(Wapiti) Hundreds of cars and RVs lined up Wednesday at the entrances to Yellowstone National Park, which was partially reopening after unprecedented flooding reshaped its rivers and canyons, washed away several roads and made some inaccessible of his most famous animals.
Posted at 11:34 a.m.
Officials lifted the barriers at three of the park’s five entrances for the first time since June 13, when rivers in Wyoming and Montana swelled out of their beds by downpours and the spring melting of the snowpack chased away some 10 000 website visitors.
Some of the main attractions of the oldest national park in the United States can once again be visited, including Old Faithful ― the legendary geyser that spews plumes of hot water with almost metronomic regularity a dozen times a day.
But the bears, wolves and bison that frequent the wild Lamar Valley and the thermal attractions around Mammoth Hot Springs will remain out of reach. The wildlife-rich northern portion of the park will be closed until at least the beginning of July, and major roads into the park from the Montana towns of Gardiner, Red Lodge and Cooke City are severed.
It is not known how many visitors will show up in the immediate aftermath of the flooding, but the queues seen on Wednesday show that many have no intention of changing their plans. Park managers were expecting unprecedented traffic for the 150e anniversary of Yellowstone, after welcoming 4.9 million visitors last year, a record.
To control crowds while repair work continues, officials are only admitting vehicles with license plates ending in an even number on even days, and an odd number on odd days.
This rule does not apply to visitor groups that use multiple cars or those that have reservations at park hotels and campgrounds.
The leaders do not exclude the establishment of a reservation system if the traffic is too intense.
Officials are yet to take the full measure of the flood damage. Yellowstone’s environment is very delicate and repairs could stretch over several years.