Yellowstone to partially reopen Wednesday after massive flooding

Yellowstone National Park will reopen its south loop on Wednesday after closing this week due to unprecedented flooding.

The south loop, which includes the famous Old Faithful geyser, will reopen at 8 a.m. on June 22, the National Park Service announced Saturday in a press release.

The park will limit admission based on car license plates. People with odd-numbered last digits on their plates can enter on odd days, and people with even-numbered last digits can enter on even days.

Floodwaters wipe out a house in Red Lodge, Mont., just north of Yellowstone National Park on June 15. (David Goldman/)

Commercial tours and people with reservations inside the park are exempted from the license plate system. People with all-letter vanity plates will be allowed in on odd-numbered days.

“To balance the demand for visitor access, park resource protection, and economic interests of the communities, the Alternating License Plate System was suggested by gateway communities as an interim solution during major public engagement with the park,” the National Park Service said in a Frequently Asked Questions post.

“Park managers and partners have agreed the ALPS system is the best interim solution to ensure the south loop does not become overwhelmed by visitors.”

A bulldozer sits on North Entrance Road surrounded by sections washed away by recent floodwaters at Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner, Mont., Thursday, June 16, 2022. (David Goldman/)

The north loop is expected to be closed for a “substantial length of time” after massive floods washed out roads and caused landslides throughout the park.

Beginning Wednesday, people will be able to enter Yellowstone from the west, east and south. The northern entrances will remain closed.

In addition to Old Faithful, the south loop includes the Grand Prismatic Springs, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the Grant Village, Lake Village, Canyon Village and Norris areas.