Yellowstone Begins Reopening, But MT Entrances Remain Closed

Well jeez, if the lady who snuck into Yellowstone this week had just waited a little bit, maybe she wouldn't have fallen into Old Faithful.

Yellowstone National Park, which has been closed since March 24th due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, is beginning the process of gradually reopening. Two of their five entrances will be open beginning on May 18th. The three Montana entrances, however, are staying closed. Here's an excerpt from the press release sent out by the National Park Service:

Yellowstone has outlined a three-phased plan that initially opens the South and East entrances of Wyoming and limits visitor travel to the lower loop of the park. The lower loop allows visitors to access Lake, Canyon, Norris, Old Faithful, West Thumb, and Grant Village.

 

Wyoming has lifted out-of-state travel restrictions and has requested the state’s entrances open the week of May 18. Montana and Idaho continue to have out-of-state restrictions in place and the park is working closely with these states and counties to open the remaining three entrances as soon as possible.

That's kind of a bummer for Montanans who want to get out of the house and explore, but it's definitely better to err on the side of caution. At least it's a good sign that Yellowstone will be up and running again - even on a limited basis - and that hopefully it can get back to normal soon.