Yellowstone reopens limited-capacity southern loop after unprecedented flooding

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Visitors can now travel through the southern loop – accessible through the eastern, western, and southern entrances to the park – based on a varying license plate system, with some exceptions, the National Park Service said.

That system means that vehicles with number plates ending in an odd number can enter the park on odd days of the month, while even numbers (including zero) are allowed entry on even days of the month, according to the service.

That’s meant to slow down visitor traffic, the park service said. While there were “major backups” Wednesday morning, they were cleared at every entrance within hours, park service officials said in a press release.

Fewer than 5,000 vehicles entered the southern loop on Wednesday — a huge difference from the usual 10,000 or more cars coming in, the park service said.

“While it’s too early to say if the license plate system worked, it appears to have done its job by cutting our normal traffic counts by half,” park inspector Cam Sholly said in a statement. “We are pleased to have visitors back to Yellowstone and appreciate the patience of the public and community partners as we continue to work through this difficult situation.”

Cars, RVs and trucks lined up before dawn on Wednesday at the south entrance to Yellowstone National Park, waiting to gain entry for the first time in more than a week.

George Frey/Getty Images

The park’s northern loop, accessed through the northern and northeast entrances, will remain closed, the service added.

The park — which spans parts of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming — and surrounding cities were inundated by unprecedented rainfall and flooding that caused mudslides, rock slides and other dangerous conditions, officials said. said. Roads had been washed away in several places, while others had been hit by mudslides and fallen trees after the floods, officials said reported†

The heavy rain coupled with the rapid melting of snow that led to flooding along the Yellowstone River was an event of 1 in 500 years, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Tourism industry workers around Yellowstone National Park feel the financial consequences after historic floods closed the iconic park destination. CNNs Fredricka Whitfield spoke with Shawn Darr, who runs Little Trail Creek Cabins in nearby Gardiner, Montana, about whether she and the family business can survive financially.

“Cars are coming back into (Yellowstone National Park) this morning thanks to the hard work and dedicated efforts of many partners,” said Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon. said on Twitter Wednesday. “This is welcome news for our nearby communities and tourism in Wyoming.”

The park’s northern loop is also expected to reopen within the next two weeks, after cleaning, repair and inspection efforts are complete, the park said in a statement. a press release earlier this week.

CNN’s Claudia Dominguez and Paradise Afshar contributed to this report.

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