In mid-June historic floods ripped through Yellowstone National Park. Thousands of visitors were evacuated and the park was temporarily closed as officials assessed the damage.
Eventually, all but two entrances to the park were reopened. The North Entrance, near Gardiner, and the Northeast Entrance, near Cooke City, have been closed to the public all summer due to road damage caused by the flooding. Since then the Park Service has launched a heroic effort with federal partners to reopen the roadways.
On this episode, Brett French, outdoor editor for the Billings Gazette, talks about how those efforts are going and what the impacts of the park’s closing of the two entrances has had on the gateway communities of Cooke City, Silver Gate and Gardiner.Â
FLOOD COVERAGE: Severe flooding pummels Mountain West, Yellowstone National Park
Torrential rains throughout the Mountain West have washed out bridges, eroded roadways and prompted evacuations. Communities in and around Yellowstone National Park are among some of the hardest hit.
As of Monday afternoon, the flooding activity had not softened and in some areas of the Mountain West, the activity is expected to worsen in the coming hours and days. As officials evacuated Red Lodge residents and Yellowstone closed its entrances due to extreme flooding, forecasters with the National Weather Service said larger towns downriver were set to see peak river flows starting Monday evening.
Stranded families sought new places to stay after record flooding closed Yellowstone's five entrances on Monday. Meanwhile, authorities worked to evacuate visitors inside the park.Â
Runoff in the Beartooth Mountains turned Rock Creek into a torrent early Monday morning, forcing dozens of residents from their homes and closing secondary highways.
After massive river flooding wiped out all roads to Gardiner on Monday, huge crowds of travelers and residents are trapped in the mountain town.
Dozens of people have been rescued from the Woodbine Campground via raft after severe flooding along the Stillwater River closed five bridges, leaving them stranded.
What happens next in some regions depends on if precipitation falls as rain or snow and how hot it gets later this week.
A video captured by Beartooth Slingshot Rentals captures devastating aerial footage of the flood roaring through the Red Lodge area.Â
Severe flooding throughout the Mountain West region has caused extensive damage to towns, roadways and more.Â
Dramatic scenes of flooding in Red Lodge Monday June 13
Historic flooding damages homes, roads and bridges as the Stillwater and Boulder Rivers flood on Monday.Â
Historic flooding damages roads and bridges and floods homes along the Yellowstone River south of Livingston on Monday.
Photos: Devastation at Yellowstone National Park
Part of a home sits in Rock Creek in Red Lodge as historic flooding continues to devastate the town and region.
Part of a home sits in Rock Creek in Red Lodge as historic flooding continues to devastate the town and region.
Water and debris fill Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge on Tuesday as historic flooding devastates the town and the region.
Water and debris surround a destroyed home on Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge on Tuesday as historic flooding devastates the town and the region.
A home in Red Lodge is torn apart as historic flooding devastates the region.
A vehicle on Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge is trapped by boulders and debris as a result of the historic flooding in the region.
Water and debris fill Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge on Tuesday as historic flooding devastates the town and the region. For safety, people are advised to avoid the flood zone and debris when possible.
Homes and businesses on Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge are damaged as historic flooding devastates the town and the region.
Water donations sit at the Carbon County Fair Grounds as crews and volunteers work to help those who have been evacuated.
Water and debris fill Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge on Tuesday as historic flooding devastates the town and the region.
Jodi McKay places a pump hose in the street on Broadway Avenue as locals try to pump water from their homes and businesses as historic flooding devastates the town and region.
Debris and boulders fill a crack in the road on Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge on Tuesday as historic flooding devastates the town and the region.
Water and debris fill Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge on Tuesday as historic flooding devastates the town and the region.
Water and debris fill Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge on Tuesday as historic flooding devastates the town and the region.
Water rushes past a damaged bridge in Red Lodge as historic flooding continues to devastate the town and region.
Water and debris surround a destroyed home on Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge on Tuesday as historic flooding devastates the town and the region.
Water rushes past a home in Red Lodge as historic flooding continues to devastate the town and region.
Sandbags line Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge on Monday as historic flooding devastates the town and region.
