FROM THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE, CUSTER GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST
Location
Portions of the Beartooth, Yellowstone and Gardiner Ranger Districts across the Absaroka – Beartooth Complex, Custer Gallatin National Forest.
Flood Dates
June 11-13, 2022
A rain on snow event across the Beartooth, Yellowstone, and Gardiner Ranger Districts began on June 11. Impacts from this event became known the evening of June 11 and throughout the day on June 12 with the full extent of damage in Park, Stillwater, and Carbon counties being more fully understood on June 13.
Current Status
Ground-based teams and helicopter reconnaissance flights continue over much of the flood damaged roads, trails, and recreation facilities on the Custer Gallatin National Forest.
Critical information regarding access points, bridge and road stability, culverts, embankments, and recreational sites is being gathered and prepared for a package to Federal Highways Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads Program. Emergency assistance operations are ongoing, and the assessment data will help prioritize and seek additional funding opportunities for recreational facilities or administrative sites damaged by flood waters.
Damage assessments have been conducted on East Rosebud Road and recreational facilities as well as Main Fork Rock Creek Road. These areas will be closed for the foreseeable future due to extensive flooding damage from completely lost chunks of road, stream rechanneling, bridge failures and significant deposits of large rock and debris. Further in-depth assessment will continue through July 1.
Closures
Yellowstone and Gardiner Ranger Districts are open with select site, road and area closures due to flooding damage. Beartooth Ranger District will partially open Friday afternoon.
Please continue to check with the respective local ranger district on specific questions before heading out.
Site Specific Closures include:
Beartooth: All National Forest System lands within Carbon County are open except for a small area closure just south of Red Lodge, for National Forest System lands up the Main Fork and Lake Fork of Rock Creek due to extensive damage. Highway repairs are ongoing through Montana DOT with actively hauling large quantities of rock. Please respect the area closure south of Red Lodge until repairs are complete.
All National Forest System lands on the Beartooth R.D., within Stillwater and Sweet Grass County will remain under an area closure working hand in hand with the counties until Highway 419 bridge is repaired, south of Absarokee, MT (at Oley’s Corner, in Stillwater County). Two road closures for West Fork Rock Creek at Basin Campground and for East Rosebud Road will remain.
Yellowstone Ranger District: Open, except select sites.
Roads closed include:
- Main Mill Creek and East and West Mill Creek on National Forest System roads only.
- Main Boulder – Chippy Park Campground, Fourmile dispersed site and Hicks Park Campground closed.
- Snowbank Campground – closed all season, bridge washout
- Sixmile above Gold Prize closed. Gardiner Ranger District – open except:
- Two motorized use closures at Yankee Jim Fishing Access Sites and Joe Brown Trailhead
- Bear Creek bridge over Darroch Cr north of Jardine, MT
Weather
A change in the weather is expected into Friday with partly sunny conditions and scattered thunderstorms Friday evening returning back to Sunny and cooler temperatures in the 60’s through the weekend.
