsto...-reopen-floods

[D W]

The even/odd plate system seems like a logical way to regulate traffic. However, there's always the 10% who didn't get the word, or they claim they didn't know about it. As human nature goes, there will almost certainly be a cluster at one gate and some will be sent away unhappy.

[ChrisParise]

Originally Posted by D W

The even/odd plate system seems like a logical way to regulate traffic. However, there's always the 10% who didn't get the word, or they claim they didn't know about it. As human nature goes, there will almost certainly be a cluster at one gate and some will be sent away unhappy.

D W,

Agree, and the reality of being restricted every other day will be a problem for just about all distance travelers.

A little is better than nothing this year. Hope communities and the park recover. Pandemic, now this. Wow.

Sent from my SM-A505U1 using Forest River Forums mobile app

[D W]

Originally Posted by ChrisParise

D W,

Agree, and the reality of being restricted every other day will be a problem for just about all distance travelers.

A little is better than nothing this year. Hope communities and the park recover. Pandemic, now this. Wow.

Sent from my SM-A505U1 using Forest River Forums mobile app

I remember the Fires of 1988. It was a big disaster for the Park and the surrounding communities. We were there in 1989, a year later, and the Park was booming. I remember the signs saying "Yellowstone, A New Beginning".

[Backcountryboondocker]

I think the even-odd system is the best possible scenario, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it implemented on a more full time basis… at YNP and across many of the NP’s that have a reservation system.

I would much rather have a even-odd system than the system in place now at many of the NP’s that have one. Atleast with this system you will know you can get in without some luck of the draw computer reservation system like the others. Yes it sucks that half the days you can’t go, but it beats the alternative.

[DougW]

Originally Posted by Backcountryboondocker

I think the even-odd system is the best possible scenario, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it implemented on a more full time basis… at YNP and across many of the NP’s that have a reservation system.

I would much rather have a even-odd system than the system in place now at many of the NP’s that have one. Atleast with this system you will know you can get in without some luck of the draw computer reservation system like the others. Yes it sucks that half the days you can’t go, but it beats the alternative.

I don’t know which system would be the best overall.

The odd/even will mean if you only have 2 or 3 days to spend in the Yellowstone area you could end up with only 1 day open for you to go into the park.

With the online reservation system it is possible to get more than 1 day at a time if you get yourself online at the proper time. I got reservations for Rocky Mountain NP online and it went pretty smooth. I did have to plan well ahead because the reservation slots go up a month or more before your actual date. The thing about that system which bothers me is; they don’t use the same system throughout the parks. Glacier passes went up for grabs 3 months ahead of time and I missed getting them. We are still going to stop there and hope to get one of the passes that come up the day before the visit date but that part of the system really sucks, if I can’t get passes for Going to the Sun Road we will be relegated to just going in the northern part of the park as we are camping on the west side.

[ChrisParise]

Originally Posted by DougW

I don’t know which system would be the best overall.



The odd/even will mean if you only have 2 or 3 days to spend in the Yellowstone area you could end up with only 1 day open for you to go into the park.



With the online reservation system it is possible to get more than 1 day at a time if you get yourself online at the proper time. I got reservations for Rocky Mountain NP online and it went pretty smooth. I did have to plan well ahead because the reservation slots go up a month or more before your actual date. The thing about that system which bothers me is; they don’t use the same system throughout the parks. Glacier passes went up for grabs 3 months ahead of time and I missed getting them. We are still going to stop there and hope to get one of the passes that come up the day before the visit date but that part of the system really sucks, if I can’t get passes for Going to the Sun Road we will be relegated to just going in the northern part of the park as we are camping on the west side.

I guess all we can do is roll with it. I'll be carefully choosing my days itinerary I can tell you that.

Btw, last year, first visit to GNP. Got my pass well in advance and was good for 5 maybe 7 days. This year it's good for 3 days.

Sent from my SM-A505U1 using Forest River Forums mobile app

[TeachTexas]

Yellowstone released a pdf handout for the reopening and entrance procedures on 6/22
https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvis...-v20220622.pdf

[MR.M]

Opening 93% of roads in Yellowstone as of JULY 2nd . north loop to open july 2nd will make 93% open . Also license plate alt days will be done away with july 2nd so all are welcome everyday .

[sherman12]

My DW and I were Yellowstone refugees being forced to leave Fishing Bridge CG on June 13th. After two and a half days of pouring rain, thunder, and lightning this was the best day, low to mid-40S sunny and windy. We left our campsite before 9 AM to continue to see the sights, stopping by a ranger information booth to get an update on conditions. We were told then that they would be closing the North Loop of the park, near Gardner, MT but to enjoy the lower loops sights. We drove the park road past Old Faithful etc. all the way up to the West Entrance/Exit towards West Yellowstone in Idaho. Backtracking and stopping at sights that were too crowded heading up we stopped at The Old Faithful Inn and Village to have something to eat, now about 315 PM. First, we tried the General Store to check out souvenirs and it was closed, then we tried the Snow Lodge, it was closed but there was a park employee telling everyone the park is closing and they are evacuating the whole park, campgrounds, lodges and day visitors. Fishing Bridge is 36 miles from O.F., we got caught in a bison herd roadblock, making it back to our RV at 440 PM. A note was posted on the door we had to leave the park, by then 80%-85% of the campground was empty. We pulled out of the CG by 457 PM, going to where? All we knew was to head to the West entrance, our next reservation was Lewis and Clark campground in Montana, and heading back towards Jackson, WY where we came from we knew there was very limited camping heading back South.

As we got within five cars from making a left turn to head out of YS NP at the West entrance, all traffic comes to a standstill for a medical in the intersection. A helicopter lands right in the intersection and shuts off its rotors. I knew then we'd be there a while. No one could tell if there was an accident or some other kind of emergency. Later it was reported on the news that a gentleman had a heart attack and died at the scene. We were delayed one hour and twenty minutes, heading close to 8PM. It's another 16 miles of beautiful road and scenery to exit the park, dumping into West Yellowstone. While driving we got alerts on our phones don't turn North US 191 towards Montana, the roads are washed out and traffic is at a stand still.

So the only real choice we had was to head due West along US 20 towards Idaho Falls, 100 miles away. Great road and straight into Idaho Falls, we made it to a Walmart by 1015 PM, bushed and starving.

We stayed a couple of days in I.Falls, a great community, altered our route to take into account the lost days in Montana and traveled across Idaho.