Flooding: Yellowstone National Park is closed.

I just heard that all entrances are closed to Yellowstone. 

Just a heads up for any summer visitors that might frequent GRM.

Yeah the photos and videos are nuts!

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CexBMsHDNeA/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

We were planning to be there over the 4th. That may not happen now!!

That photo makes it look like NBD compared to the video

My neighbor bought a new 20' travel trailer two weeks ago to go to Yellowstone with wife and two kids this summer. SW PA to Yellowstone, what a trip that would be. Wonder what their plans are now.

Wow. Watching that video makes you really question why anyone would think building a road in the valley the river runs through was a good idea. 

That's going to require a major re-do. Like in a different place. 

That road is going to be closed for a while.

Saw that early this morning, my thought is that tax dollars are gonna be spent profligately to rebuild a road that shouldn't have been built there in the first place.

These pictures were taken one year ago tomorrow (June 15th, 2021). 

We had spent the night in a campground in Gardiner, MT and entered the park through the north Yellowstone entrance. This is the river that washed the road out:

In the above picture, the road is up the incline to the left.  This is all washed away now.

KyAllroad said:

Saw that early this morning, my thought is that tax dollars are gonna be spent profligately to rebuild a road that shouldn't have been built there in the first place.

Worth every penny that will be spent.  Yellowstone is a true American Treasure.  We (the public) need to have roads to be able to access it's beauty. 

Indy - Guy said:

KyAllroad said:

Saw that early this morning, my thought is that tax dollars are gonna be spent profligately to rebuild a road that shouldn't have been built there in the first place.

Worth every penny that will be spent.  Yellowstone is a true American Treasure.  We (the public) need to have roads to be able to access it's beauty. 

As someone that's been to most of our historic national parks I agree wholeheartedly.

Mezzanine said:

Wow. Watching that video makes you really question why anyone would think building a road in the valley the river runs through was a good idea. 

 

That's going to require a major re-do. Like in a different place. 

Well, following the rivers allows you to avoid the costs of building huge bridges and tunnels to go through mountains and over valleys. Take for example i70, which follows a river most of the way across the rocky mountains.

This is an unprecedented amount of water.

KyAllroad said:

Saw that early this morning, my thought is that tax dollars are gonna be spent profligately to rebuild a road that shouldn't have been built there in the first place.

You clearly do not understand the entire point of the National Parks. 

When the parks where first developed, it was decided that these where things that everyone should be able to see.  To make that possible, every park was developed to allow someone to drive through it and see most of it.  If people can see it, they will be far more likely to support saving and preserving them (spending the money). 

Of note is that there really where not pictures that captured them at that point.  Of course, a picture is never like being there.  A great example of that is the Grand Canyon.  A picture (even video) is NOTHING like seeing it in person.  Simply cannot be captured that way, has to be seen.  It's quite a smack in the brain.

I was blown away by the video.  

Guy who lives closer to that area and travels the state for sales is guessing a year to rebuild.

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

Mezzanine said:

Wow. Watching that video makes you really question why anyone would think building a road in the valley the river runs through was a good idea. 

 

That's going to require a major re-do. Like in a different place. 

Well, following the rivers allows you to avoid the costs of building huge bridges and tunnels to go through mountains and over valleys. Take for example i70, which follows a river most of the way across the rocky mountains.

This is an unprecedented amount of water.

Fun example, because the stretch of I70 that goes through Glenwood Canyon was one of the most expensive stretches of interstate per mile due to the number of bridges, cantilevered decks and tunnels involved. And it's under constant threat from mudslides, fires, floods and falling rocks :)

But when the entire point of the road is to get people into the valleys, well, the road's gonna have to be in the valley.

Indy_guy, we were there about the same time. 

Mezzanine said:

Wow. Watching that video makes you really question why anyone would think building a road in the valley the river runs through was a good idea. 

 

That's going to require a major re-do. Like in a different place. 

One other thing- it's been fine for many, many decades.  This kind of rain was rather unique to Yellowstone.  I'm sure it will need shifted from the river, but don't condemn the work of civil engineers when it was perfectly fine for so many decades.  

My first trip to Yellowstone was in summer of '77 when we certainly drove these roads.  Later than year, we moved to Idaho Falls, and then visited Yellowstone and the Tetons at least once a year.  I even worked between the two national parks one summer in '89 when I worked at Flagg Ranch Resort.   Shortly after that summer, much of Yellowstone was hit with wild fires- which regrew back quicker than most expected.  This rain, while very destructive, is quite welcome to the west- this wll fill some empty reservoirs quite well.

Saw more of the damage recently- the rivers are doing exactly what they have done forever.  I do hope that during the repair, they let the river alterations stay- seems that many of our rivers are now being prevented in flooding and moving like they always have.  

But the north entrance will be closed, or have very limited access to things, for a very, very long time.

I've been to Yellowstone a half dozen times with family staying north of the park between Gardiner and Livingston (Emmigrant). 

The USGS gage below is for the Yellowstone River near Corwin Springs which is 8 miles north of Gardiner. 

Notice that the prior discharge record was in 1918 and 29,500 CFS. This event hit nearly 50,000 CFS. 

What surprised me is that they did not talk about 10+ inches of rain, but rather "inches" of rain combined with snow melt. Kinda of crazy to think that happens infrequently. 

Looking at  videos of the damage I can't imagine that SR 89 in the north part of the park will be open in 2022 or 2023.  Such a beautiful place...worth the investment in my opinion.

In reply to fusion66 :

It's reasonably late in the season to have that kind of snow pack left.   And they had also have a LOT of snow- I saw some pictures that one of the passes going into Yellowstone had well over 10' of snow fall recently at the top.  They had to close the pass from a recent 6' snow fall.

Crazy weather- and this area regularly has water problems due to lack of annual snow fall.  In terms of water- this is great for SE Idaho farmers.

alfadriver said:

In reply to fusion66 :

It's reasonably late in the season to have that kind of snow pack left.   And they had also have a LOT of snow- I saw some pictures that one of the passes going into Yellowstone had well over 10' of snow fall recently at the top.  They had to close the pass from a recent 6' snow fall.

Crazy weather- and this area regularly has water problems due to lack of annual snow fall.  In terms of water- this is great for SE Idaho farmers.

All that Yellowstone water goes into Idaho reservoirs?        The Colorado basin needs about 3 of these events.  

In reply to jharry3 :

Not all of it.  Yellowstone feeds the Missouri river, too.  But the storm systems that put precipitation on Yellowstone does similar things to it's southernly neighbor, Grand Teton NP- which all of it's water does end up in the Snake River.