![]() ![]() WYDOT officials were able to clear debris from under some bridges even while traffic continued flowing, Beers recounted. We never had any major issues with bridges" outside the park. "It was just the entrances into Yellowstone that closed. so people can have a great time even though Yellowstone is not part of the trip."Īs for highways and byways, many connecting the town of Cody to one of Yellowstone's five entrances, they "have been open the whole time," Beers reported. "There are a lot of cool things to see in northwest Wyoming. They need our help right now," Beers said. "These communities are open outside of Yellowstone. Like others the Wyoming Tribune Eagle spoke with in recent days, Beers, who works for the Wyoming Department of Transportation, encouraged travelers to continue visiting the areas surrounding the park. This upshot is people from the Cheyenne area, and indeed from across the country, can still travel to the Wyoming gateway communities that are near the entrances to the park. Separately on Friday, the state's congressional delegation wrote federal officials asking for help restoring infrastructure.Īt least the roads are open for anyone who cares to travel, and there is much to see outside Yellowstone, many have pointed out in recent days. they'll put up with it" for a few days and then "they'll pack up and go home." "It's gonna be a boom-bust thing," the motel owner surmised. He explained why things may have changed from earlier this past week, when hopes were voiced that gateway businesses might not see too much interruption this summer, since flooding was mainly limited to Yellowstone itself. And then Cody and the other stuff is just a bonus," noted Holly, who has owned his motel for some 18 years. The problem is that, until at least some of the park is open to vehicular traffic, that gives would-be visitors to the area less reason to travel to places like Cody. ![]() Instead, they would presumably open for the summer season - in 2023. State transportation spokesperson Cody Beers noted by phone Friday evening that, as others have stated, the two northern entrances to Yellowstone may not open this year. But hopefully we'll see an update next week" when the park's southern loop opens. Like somebody turned a switch off almost. So things could either turn around or business could drop off further.Īnswering the phone Friday night at the Big Bear Motel in Cody, longtime owner Bill Holly said things were "slow. national park has ever been entirely shut to the outside due to flooding. ![]() It's still very early-on in the closure of Yellowstone, the first time the oldest U.S. Some of that initial tourism activity had been dwindling, at least based on interviews with two long-lived lodging establishments in Cody and Jackson. Initial signs were not as encouraging as some were hoping for in the early part of this past week, when some gateway businesses said tourism was still brisk considering Yellowstone was being evacuated. Just as there are some twists with the park's gradual reopening, and as with many economics and business matters, there is no clear-cut answer to what will happen with business in the gateway communities. "To ensure the south loop does not become overwhelmed with visitors and to balance park resource protection and economic interests of surrounding communities, the park is instituting an interim visitor access plan." "Park staff have engaged over 1,000 business owners, park partners, commercial operators and residents in surrounding gateway communities to determine how to manage summer visitation while the north loop remains closed due to flood damage," the announcement said. It can be accessed from the East entrance around Cody the West, near West Yellowstone and the South, near Grand Teton/Jackson. The less-damaged south loop will again allow vehicular entry. Instead, people will essentially be limited to coming on either evenly numbered dates (such as the reopening June 22) or, if their vehicle has a final license plate number ending in an odd digit, they can only visit on odd-numbered dates (such as June 23, which happens to be a Thursday). Wednesday, not all visitors can come whenever they like. The park announced that, while it will partly reopen at 8 a.m. A question for local businesses and their supporters is, will anyone come to the so-called gateway communities before the park resumes complete operations, which is not likely until the start of next summer?Īnother twist came Saturday afternoon. highways and roads used to get to and from part of Yellowstone National Park have remained open, even during the park's historic flooding, a state official wants travelers to know. ![]()
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