Tourist towns based in Yellowstone National Park are on the sidelines a week after the historic floods that may have destroyed part of the park. Most of the damage is to the north, but the Yellowstone south loop will reopen to the public on Wednesday.
At Montana Red Lodge, the community is working on cleaning efforts and waiting to see how the new visitor limits will affect businesses.
Thousands of people have to cross the main street of Red Lodge restaurants and shops to reach Beartooth Pass, a scenic route that takes you to Yellowstone. This passage is now closed for repairs after huge floods. Residents say this is the quietest city they have ever seen, something that makes businesses sweat.
“Red Lodge is a tourism community that is almost 100% based on tourism,” said Gena Burghoff, one of the owners of the Prerogative Kitchen. Some locals say the Rock Creek River may still be enough in the winter to walk across. (Fox News) The restaurant is located on the main street of restaurants and shops welcoming tourists on their way to the Beartooth Pass. The city of about 2,100 inhabitants relies heavily on summer travel. “These streets are full on weekends, especially at this time of year,” Burghoff said. But the roads are mostly empty on the weekend after the floods, which Burghoff blames for closing Yellowstone National Park. “Everyone is getting a 50-75% hit right now and this is our only time to make money this summer,” Burghoff said. “Coming out of COVID, we just got our feet on the ground and now that. It ‘s like we’re ready to make up the difference and it’ s really frustrating right now.” One of her employees escaped to his basement apartment only with his mobile phone and pajamas. He had to break a window to get out and the flood paid for his car.
“We have six homeless employees, three lost everything and two others lost 50% of things,” Burghoff said. The Meeteese Trail Road was completely damaged by the floods, leaving many residents unable to get to and from the city by car from home. connects (Fox News) Yellowstone will start accepting visitors this week on a limited basis, while trying to balance the park’s maintenance, keeping local economies running and tourism requirements.
Elk River Outfitters offers horse riding at the base of the Beartooth Mountains. Owner Brad Edwards says he has never seen floods damage the city so badly.
“I think if people keep their heads down, things will go well, but we are already seeing a lot of bookings being canceled,” Edwards said. Edwards says they usually take 25-30 people out for a day of riding in the summer. They barely saw so many people all last week. Edward’s says that his family members put it better, they have experienced it all. “First the pandemic, then last year all the heat and drought. Floods this year. He says, ‘I’m starting to think you have the 40 horses of revelation,’” Edwards said. He said you supply hay in the summer to feed the horses in the winter, but many of their hay is stored in Billings and Montana are all underwater. Losing hay from floods will be a major financial blow, as it costs three times as much hay now as it did a year ago.
Businesses urge tourists to come and visit, but be patient, as many workers have been displaced and lost everything.