The East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park opened on May 1, but Google and Apple Maps apparently didn’t get the memo.
Even as vehicles streamed out of Cody into Yellowstone, the popular navigation apps insisted the East Entrance was closed, and would remain closed for almost a month.
"Anybody heading toward Yellowstone that opening weekend would have seen that it was six hours from Cody to Old Faithful, because they would have had to go all the way up through Gardiner and come back down,” said Jennifer Thoma, executive director of the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce.
The problem’s since been fixed, but this wasn’t the first time Apple and Google have gotten it wrong, and probably won’t be the last.
In the meantime, people who avoid Cody and Yellowstone because they mistakenly are led to believe the park is closed costs locals money.
For Cody business owners, it’s a frustrating problem that needs to be resolved, but there’s no one they can turn to.
“I've never been able to get ahold of anybody who can tell me why this happens,” Thoma said. “It’s just the algorithm.”
Rick Howe, president and CEO of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, has the same issue at Yellowstone’s South Entrance. Even when it's open, Google Maps sometimes insists it isn’t and tries redirecting tourists and their business elsewhere.
“I have a little disappointment in the way Google operates, but there's nothing I can do to change that,” he said. “'It’s more of an issue for the visitor than for us, but it’s a very inconsistent problem.”
Recalculating ...
Every year, the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce hosts a Park and Pancakes Breakfast on May 1. People enjoy a free breakfast in Cody before setting off for the East Entrance, which is usually open before the first pancake is flapped.
However, many people who plugged Yellowstone into Google Maps that day were told the East Entrance was closed. If they wanted to get into the park, they had to go the long way.
Katy Eldridge of Farmerville, Louisiana, was planning to enter Yellowstone through Cody in the first week of May. Google Maps told her that U.S. Highway 14 between the East Entrance and Pahaska Tepee was closed until May 29.
Scott Palmatier said he encountered the same problem.
Google Maps told him he would have to travel nearly five hours to get from Cody to Yellowstone on opening day, even though the East Entrance was wide open.
Thoma was well aware of the problem because she got dozens of calls and texts from Cody business owners concerned about how Google Maps would impact the start of their summer season.
“I've seen lots of posts on different Facebook pages of people asking if the East Entrance was open,” she said. “Lots of posts asking, ‘How do we get in? How do we plan our trip if these gates are no longer available?’”
The problem was fixed a few days later — until the South Entrance opened on May 8.
“The East Entrance opened on a Friday, and Google Maps had it fixed by the following Tuesday,” Thoma said, meaning it was telling visitors the entrance was closed throughout opening weekend.
“When the South Entrance opened that Friday, it all reverted back to being incorrect and said the East Entrance was closed,” Thoma added.
Nothing To Do With It
Thoma has raised the Google Maps issue with all relevant entities, and they all have the same answer, she said.
“We’ve talked about it with Yellowstone and Grand Teton every year, and they have nothing to do with it,” she said. “The National Park Service has nothing to do with it.”
Most people would assume Thoma could call someone at Google to correct the problem. She assumed the same, and has tried multiple times.
“We haven’t been able to reach anybody up to this point,” she said.
The only agency that seems to have some ability to make a change is the Wyoming Department of Transportation. That’s become Thoma’s go-to when Google and Apple keep telling tourists the East Entrance’s closed.
Even then, it’s not an immediate fix. Thoma said it sometimes takes weeks to fully resolve the issue.
“It throws everyone for a loop,” she said. “The only way we've been able to influence a correction is with WYDOT, and it usually takes them multiple tries as well.”
Howe tried to address the issue with the Teton Village Association and a group of concerned business leaders. He hit similar roadblocks on effecting any change.
“You can't call one person at Google, tell them when the park’s open, and make sure it’s reflected on the app,” he said. “Like every other technology platform, you may get somebody that's in the U.S., or you may get somebody that's in Norway. There's not a lot we can do about it at the moment.”
