A spring snowstorm that's been pulsing through the Rocky Mountains has left Yellowstone National Park somewhat of a winter wonderland, and park officials are warning travelers that it could be tough to negotiate the park for the next few days.
Roads are being plowed and re-opened as conditions allow, but at the same time park officials are advising that snow tires might be required at times. For the latest road conditions in Yellowstone, you can call 307-344-2117 24 hours a day. Current forecasts call for gusty winds and snow squalls with conditions beginning to improve slightly on Friday.
All interior roads were closed Wednesday afternoon. The road from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful re-opened at 10:00 a.m. today; the roads from Madison Junction north to Norris, Mammoth, and Canyon, might be reopened later in the day if conditions allow. Visitors should be prepared for the roads to close at any time if conditions deteriorate.
The road from the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, to the Northeast Entrance and Cooke City, Montana, is open year-round. Interior park roads normally open this time of year include: the West Entrance to Madison Junction to Old Faithful; the North Entrance south to Norris and Madison Junction; and Norris east to Canyon.
When the road segments are open, limited facilities are available at Old Faithful, Canyon, and Mammoth Hot Springs. A complete list of facility and road closing dates can be found on the web at www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/open_closedates.htm.
Here are some resources that can help you sort out travel conditions in Yellowstone:
* Yellowstone’s 24-hr road update line at: 307-344-2117
* National Weather Service forecast for Yellowstone and Grand Teton: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/riw/?n=ynp_gtnp
* Wyoming Road Information: 888-WYO-ROAD or http://www.wyoroad.info/
* Montana Road Information: 800-226-7623 or http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/
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Comments
This spring storm highlights some of the operational problems with recent suggestions to just plow the road to Old Faithful in winter as a new winter use management scheme. Plowing advocates minimize the real-world difficulties associated with keeping roads open in severe winter conditions. A winter use plan that relied on plowing would also likely result in multiple days of road closures for major storms, like this one. That's the kind of uncertainty that can kill winter tourism operators hoping to reliably schedule tours for clients.
It's also easy to forget that plowed roads inevitably grow narrower and narrower over the winter as the frozen snow berms encroach closer together after each major storm and subsequent plowing. You will ultimately need to come in with dozers to push back the berms and widen the roadways, or bring in rotary snowplows to carve back the berms. We've all seen this requirement on high country highways that are kept open through the Rockies in the winter. That will add to the expense, and also to the impacts to the park's natural soundscape from days of intensive berm pushing/snow-blowing.
Oh, gawd. A friend and I have a reservation for an Old Faithful Lodge cabin the weekend they open for the season -- which is less than two weeks away.
Can it please quit snowing and warm up just a bit for us? It's her first visit. Pretty please?
If this works, here are some photos of snow in Yosemite on the Badger Pass road and Chinquapin Ranger Station area. They were taken in the winter of 1968.
[img101264688764542374490's Picasa Web Album - YOSEMITE snow]
Okay. It apparently didn't work. Any computer gurus out there? Help?
[img]101264688764542374490's Picasa Web Album - YOSEMITE snow
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