Is Yellowstone Open? Flood Updates

Following flood damage which closed the park on June 13, 2022, Yellowstone incrementally opened 93% of roadways by June 2. On Saturday of the holiday weekend, the three southern-most entrances plus both loops of the Grand Loop Road were open and the Alternating License Plate System for entry into the park was suspended.

Open entrances include the West Entrance at West Yellowstone, the South Entrance near Jackson/Grand Teton National Park, and the East Entrance near Cody. The north and northeast entrances of the park are expected to be closed for an extended period of time, however, road construction has progressed to a point where the park is allowing visitors to hike or walk on the entry roads through the entrances for recreation.

Although the north and northeast entrances are closed, the gateway towns of Gardiner (accessible via Hwy. 89 with no detours) and Silver Gate/Cooke City (accessible via Hwy. 296/Chief Joseph Highway from Cody) are open and welcoming visitors. These towns are hubs for wildlife-watching and are teaming with outfitters for rafting, fishing, ziplining and horseback riding. Park staff are working with commercial guides and outfitters in Gardiner and Cooke City/Silver Gate to further expand park access where possible.

A 23-mile segment of the Beartooth Highway adjacent to Yellowstone’s Northeast Entrance is open from US-212/WY-296 junction to the ski hill parking lot. But this road that connects Cooke City with Red Lodge still has sections that remain closed at this writing.

Learn more at www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/flood-recovery.htm.

For a complete list of facilities open in the park such as campgrounds, hotels and visitor centers, visit www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/hours.htm. See the current conditions of park roads at www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/parkroads.htm and more updates at the Yellowstone NPS Facebook page, www.facebook.com/YellowstoneNPS.

The video below shows the initial damage to park roads and highlights the remarkable work road crews have accomplished.

Yellowstone Area Updates

Note that Yellowstone’s gateway towns have also been affected by the flood. Here are some social links to help you keep in touch with these local communities.

Northern Yellowstone Area

Yellowstone Country Montana www.facebook.com/YellowstoneCountry

Gardiner www.facebook.com/visitgardinermt/

Livingston www.facebook.com/windycitymt

Red Lodge and Beartooth Highway www.facebook.com/visitredlodge

Cooke City-Silver Gate www.facebook.com/pages/Cooke-City-Silver-Gate-Montana/108244039196462

Silver Gate Lodging www.facebook.com/silvergatelodging

Eastern Yellowstone Area

Cody Yellowstone www.facebook.com/CodyYellowstone/

Pahaska Tepee Resort www.facebook.com/PahaskaTepeeWY

Western Yellowstone Area

West Yellowstone destinationyellowstone.com/flooding-emergency/ and www.facebook.com/DestinationYellowstone

Southern Yellowstone Area including Grand Teton National Park

Jackson www.facebook.com/JHChamber

Grand Teton National Park, is open and operating as normal, except for low water levels in Jackson Lake. www.facebook.com/GrandTetonNPS/