North Loop Open on July, 2nd

Suspending ALPS

By Emma Heller

Our latest update from Yellowstone National Park’s superintendent Cam Sholly brings us some great news! It was announced on Thursday, June 30th that the northern portion of Yellowstone will open on Saturday, July 2nd. The Park Service will also suspend the Alternating License Plate System (ALPS) that was used to regulate visitation. The Park Service will continue to monitor visitor use data and if necessary, will reinstate the ALPS. We are delighted that we will be able to explore the northern portion of the Park with you this summer!

Looking over the Mammoth Terraces, located at Mammoth Hot Springs in the northern portion of the Park.

NPS / Neal Herbert

A majority of our tours spend the day in the Lower Loop visiting Old Faithful, Lake Yellowstone and Hayden Valley. While we don’t have as many tours that head to the Upper Loop, it also has great sights, especially if you’ve already had the chance to explore the Lower Loop. With the suspension of ALPS, the Park will be back to normal with high-season traffic. Yellowstone Scenic Tour guides take out the stress of driving and parking. Plus, they have insider knowledge on where to find less crowded areas! Our guides will treat you to a fun and educational day in Yellowstone. We look forward to spending the day with you and exploring Yellowstone National Park!

A Swift Recovery - Yellowstone National Park is Open!

By Emma Heller

A herd of cow and calf bison grazing in Yellowstone National Park.

NPS / Jacob W. Frank

A little over a week ago Yellowstone Scenic Tours and over a million visitors who visit each summer thought that our summer plans were going to be cancelled. Because of the tremendous progress that has been made in a short amount of time, we are able to head back and explore Yellowstone.

This would not have been possible without the support from the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior, local Congressional delegations, governors and the communities surrounding Yellowstone. This support includes $50 million in emergency funding to assist in repairing damaged infrastructure. Yellowstone Park Service has been busy this last week, first with assessing the damage to the Park’s infrastructure and restoring the basic services including power, water and wastewater. Without the quick response to this natural disaster, the Park wouldn’t be open.

There is still a lot of the Park open and in the coming weeks, more will open in the northern portion of Yellowstone.

NPS

As the Park reopens, we have many of the same marvelous sights to see, animal sightings and a large portion of the Park to explore in the lower loop of Yellowstone’s Grand Loop. In the coming weeks, more of the Park will reopen in the northern section. Yellowstone is 2.2 million acres, and because of the size of the Park, on a day tour we typically only explore either the upper or lower loop. A majority of our tours head to the lower (southern) loop which has great treasures like Old Faithful Geyser, Lake Yellowstone, Hayden Valley and much more! The lower loop will be first to open and in just a few weeks a majority of the upper (northern) loop will be open.

While your trip to Yellowstone may have been in question last week, we highly encourage you to still visit. If you haven’t booked a tour yet with Yellowstone Scenic Tours, we suggest doing so because of the ALPS system the Park Service has implemented for entering the Park. What is ALPS?! Check out this guide to learn about the Alternating License Plate System used to reduce the number of visitors in the Park because as of now, only the southern portion of the Park is open. This means you will not be able to enter Yellowstone everyday of your trip. However, this visitor regulation system does not apply to tour companies licensed to operate in the Park, which includes Yellowstone Scenic Tours.

We are able to guarantee entry into Yellowstone Park and also provide you with an educational and fun day. If you are concerned about any of the following, consider booking a tour with Yellowstone Scenic Tours.

If you are concerned about not knowing which day you can enter the Park because you don’t know what the last digit of your license plate will be on your rental car.

• If you only have two days to spend in Yellowstone, book a day with us and plan to go in with your vehicle on the day you are allowed.

• If you have multiple vehicles in your group and aren’t sure if you are all able to go in all at once, our vans can seat up to 14 people and based on availability we are able to do multi-van tours.

• Last if you are interested in learning about Yellowstone National Park please consider joining us on a tour with one of our expert guides.

We look forward to showing you all the wonders of Yellowstone National Park.

What the ALPS?! - Alternating License Plate System Guide

By Emma Heller

The new system that the Park Service has developed to enter Yellowstone National Park might have you a bit confused. We hope this guide helps clear up some of your questions!

The Park Service has implemented an Alternating License Plate System to reduce the number of vehicles entering Yellowstone each day.  This is to ensure that the Park doesn’t get overloaded with the reduced services and overcrowded with the northern section of the Park not initially open. You will get turned away if your license plate doesn’t correspond with the odd or even calendar date for entrance. If you have a tour with Yellowstone Scenic Tours or plan on booking a tour, this visitor regulation system does not apply to tour companies licensed to operate in the Park which includes us. Below is a list of what you should know and consider.

