Yellowstone Reopens a Key Gateway After Devastating June Flooding
Yellowstone’s river was closed for the better part of a week following June 28 flooding that devastated much of the state, including Yellowstone National Park, which is at the center of the flood. After the devastating flood, Yellowstone, which sees about a million visitors each year, reopened on Thursday—the first time since the flood that the park has fully reopened since the 1906 Yellowstone fire.
The flood broke through levees, destroyed buildings, destroyed infrastructure and left behind a smoldering landscape. The river in Yellowstone National Park was nearly five feet above its normal level at the time of the flood.
Now, after spending a week in the park, the visitor bureau is proud to announce that the park has officially reopened on Thursday, November 9th, in observance of National Parks Week, and that it will remain open until November 11th, with daily admission to the park limited for 48 hours after that.
The reopening occurred after about a month in the park had been spent repairing roads, bridges, buildings, and infrastructure. The new $2.5 billion visitors center was completed in July and reopened this month after $200 million in repairs to the visitor center and lodge.
“We’re really excited to welcome visitors back to the park—especially in recognition of National Parks Week,” said National Park Service Superintendent Dan Wenk. “This first visit has been thrilling for the park and the people of Yellowstone. We are very grateful for all of the work that the people of the state, including volunteers and contractors, put forth to reopen the park and begin our rebuilding.”
In the aftermath of the devastating flood, the park was closed from June 28 until July 1. The park reopened on July 3. The park has been closed since and is set to reopen on November 9 at 9 a.m.
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This was the first time the park had opened since June 30 when flooding forced the closure of the park for more than two weeks.
The park reopened this year in observance of National Parks Week.
What You Can Do This summer
While the park was closed in June, there were many things visitors could do in the park during the long two weeks that the park was closed. Visitors were allowed out of the parks Yellowstone Visitor Lodge and Visitor Center for a