The Park Is Open
Apple and Google Maps’ dynamic with Yellowstone’s Wyoming entrances has always been finicky. It doesn’t take much for the apps to direct tourists elsewhere.
“We had a fire on the North Fork a few years ago, and they closed the road for 15 minutes or so to clear debris,” Thoma said. “Google Maps said the road would be closed for a couple of weeks.”
Thomas said these persistent issues are “killing tourism” in northwest Wyoming in the early weeks of Yellowstone’s summer season.
She believes tourists are avoiding staging their early May Yellowstone excursions out of Cody because the navigation apps aren’t showing that the road is open.
“It’s come up in some conversations we’ve had with visitors, but that’s after they’ve gotten to Cody,” she said. “If somebody's driving I-90 and decides where they want to enter Yellowstone, are they going to Gardiner or Cody?
"Of course, they're going to pick Gardiner because Google Maps shows it’s open.”
One possible explanation for the year-after-year problem is the historically unpredictable opening date for the East Entrance.
While the North Entrance is open year-round, and the West Entrance consistently opens in mid-April, the East Entrance opening has been dependent on how much snow is in Sylvan Pass between the entrance and Fishing Bridge. It’s usually open by May 15.
That’s changed in recent years. Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly has consistently worked to have the East Entrance open by May 1 and has succeeded for the last several years.
Apparently, that hasn’t been enough for Apple and Google Maps. Until corrected, their default is to keep the East Entrance closed until June.
“Anytime the East Entrance opens or closes, there’s an issue,” Thoma said.
Howe said another major reason this issue keeps happening year after year is that Google doesn’t vibe with Yellowstone’s seasonal schedule. That’s why it defaults to the North Entrance, which is open year-round.
“It's hard for Google to navigate change,” he said. “It works when things are consistent, but seasonal openings and closures of specific locations are really hard for the current platform to handle, and there’s no clear way to change that.”
It Happens When It Happens
Thoma will keep bringing up the East Entrance’s navigation app issues until it's fixed. So far, she hasn’t figured out how to accomplish that.
“Nobody can tell me why it happens or what I can do to correct it,” she said. “WYDOT seems to have the most influence, but it’s not an immediate fix. It happens when it happens.”
Yellowstone’s East Entrance isn’t the most popular entrance. That’s partly because Cody is an hour’s drive away from the entrance, and the first major tourist hub inside the park — Fishing Bridge — is another hour from there.
The Montana entrances in Gardiner and West Yellowstone are much closer and thus, much busier. Cody has leaned into the lack of crowds and the incredible scenery at the East Entrance to promote itself as the ideal start to a Yellowstone experience.
“May is a great time to get into the park, and there’s beautiful weather in Cody,” Thoma said. “These app issues have a huge impact on Cody because it tells people our entrance is closed.”
Trust But Verify
Howe had a more optimistic assessment of the ongoing mapping app situation. He believes most people don’t blindly follow Google or Apple Maps everywhere, especially when planning a Yellowstone vacation.
“In today’s world, I feel like most people are savvy enough to call somebody and check for a second resource,” he said. “I find that most people coming through here aren't going to base their decision on that single resource. With no disrespect to Google, the majority of people don’t trust online platforms.”
The best source for accurate, up-to-date information on Yellowstone’s roads is the park itself and the websites of the chambers of commerce in the gateway communities. That’s why Howe and Thomas prioritize providing that information to travelers confused by Google Maps.
“To me, our chambers of commerce are probably one of the most trusted resources, not only in North America, but on the planet, and we're happy for that,” he said. “I never expected Google to be 100% accurate about everything, and anybody who’s used Google Maps in the parks knows that.”
Even in the increasingly technological 21st century, Howe thinks most people trust people over technology.
“It’s the old military code of trust but verify,” he said. “Somebody can call me today, say the park is open or closed at any entrance, and I can have it on our website in 15 minutes.
"I find that very few people decide on their trips based on what Google Maps suggests. That’s why we’re happy to be a resource for accurate information.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
