The National Park Service (NPS) and the Montana Department of Transportation (MDOT) hoped to open the Beartooth Highway for Memorial Day weekend. Mother Nature had other plans.
MDOT announced that the opening of the Beartooth Highway, scheduled for 8 a.m. Friday, has been delayed because of “deep, drifting snow.”
“It's my understanding that they are seeing a lot of snow,” said Charity Burns, MDOT spokesperson.
The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for the Absaroka and Beartooth mountains until midnight Thursday. U.S. Highway 212 — aka the Beartooth Highway — could see up to 2 feet of snow and wind gusts as high as 35 mph, with more snow expected over the weekend.
One-Sided Opening (If Any)
MDOT and the NPS jointly manage the Beartooth Highway, which winds through northern Wyoming and southern Montana and is a popular route to Yellowstone. Trucks from both agencies have been clearing several feet of snow from both ends of the highway since mid-April.
MDOT is monitoring the current snowstorm. Burns said there’s a chance the Montana side of the Beartooth Highway could open, at least partially, before the end of Memorial Day weekend.
“We are still hopeful we can get it open,” she said. “The conditions right now are saying that it won't be first thing (Friday) morning, but we're going to continue to monitor it. If we can open it, we will open it to Vista Point.”
Vista Point is 26 miles from Red Lodge, Montana. The expanse between Vista Point and the Wyoming state line will likely stay closed for the entire weekend.
Meanwhile, Yellowstone National Park confirmed the Wyoming side of the Beartooth Highway will remain closed through Memorial Day weekend because of significant snowfall and hazardous driving conditions.
Opening And Closing
The NPS issued several other road closures in Yellowstone on Thursday. Sylvan Pass, the route between Yellowstone’s East Entrance and Fishing Bridge, was closed for most of the day due to slick roads and “stuck vehicles.”
Meanwhile, the South Entrance Road to Grant Village temporarily closed at 5 p.m. Both the East and South Entrances are expected to remain closed until Friday.
The Dunraven Pass between Canyon Village and Tower Fall has remained closed, and no date has been announced for its reopening.
Elsewhere in Wyoming, other high-elevation passes attempted their own weather-dependent openings. The Medicine Bow Highway opened without incident while conditions on U.S. 14A in the Bighorn Mountains were “wet and slick with heavy, blowing snow,” according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
Large sections of Interstate 25 between Wheatland and Cheyenne and from Casper to Buffalo were closed to all high-profile vehicles Thursday because of an extreme blow-over risk. WYDOT classified Wyoming Highway 296 between Cody and Cooke City, Montana, and U.S. Highway 26 between Dubois and Grand Teton National Park as High Impact as they were “slick with snowfall.”
Wintry Weekend
Cold fronts moving into northwest Wyoming were expected to bring heavy snow to the mountainous regions throughout the week. Based on these patterns, Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day said Memorial Day in Yellowstone was looking “not very tourist friendly.”
“The biggest concern is keeping people in Yellowstone warm and dry,” he said. “Sun, rain, snow, thunder — all those things are on the table up there, and the pattern doesn't settle down up there until after the weekend is over. Each of these waves will bring a chance to rain and snow to Yellowstone.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
