Yellowstone Roads Open For Memorial Day Weekend

Yellowstone Roads Open For Memorial Day Weekend
Date: May 22, 2009
Contact: Al Nash or Stacy Vallie, (307) 344-2015

All major roads leading to and within Yellowstone National Park are opening for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

The Beartooth Highway, the section of US-212 linking Red Lodge, Montana, with Cooke City, Silver Gate, and the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park, opened for travel at 8:00 Friday morning.

The road between Tower Fall and Canyon Junction over Dunraven Pass is set to open to travel Friday afternoon.

Many seasonal visitor services in Yellowstone National Park are open for the Memorial Day weekend. Details and current conditions are available online at http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/index.htm, by consulting the park newspaper handed out at entrance stations, or by asking the staff at visitor centers and information stations in and near the park.

The contract for the reconstruction of the road between Norris and Madison through Gibbon Canyon was awarded earlier this week to HK Contractors, Inc., of Idaho Falls.

There will be no construction work, delays, or closures this weekend. Once work begins next week, visitors can expect up to 30-minute construction delays. Beginning Monday, June 1, the road through Gibbon Canyon will also be closed to all travel between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.

There will be no construction delays or night time closures during the July 4th holiday weekend.

This section of road will be completely closed to all travel between Artists Paint Pots and the Tuff Cliff Picnic Area beginning August 17, in order to remove an existing bridge and build a new span across the Gibbon River. It will remain closed until it reopens to snowmobile and snowcoach travel in December.

Maps and additional details on park road construction projects are available at all visitor centers and online at http://www.nps.gov/yell. Updated Yellowstone National Park road information is always available 24 hours a day by calling 307-344-2117.