PARKING IT

Yellowstone National Park Shuts Down Due to ‘Unprecedented’ Flooding

Closed indefinitely just as summer travel season hits peak season.

An “unprecedented” level of rainfall triggered torrential flooding and mudslides in Yellowstone National Park on Monday, park authorities said, with the “extremely hazardous conditions” prompting an evacuation and the closure of all entrances. The pounding rain, which affected large swaths of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, washed away roads and destroyed at least one bridge. The impassable roads have isolated the small community of Gardiner, Montana, which is located just north of the park, officials said on Facebook, adding that park staff were liaising with local agencies to provide support to the town. With multiple areas of the park hit by power outages and “additional rainfall forecasted,” the park said no inbound traffic would be allowed “until the conditions stabilize and the park can assess damage to roads and bridges,” though it was not immediately clear when that would be. More than 780,000 typically visit Yellowstone throughout June, according to National Park Service data from 2014 to 2018.