• The license plate on your vehicle will be used to determine which days you are allowed to enter into Yellowstone.

• License plate numbers that have an even-numbered last digit are allowed to enter on an even-numbered calendar day.

• License plate numbers that have an odd-numbered last digit are allowed to enter on an odd-numbered calendar day.

• For personalized plates with a mix of numbers and letters and end with a letter, the last numerical digit on the plate will be used to determine which day you can enter the Park.

• If you have a personalized plate without numbers, you will be allowed to enter on odd days of the month.

For more information please visit, https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/flood-recovery.htm

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions.

Yellowstone National Park Isn’t Canceled

Ensure Your Entry by Booking With Us - Entry Guaranteed

By Emma Heller

Aerial view of the Lamar River overflowing into Lamar Valley’s flood plain near the Buffalo Ranch.

NPS / Jacob W. Frank

We are in awe of the events that happened this week with record flooding in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone Scenic Tours, our guides, our community and you have all been waiting in suspense to see if our plans for summer and fall would be canceled in Yellowstone. We have some good news, Yellowstone isn’t canceled; so don’t cancel your summer plans, we have a lot in store for you.

We have been staying up-to-date on the latest news and updates from Cam Sholly, the superintendent of Yellowstone National Park. The excellent communication and progress made since Monday has been impressive. As of today, the Park plans to open the lower loop by Wednesday, June 22nd. Because of the extensive damage to the Northern part of the Park, the North and Northeast entrances are not expected to open this summer season.  Parts of the upper loop may open, but the Park Service is still assessing the damage. 

Visitors watching Old Faithful geyser erupt.

NPS / Jacob W. Frank

A portion of the Park and two out of five entrances will be closed for the remainder of the summer. Because of this, the Park is implementing a license plate system to regulate the number of vehicles and visitors This system will use the last digit of vehicle license plate numbers and correlating it to odd and even number days to determine which vehicles enter the Park and in turn reduce the number of vehicles each day. Vanity plates will be allowed into the Park on odd days.  Motorcycle groups will be allowed in on even days.

This visitor regulation system does not apply to tour companies licensed to operate in the park, which includes Yellowstone Scenic Tours. Our guests are guaranteed entry, outside of a natural disaster! There is still much to explore in Yellowstone Park, the lower loop boasts many of Yellowstone’s treasures including Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Hayden Valley and much more. We look forward to showing you the wonders of Yellowstone and hope to see you this summer or fall.  Please consider spending your time in Wonderland with Yellowstone Scenic Tours.

Record Flooding in Yellowstone National Park

By Emma Heller

A section of road between Gardiner, MT and Mammoth Hot Springs that has been washed away from the flooding.

NPS / Doug Kraus

On June 13, 2022 Yellowstone National Park, Southwestern Montana and Central Montana sustained record-breaking flooding. Yellowstone Scenic Tours is waiting for more information while our communities and officials assess the damages from these devastating floods.

The Park is working as quickly and efficiently as possible to reopen the West Entrance and Lower Loop safely.  There are many road repairs as well as wastewater treatment facilities and electrical issues to consider.  In addition, they must determine how to regulate the number of visitors as 50% of the Park cannot handle the expected number of visitors under normal conditions.  

Yellowstone National Park does not have a reopen date at this time.  They are closed until further notice as they evaluate the extent of the damage and begin repairs.  You can find updates on the National Park Service website.

At this time, we do not know the long-term effects. The Park will reopen, but we do not know when or what it will look like when it does open.  We still plan to operate in Yellowstone Park and provide tours when the Park service determines it can safely open.

We will certainly be in touch as we learn more and if it impacts your tour.  A full refund will be offered if it is not possible to tour in Yellowstone.  We are also able to offer a full refund for any cancellation related to this situation. 

We are heartbroken to see these communities effected by these historic floods. Many lost homes, had their homes flooded and jobs have been lost for the summer. These communities rely on your visits to the area and summer visitation to survive.

Please consider making donations to the following relief funds and thank you for all your support.

• Yellowstone Forever Resiliency Fund

• Park County Community Foundation - Southwest Montana Flood Relief Fund

• Yellowstone Community Fund to help those in Gardiner, Montana:

  Make checks out to “Yellowstone Community Fund” and send to:

  Jim Halfpenny

  P.O. Box 989

  Gardiner, MT 59030

Thank you for understanding these unforeseen circumstances, your support and your business. We hope to be continuing tours in our favorite national park as soon as we are able.