Yellowstone Park roads open, subject to weather
Tower Junction to Canyon Village Road opens over Dunraven Pass
by Yellowstone National Park
June 8, 2011
After a ramped-up final push by snow removal crews this week to complete the clearing of all of Yellowstone National Park’s interior roads, the road over Dunraven Pass connecting Tower Junction and Canyon Village opened today (Wednesday, June 8) at 8:00 a.m.
Weather permitting, all park roads are now open for the season.
Sunny and warmer weekend weather helped to soften a thick layer of ice uncovered last week by crews plowing the pass, but weather will still continue to be a factor in the park’s three primary, high-elevation roads staying open over the next several days.
Up to a 70 percent chance of rain and snow is expected at elevations over 8,000 feet through Thursday. Highs are forecasted in the 40s, with lows in the low 30s and high 20s. The park’s highest road, Dunraven Pass is 8,880 feet. Sylvan Pass between Fishing Bridge and the East Entrance, which opened to 24-hour vehicle travel June 5 after weeks of avalanche restrictions, is 8,524 feet. Craig Pass between Old Faithful and West Thumb is 8,262 feet.
Though any road inside Yellowstone can be subject to adverse impact with the spring elements, both Dunraven and Sylvan Pass routes are particularly prone to avalanche or rock slide activity and could close at a moment’s notice when rain and snow persist. Yellowstone avalanche forecasters have currently deemed both routes stable and safe for visitor travel.
Plow crews also continue to work clearing snow from the last few miles of US-212, the Beartooth Highway. After clearing snowfall which has accumulated last week, they will finish opening the road between West Summit and the Montana-Wyoming State Line. Weather conditions permitting, this should allow the entire length of road between Red Lodge and Cooke City, Montana, to open to travelers by this weekend.
Information on park road conditions is available 24 hours a day by calling the park’s road information hotline at 307-344-2117, or go online to www.nps.gov/yell
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