MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY - The National Park Service (NPS) has signed a Finding of No Significant Impact and associated Wetlands/Floodplains Statement of Findings to reconstruct the North Entrance Road between Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, and Gardiner, Montana, in Yellowstone National Park.
The FONSI, approved by the NPS Regional Director, describes the selected action and establishes that there will be no significant impact on the environment. The preferred Alternative 2: Center Alignment was selected.
In January 2026, the NPS, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and Western Federal Lands, prepared an environmental assessment to evaluate potential impacts of the proposed reconstruction.
DIGITAL EXTRA: Yellowstone National Park releases new video of June (2022) flooding (FILE VIDEO)
The project aims to provide reliable and essential long-term access for park visitors, staff, emergency responders, commercial users, and residents of gateway communities.
The reconstruction effort stems from a 500-year flood event that struck Yellowstone on June 13, 2022. The flood destroyed infrastructure in the northern portion of the park, including several sections of the North Entrance Road and segments of the Northeast Entrance Road between Tower Junction and Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana. Both roads are open year-round and serve as the only winter vehicle access in and out of the park.
After briefly closing the park to regular visitor traffic on June 13, 2022, a temporary North Entrance Road was constructed between Mammoth Hot Springs and Gardiner using the historic Old Gardiner Road wagon trail, which opened to the public Oct. 30, 2022. Although the temporary road has successfully provided visitor access to the park, it was not engineered for the long-term.
Under the selected alternative, the Old Gardiner Road will be converted into a multi-use recreation trail, and most of the damaged road located in the Gardner Canyon will be reclaimed.
