Yellowstone National Park Partially Reopening With Interim Visitor Access Plan

Following a week's worth of record rainfall and intense flooding, which destroyed a good deal of critical infrastructure, Yellowstone National Park is set to reopen its south loop to the public this coming Wednesday, June 22.

Park officials were forced to close all entrances into Yellowstone after the unprecedented downpour began on June 12, causing preternatural floods, rockslides and mudslides within the park. The region's engorged waterways also washed-out roads, bridges, railroad tracks, housing and power lines, broke water mains and submerged wells.

On June 15, the torrential Yellowstone River utterly destroyed sections of the North Entrance Road and, due to extensive damages that are still being assessed as the waters recede, the northern portion of the park will remain closed for the foreseeable future. But, there's better news for the south loop, which will open at limited capacity this week.

"At 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 22, Yellowstone National Park will begin allowing visitors to access the south loop of the park," the park said in a statement. "The south loop is accessed from the East (Cody), West (West Yellowstone), and South (Grand Teton/Jackson). Areas accessible include Madison, Old Faithful, Grant Village, Lake Village, Canyon Village and Norris."

To ensure the recovering park isn't overwhelmed by visitors, officials are implementing a so-called interim access plan, called the Alternating License Plate System (ALPS).

Essentially, here's how it will work:

- Public vehicles with license plates ending in odd numbers will be allowed to enter on odd days of the month.