On the morning of June 13, the Service United States National Parks announced that due to flooding in Yellowstone, rockfalls and extremely dangerous conditions, proceeded to close access to the area . Since then, the park has evacuated more than 10,000 visitors inside and said in a statement that the entire northern section would remain closed for a "considerable time."
WHAT HAPPENED IN YELLOWSTONE?
"The biggest impact is in the area between Gardiner and Cooke City," said Yellowstone Superintendent, cam sholly , at a press conference, adding that if the park continues to suffer from rising temperatures and the right mix of precipitation, there could be another flood event coming soon , due to the expected rains and the speed with which the snow cover is melting.
Yellowstone National Park offers natural wonders like this one, drawing thousands of visitors each year.
This flooding was caused by a meteorological phenomenon known as "atmospheric river" , which dumped between 200 and 300 percent of normal humidity in the north of the Rocky Mountains during the weekend. "If you add that warm rain falling on snow (there was a lot of late-season snowpack in April and May in the area), you get not only a lot of rain, but also a lot of snowmelt ", He says michael poland , scientist in charge of Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.
This, mixed with the spring thaw rivers already swollen in June and the flooded soil in the area, caused the Yellowstone River will overflow well beyond its record levels : "Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent as a result of climate change Poland says.
The previous Yellowstone River flow record, set in 1918, was 850 cubic meters per second . "On Sunday night, we were in 1,444 Sholly said.
Damage to the southern part of the park, which is home to traveler favorites like Old Faithful, Norris Geyser Basin, and Yellowstone Lake , are much less important, although Sholly said there are several "potentially compromised" areas and they would need to go through an evaluation process before reopening to the public.
WHAT EFFECTS WILL IT HAVE ON THE FLOW OF VISITORS?
"One thing is clear, and that is that half of the park can't handle all the visitors," Sholly said during the closure of North Yellowstone. His team studied a wide range of solutions, such as timed entry reservation systems , for when the reopening of the southern zone was safe again.
"People should rethink whether to visit Yellowstone this summer," he said. Wes Martel , Wind River Conservation Senior Partner of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. "It will take a long-term rebuild and this will disrupt travel for some time."
Weather events in mid-June created extremely dangerous conditions in Yellowstone National Park.
The Wyoming Tourist Office and its partners quickly collected resources for travelers who had planned to visit the park and wanted to choose an alternative destination.
"Even though Yellowstone National Park is closed, Wyoming cities that serve as the gateway to the park and other Wyoming cities and attractions remain open ", said Piper Singer Cunningham , Director of Media and Public Relations for the Wyoming Office of Tourism, and encouraged visiting Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Bighorn National Forest, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, or one of Wyoming's great state parks as an alternative.
The Grand Tetons , the closest national park to Yellowstone, immediately noticed the increased pressure from people who changed their plans to avoid flooding: "Despite being in June, it is as crowded as in the middle of July," he explained. Chip Jenkins , superintendent of Grand Teton National Park.
"You have to expect that there will be a lot more people visiting, so you have to plan accordingly. Also, There are many wonderful places and communities in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem and throughout Wyoming that are well worth a visit." says Jenkins, who suggests visiting the impressive Bighorn Mountains from Wyoming as an alternative. Following "leave no trace" principles is also more important than ever, as public lands are crowded and tourists need to exercise a respectful tourism.
The small gateway towns to Yellowstone, especially gardener Y Cooke City , have been hit hard by the devastation, says Bill Berg , Park County Commissioner. For park lovers who are concerned about the future economic viability of these communities, suggested making a reservation in the future and exploring the surrounding areas, even though Yellowstone's north gates remained closed.
The Yellowstone Cabins were closed for the first few days after the storm, but have reopened with the rest of the southern part of the park.
He also shared a little advice for those who want to help from afar: "Two words: gift vouchers ", says Berg. "Putting money in the cash registers of these businesses is our promise of support for the future."
"I would say we're looking at a week or less to open the Southern Loop," Sholly said after the event. "But, once again, it is complicated, because it depends on us developing an adequate visitation plan".
THE LAST HOUR
After the dramatic situation that the park experienced, have managed to alleviate the effects of the devastating floods in Yellowstone and the park is open to the public again.
Although they have already opened both the northern area, the most affected by the weather event, and the southern area, the north and northeast entrances to the park remain closed, as well as some roads whose transit is still not safe.
Even so, the authority that manages the park continues to control the situation and the flow of visitors. If you want to be aware of the latest news, we recommend you follow the information published by the National Park Service of the United States on its website.
This article was published in the June 2022 international edition of Condé Nast Traveler.