This news story about the reopening of 80% of Yellowstone National Park, including the North Loop, is based on a June 20, 2022, National Park Service press release. You can read the original release here.
Just a couple of days ago, the National Park Service announced the reopening of Yellowstone’s South Loop on June 22, after historic flooding destroyed numerous bridges, various sections of road and washed away campgrounds.
Now, the agency said it plans to reopen 80% of Yellowstone National Park within two weeks. This is much sooner than initially expected and includes the North Loop.
Additionally, plans to provide (temporary) access to and from gateway communities like Gardiner, Silver Gate and Cooke City are being developed and finalized.
Yellowstone National Park Plans on Reopening 80% of the Park This Summer
During a visit to Yellowstone National Park and Gardiner, Montana, on Sunday, June 19, National Park Service Director Chuck Sams, along with Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly, announced $50 million to kick-start recovery efforts from last week’s record-breaking floods.
North Loop in Yellowstone Will Reopen Sooner Than Anticipated
Sams and Sholly also announced that the North Loop “is expected to reopen in two weeks or less following completion of clean-up, repairs and final inspection of the northern loop infrastructure.”
Once the South Loop and North Loop are open again, visitors to Yellowstone National Park will be able to access about 80% of the park.
This includes access to Norris, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower and Dunraven Pass, the National Park Service said. More details on access will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Park Service will use the initial $50 million to restore temporary access to Gardiner and Cooke City, Montana and other additional sites.
Improvements to the Old Gardiner Road
Currently, plans to improve the Old Gardiner Road are in their final stages. This historic road will provide temporary access between Mammoth Hot Springs, which is home to the park’s headquarters, and Gardiner, Montana.
The North Entrance Road, the main road between Mammoth and Gardiner, was (perhaps) irreparably destroyed last week, with several sections completely gone.
“Road constructions crews and materials that were already in the park for a previously scheduled road project to repair 22 miles of the Grand Loop Road between Old Faithful and West Thumb Geyser Basin will be diverted to the Old Gardiner Road project,” the Park Service said.
The agency expects that the Old Gardiner Road will be “substantially improved over the upcoming months, ensuring that essential emergency services, food, supplies and other administrative needs will be available throughout the winter months.”
Although this is good news, especially considering the severity of the Yellowstone flood, that doesn’t mean visitors will be able to enter the park through Gardiner right away.
“As work proceeds through the summer, the NPS will look for opportunities to restore limited visitor access at the park’s North Entrance,” the Park Service announced.
Emergency environmental and historic preservation compliance is underway in accordance with the National Historic Preservation and Environmental Policy Acts. Permanent reconstruction options are being developed and alternatives will be completed in the upcoming months.
Access to Silver Gate and Cooke City
Besides plans to reopen the North Loop in Yellowstone National Park significantly sooner than first anticipated, the Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration are also working on a number of “temporary and permanent options to restore access to Silver Gate and Cooke City at the park’s northeast entrance.”
The Northeast Entrance Road sustained severe damage during the flooding in Yellowstone. Many sections of road are completely gone, while others may be unstable and unsafe.
At the moment, the road is completely impassible between the Lamar Valley and Silver Gate.
The Park Service said that “cost, funding and timelines are not yet available for these short or long-term repairs to the Northeast Entrance Road but will be released as soon as possible.”
Reopening of the South Loop
Yellowstone National Park announced on June 18 that it will reopen the South Loop of the park at 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 22.
The South Loop will be accessible via the South (Grand Teton/Jackson), West (West Yellowstone) and East (Cody) entrances.
Accessible areas include many of the most popular places in Yellowstone National Park, such as Madison and Norris, Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, West Thumb Geyser Basin and Grant Village, Lake Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
To balance the demand for visitor access, park resource protection and economic interests of the communities, the park will institute an interim visitor access plan based on license plate numbers.
You can find more information about Yellowstone’s alternate license plate entry system here.