Within a couple hours drive (or so), you will find many great places to visit. Billings, Montana, with museums, restaurants, hotels, and an event center. Yellowstone National Park, well, the only thing I can say is one of the most awesome places in America. Cody, Wyoming, with the Irma Hotel, a historic hotel, a rodeo every Friday, restaurants, and museums.
Archives for April 2022
A Unique Dining Experience – Montana Dinner Yurt
The Montana Dinner Yurt is one of Big Sky’s most unique dining experiences and one you and your family will remember for years to come.
The Yurt is tucked away on Lone Mountain and is accessed via snowcat from the base at Big Sky Resort. The snowcat ride is half the fun and if you have an adventurous nature make sure you ride up top (outside) but don’t worry, they have blankets! The ride is about 10-minutes. Once you arrive at the Yurt and you get settled at your table you will find the French Onion soup and warm bread is a delight! After soup, you will have a bit of time to sled or enjoy the fireplace on the large deck. Once back inside, enjoy the main course which is served family-style and consists of a tender filet mignon with peppercorn sauce (so tender it cuts like butter!), garlic mashed potatoes, and sautéed veggies, and dessert is a warm Toblerone chocolate fondue with fresh fruit and pound cake…delicious. There will be some time after dinner for the kids to sled before you ride down the mountain. You do need to bring your own alcohol and if you would like a vegetarian or fish option, please make that selection when you make reservations.
Yellowstone Park Road Improvement Projects 2022
Projects aimed at improving safety, access and experience on park roads.
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. – There will be three major road improvement projects in Yellowstone National Park beginning in 2022. All three projects will cause major delays (Lewis River Bridge, Old Faithful to West Thumb and Yellowstone River Bridge) and two projects (Old Faithful to West Thumb and Lewis River Bridge) will have overnight closures.
The National Park Service decided to begin the Old Faithful to West Thumb and Lewis River Bridge projects simultaneously to complete both in the same two-year time window. Otherwise, impacts on visitors would have occurred over four to five years.
“It’s important the visiting public understand the major delays that will occur in 2022 and 2023 and impacts to the South Entrance Road,” said superintendent Cam Sholly. “While we always strive to execute projects in the least impacting way, the Old Faithful to West Thumb and Lewis River Bridge projects will seriously disrupt travel entering and exiting the park’s south entrance and visitors should plan accordingly. We very much appreciate the funding received through the Great American Outdoors Act to complete these critical projects.”
Addressing the deferred maintenance backlog is part of the NPS core mission to preserve national parks and provide a world-class visitor experience. In 2018, Yellowstone reported a conservative backlog estimate exceeding $586 million, more than half of which is related to park roads. With the completion of these three projects, the park will reduce its deferred maintenance backlog by about $103 million.
1. Lewis River Bridge
Location: Nearly 10 miles north of the South Entrance on the South Entrance Road
Access: Beginning spring 2022 until fall 2023, expect up to 20-minute delays around the Lewis River Bridge while roads are open to wheeled vehicles (May-Nov. 1). In addition, there will be occasional overnight closures between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. April-June and September-November. Check Park Roads for updates. Nearby pullouts and the trail to Lewis River Falls will be closed during construction.
Improvements: Built-in 1960, the deteriorating Lewis River Bridge will be replaced. The replacement will be built directly east of the existing bridge to preserve safe visitor access between South Entrance and West Thumb. In addition, the newly designed parking area that serves the popular Lewis River Falls Overlook Trail will be slightly expanded to reduce vehicle congestion. Widened walkways and better pedestrian and vehicle separation will improve visitor safety. This project is funded through the Great American Outdoors Act and the Legacy Restoration Fund.
2. Old Faithful to West Thumb
Access: Beginning spring 2022 until fall 2023, expect up to 30-minute delays along this segment of the road while roads are open to wheeled vehicles (May-Nov. 1). Anticipate an overnight closure between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. from Sept. 5 until roads close for the season.
Improvements: Approximately 22 miles of the Grand Loop Road between Old Faithful and West Thumb will be repaved. The current pavement dates to 1987 and since then has deteriorated due to winter weather conditions and high usage. This road segment is one of the most heavily traveled in the park, connecting visitors to Old Faithful, one of the park’s most-visited destinations. Guardrails, culverts and other drainage structures will be replaced to enhance visitor safety. This project is funded through the Great American Outdoors Act and the Legacy Restoration Fund.
3. Yellowstone River Bridge
Location: Near Tower Junction along the Northeast Entrance Road
Access: Anticipated to begin fall 2022 until fall 2025, expect up to 30-minute delays in this area year-round. The Yellowstone Picnic Area, Wrecker Curve access road and parking area will be closed during construction. Hiking trails will remain open in the area.
Improvements: Built in the early 1960s, the deteriorating Yellowstone River Bridge will be replaced with a new bridge to preserve year-round safe visitor access to and from the Northeast Entrance and the communities of Silver Gate and Cooke City. The new bridge will be located 500 feet south of its existing location. Several new pullouts will increase viewing opportunities, and trail and fishing access. Paved trailhead parking will be constructed for three local trails. The Yellowstone River Picnic Area will be reconstructed to accommodate increased visitor use. This project is funded through the Great American Outdoors Act and the Legacy Restoration Fund.
2021 Completed Projects
The park completed two major projects in 2021. After two years of construction and about $28 million invested, Tower-Roosevelt to Chittenden Road (near Dunraven Pass) will open on May 27, weather dependent. Additionally, with an investment of about $12 million, the North Entrance is now equipped to meet the challenges of increasing visitation and traffic with an expanded visitor entrance capacity and modern facilities.
With winter weather conditions possible for half of the year, there is a small window from April through early November for repairing and maintaining park roads and bridges.
The park’s Road Improvement webpage will be updated as new or more detailed information is available.
Montana Overlanding
Get off the beaten path and immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of Montana and Yellowstone.
We provide 4×4 vehicles equipped for all your excursion needs. A roomy rooftop tent with a memory foam mattress, custom kitchen, and camping gear are all included. Drive yourselves to places other visitors can.
Montana Overlanding is perfect for a trip to Yellowstone Park, or it is the perfect set-up for a fly fishing holiday. You can camp near the river and have everything you need.
Get adventurous in this rugged landscape!