Yellowstone National Park has been devastated by a historic flood.
Buildings have been destroyed, roads are in pieces and entire nearby towns have been isolated as roaring water rushed through the region.
As park officials and nearby communities work to rebuild from the destruction, parts of the park probably won’t reopen this summer.
The National Park Service said Tuesday, June 14, that the northern portion of Yellowstone likely won’t reopen this season.
“Many sections of road in these areas are completely gone and will require substantial time and effort to reconstruct,” park officials said in a safety alert. “The National Park Service will make every effort to repair these roads as soon as possible; however, it is probable that road sections in northern Yellowstone will not reopen this season due to the time required for repairs.”
As of Wednesday, June 15, all entrances to the national park will remain closed for the time being.
Tourists with overnight accommodations are being evacuated to “prevent visitors from being stranded,” officials said. Park rangers are working to assist five groups of campers out of the park’s backcountry. Officials have not said when other portions of the park will reopen.
“There will be no inbound visitor traffic at any of the five entrances into the park, including visitors with lodging and camping reservations, until conditions improve and park infrastructure is evaluated,” officials said.
The National Park Service said there have been no reported injuries or deaths in the park during the flood.
People with plans to visit the park in the coming weeks will need to stay up-to-date on the current conditions, park rangers said. Tourists can receive road alert messages to their phone by texting 82190 to 888-777 or check road conditions here.
Yellowstone is the third most popular national park in the U.S., trailing only Great Smoky Mountains and Zion. More than 4.86 million people visited the park last year for its busiest on record.
The north entrance gate is one of the most popular ways to enter the park, according to National Park Service data. In 2021, more than 116,000 people entered the park through the north gate. An additional 20,000 entered through the northeast.
