Flood Information for Travelers

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UPDATE: October 4, 2022 at 10:15 am

We invite visitors to continue with their trips to Yellowstone National Park and Montana and encourage them to enjoy all our state has to offer beyond the park. Please don’t cancel your reservations – there’s so much to do and experience in Montana

Montana has a lot of outdoor opportunities to offer and it’s important to respect the areas that are a safety concern right now. There are many places across the Montana that are experiencing high levels of water and dangerous conditions, including turbulent currents and significant amounts of debris. Please do not recreate in the rivers that have the potential to flood, including swimming, kayaking, rafting, boating. If you have plans to recreate in a river or in a flood zone, consider other recreational opportunities like hiking or visiting a local downtown. 

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK UPDATES

Yellowstone National Park in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration has determined that the Old Gardiner Road (a limited-access road between Gardiner, Montana and Mammoth Hot Springs) will open to regular traffic no later than Nov. 1, 2022. The two-lane project will be extended up to two weeks to ensure over 5,000 feet of guardrail are properly installed for traffic safety. Additionally, Yellowstone asked the Federal Highway Administration to build a new ¼-mile approach road into Mammoth Hot Springs after the project was underway to avoid a 12-15% steep grade on the original road. This new approach has required additional engineering and design to provide a safe road base to handle the 2,000-3,000 vehicles per day that enter the park from the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana. Yellowstone has also asked the Federal Highway Administration to expand road widths in certain sections of the Old Gardiner Road to prevent restrictions.

"We have set incredibly aggressive time frames for these repairs and our contractors have worked at lightning speed to get this road safely reopened," said Superintendent Cam Sholly. "It's essential that we do not cut corners and we ensure the road meets required safety standards prior to opening. It's also essential that we finish the job correctly, so we avoid any problems going into next year."

The Old Gardiner Road was determined to be the best and only option to quickly reconnect Mammoth Hot Springs to Gardiner, Montana, after the floods in mid-June. Originally established as an 1880’s stagecoach route, the single-lane dirt road has been expanded to two lanes over its entire 4-mile length. The new approach road coming into Mammoth Hot Springs is under construction. Paving is expected to begin the week of Oct. 1 and nearly 1 mile of guardrail will be installed between Oct. 10 and Oct. 20. If the Old Gardiner Road is completed prior to Nov. 1, the park will open it to public travel sooner.

The Northeast Entrance Road (Tower Junction to the Northeast Entrance in Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana) is expected to open as planned on Oct. 15 to regular traffic.

Yellowstone is coordinating with Montana and Wyoming and a 7-mile section of road between Cooke City and the Pilot Creek Trailhead (known locally as the plug) will be plowed, if necessary, until the Old Gardiner Road is completed. This will ensure continued access to the communities of Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana.

For details, including up-to-date photos, about the June 2022 floods in the park and ongoing recovery, visit go.nps.gov/YELLflood.

 

Stay informed

Visitors traveling to the park must stay informed about the current situation, changes in visitor entry requirements, and road conditions. The public should also use extreme caution in areas of high water.

Visitors should regularly monitor updates from the park on new openings or closures as recovery efforts continue.

THINGS TO DO OUTSIDE OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Montana offers so much more to experience beyond Yellowstone National Park. There are endless options to experience Montana’s wide-open spaces, touchable history, western offerings and American Indian culture. Cast a fishing line on blue-ribbon waters with an experienced guide in Ennis, walk through Montana history in Virginia City and Nevada City, take the backroads to Helena and explore the Gates of the Mountains. Red Lodge’s historic downtown escaped the flood largely unscathed -- and Red Lodge is open for business.

• Much Ado About Red Lodge: Everything for Summer Fun
• Yellowstone Country  
• Visit Montana Trip Ideas
• West Yellowstone, Montana Bucket List
• Explore Livingston
• How to Enjoy Your Whitefish Vacation When Nature Has other Plans
• Discover Kalispell
• Explore Livingston
• Visit Dillion
• Visit Helena
• Visit Southeast Montana
• Visit Southwest Montana
• Western's Montana's Glacier Country
• Beyond Yellowstone: Where to view wildlife outside of the park.

Additional Yellowstone Road Information

In addition to road closures caused by flood damage, Yellowstone will have routine road improvement projects and maintenance, and park roads can close at any time due to inclement weather or dangerous driving conditions. Stay informed about up-to-date road conditions in Yellowstone:

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STATE OF MONTANA NEWSROOM 

• Gov. Gianforte Secures Individual Assistance for Montanans from FEMA
• Gov. Gianforte Dedicates $5 Million to Support Tourism Reliant Businesses Impacted by the Flooding
• Gov. Gianforte Uses bed Tax Funds to Support Flood-Impacted Tourism Regions
• Gov. Gianforte: Paradise Valley is Open for Business
• DEQ to Host Public Meeting on Draft Gallatin River Assessment
• Gov. Gianforte Meets with Business Leaders, Residents in Gardiner (mt.gov)
• Gov. Gianforte Secures Major Disaster Declaration from Pres. Biden for Severe Flooding
• Montana Requests Presidential Major Disaster Declaration
• Gov. Gianforte Declares Disaster for Flooding 

FLOOD DAMAGE 

• Resources for Flooding Recovery 
• Rebuilding after flood damage in Montana? You may need a permit

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OTHER NEWS

• Going-to-the-Sun Road opens in Glacier National Park
• Beartooth Highway partially reopens Wyoming side
• National Park Service announces $50 million in emergency funding; expedited plans to reopen 80% of Yellowstone