Salvaging Your Yellowstone Trip

Above, the Gibbon River in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The closure of Yellowstone National Park due to the massive flooding last week obviously is causing a number of problems.

One of which is causing people who have plans and reservations to visit the park. The questions arise, "What if you can't get into Yellowstone? What do you do?"

WGCU (PBS and NPR affiliate in Florida) has some suggestions.

They begin with:

Many potential vacationers to Yellowstone National Park are wondering what to do with the possibility that they will be turned away at the gates, even as the park speeds up plans to reopen after unprecedented flooding.

Flash floods devastated the northern part of the park last week, with swelling rivers washing away roads and sweeping entire structures downstream.

On Monday, park officials announced that Yellowstone's north loop, which had been expected to be closed for months, will now reopen within two weeks after a surge of funding was acquired for repairs. Over the weekend the National Park Service said the south loop, which avoided the worst of the flooding damage, will reopen on Wednesday.

To deal with crowding, the Park Service announced over the weekend a new interim entry system based on vehicle license plate numbers. That could change to a reservation or timed entry system, if warranted, in the next three to four weeks.

About 1 million visitors come to Yellowstone each month during the summer. While the park works to fully reopen quicker than expected, it's clear that many vacationers will still be forced to change their itineraries.  

But if you've already made your reservations or are already nearby, there are still plenty of options — especially for the outdoor enthusiasts — in the surrounding areas. Many of the towns and recreational areas outside of the park are still open for visitors looking to salvage their summer plans.

To read more, go here.