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Wyoming towns meet fundraising goal for plowing Yellowstone roads on time

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Crews work earlier this spring to plow Sylvan Pass, the highest point along the east entrance road into Yellowstone National Park. (National Park Service photo - click to enlarge)

Two small Wyoming tourist towns at the edge of Yellowstone National Park are celebrating successful fundraising efforts to cover the cost of plowing part of the roads leading into the park, assuring an on-time opening for their gates this spring. The chambers of commerce in Cody and Jackson have confirmed that they have raised enough money to move forward with a plan to pay for Wyoming Department of Transportation personnel and equipment to assist in snow removal inside Yellowstone's east and south gates. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Gateway Towns, cody, cody chamber of commerce, jackson, jackson chamber of commerce, plowing, yellowstone park

Wyoming towns consider raising private funds to plow Yellowstone roads on time

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The usual spring opening for Yellowstone National Park has been delayed to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate)

The Internet has proven to be a popular way to crowdsource funding for everything from new tech gadgets to independent film projects, but could it also be a way to raise money to get snowplows moving so Yellowstone National Park will open on time? That's at least one idea being considered by local business leaders in the Wyoming gateway communities of Cody and Jackson. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Gateway Towns, cody, jackson, plowing, sequester, yellowstone national park

Wyoming governor reviewing options for plowing Yellowstone Park roads

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yellowstone-plows-meet

Citing concerns about legal liability and creating an ongoing obligation to make up for lost federal dollars, Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead said Thursday that state and local officials are still reviewing options on whether and how to help plow roads into Yellowstone National Park. The National Park Service announced earlier this week that snow plowing would be delayed in an effort to save money to meet across-the-board federal budget cuts required by Congress under a so-called sequestration plan that took effect March 1. The move will push back Yellowstone's spring opening dates by 1-2 weeks at the various park entrances. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Gateway Towns, plowing, scheudle, sequestration, yellowstone national park

Yellowstone plowing work covers 320 miles of mountain roads

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yellowstone-plows-meet

Each spring, a Yellowstone National Park crew of 20-25 workers take to the snowy roads of Yellowstone starting the first full week of March to tackle one of the most complex, costly and expansive jobs in the park. Road crews, including some seasonal workers hired just to help with plowing, work for up to three months removing snow and ice from more than 320 miles of road in Yellowstone. The operation burns as much as 1,300 gallons of diesel fuel each day and typically costs $1 million or more. Continue Reading →

Filed under: People, Yellowstone, beartooth pass, craig pass, dunraven pass, plowing, randy baum, red lodge

Yellowstone Park roads to Old Faithful and Canyon open to autos

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Just in time for National Park Week, roads into Yellowstone National Park from the north and west entrances will open for the summer season to automobile travel at 8:00 a.m., Friday, April 20. Visitors will be able to travel by car through the park’s north entrance at Gardiner, Mont., and west entrance at West Yellowstone, Mont., to Norris, Madison, Canyon and Old Faithful. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Yellowstone, national park week, opening day, plowing, roads, spring, yellowstone

Bicyclists get Yellowstone Park roads to themselves for a month

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A bicyclist rides past freshly plowed snow along the road between Norris and Canyon Village in this 2012 file photo.

Bicycling through Yellowstone National Park can be both a grand adventure and a harrowing undertaking. With winter bicycle travel impossible on most roads and summer roads often clogged with buses and RVs, some hardy cyclists focus on the month before the park opens each spring as a time when they have roads largely to themselves. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Yellowstone, bicycle, bikes, plowing, spring, yellowstone, yellowstone national park

Grand Teton begins plowing roads in preparation for spring operations

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National Park Service road crews use rotary plows to clear heavy snows at the end of the winter season in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate - click to enlarge)

The annual plowing of the Moose-Wilson Road and Teton Park Road in Grand Teton National Park will begin Monday, March 12. As plowing begins, recreation on the snow-packed trails will conclude for the 2011-12 winter season. Park visitors may continue to use other winter trails—or areas adjacent to these roads—for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and other activities as conditions allow. Visitors may not use the Teton Park Road while rotary snow removal equipment and plows are working. Safety precautions require that the road is closed to all users during that activity. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Grand Teton, grand teton, grizzly bears, plow, plowing, roads, spring