One of the blessed features of late spring, summer, and early fall in the mountain country (and that includes Yellowstone) is the proliferation of highway construction projects during the “snow-free” season; this year will be no exception in the neighborhood. Those of us who live in the area are used to having some segment of major and minor highway(s) torn to hell with dust, delays, and the occasional demolition project simply part of the summer driving game.
Yellowstone National Park’s road construction plans announced earlier this spring have caused a bit of heavy breathing, hand wringing, and maybe even a little gnashing of teeth among guides, shop owners, lodging and restaurant entrepreneurs, and late season fly fisher folk.
The reason – a major portion of the YNP Grand Loop between Madison and Norris will be rebuilt this season. From very shortly until 16 August, the road will open with up to 30 minutes delays probable during the day, and closed at night starting each evening at 10 PM.
After the 17th however, the road between Madison and Norris will be closed until the snow flies, cutting / redirecting a major flow of traffic from the lodging and eatery rich West Yellowstone area to the northern and northeastern corners of the Park. For later season YNP fly fisher folk who are used to setting up camp in West Yellowstone and traveling the Park at your leisure, you must think again.
Richard Parks and Walter Wiese at Park’s Fly Shop in Gardiner are obviously quite concerned about the issue, and have put together a great page that summarizes the intended YNP construction plans and the impacts on travel and fishing – see their Summer and Fall 2009 Road Work Information page here. It’s by far and away the best collection of facts on the issue you’ll find.
Now, call us simple minded (we’ve been called a lot worse than that lately), but we’d like to offer 10 reasons not to let the road closures get under your skin; after all, you’re coming here to enjoy some of the best fly fishing in some of the most unique country in the world, right?
- The fall construction offers a great excuse to explore and fish new waters in the Park; think smaller, offbeat waters that aren’t crowded, and don’t have trout with shredded lips that flee at flank speed when the shadow of 8x tippet crosses their path. We’ll be highlighting some of these over the next few months.
- The fall construction offers a great excuse to explore and fish some of the smaller lakes in the Park; Eleanor, Sylvan, Riddle, Trail, Alder, Cascade, Trout, McBride, Blacktail Ponds, Fawn, Joffe, Grizzly, Grebe, Wolf, High, and Sportsman to name a few. Most of these are accessible for someone in average to reasonable physical condition, some will require more effort. Get in shape, leave the car behind, and hit the trail. You’ll see some YNP you’ve never imagined before. We’ll be looking in detail at some of these waters in the next few months.
- The fall construction offers a great excuse to explore and fish new waters in the Montana neighborhood. There are a few rivers you might have heard of in the near neighborhood: the Yellowstone, the Paradise Valley Spring Creeks, Gallatin, Big Hole, Beaverhead and tons of smaller “feeder” streams and creeks that rarely get crowded and have feisty natives calling your name.
- The fall construction offers a great excuse to explore and fish new waters in the Wyoming neighborhood. Consider the Shoshone, the upper Snake, the Grand Teton NP section of the Snake (a must do float at some point in your lifetime) and a hoard of smaller waters as well.
- The fall construction offers a great excuse to explore and fish some of the waters in the Idaho neighborhood. Fall on the Henry’s Fork is much less frenetic than the season opener chasing Green Drakes; there are interesting lakes and smaller waters as well including the Bechler and Fall in the Cascade Corner of the Park and the nearby Warm River.
- So you have to drive from West Yellowstone down the Gallatin valley to Bozeman, over the pass to Livingston, and up the Paradise Valley along the Yellowstone River to Gardiner. Slow down and enjoy some of the prettiest river and mountain country around. Stop and grab a burger at The Garage in Bozeman or at Mark’s in Livingston. You didn’t come all the way out here to be in a hurry. On sunny summer days the “hatch” of well tanned and fit locals is usually flourishing on main street.
- So you have to drive from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful to West Thumb to Lake, down the Yellowstone River through Hayden Valley to Canyon, then over the beautiful Dunraven Pass to Tower and on to Gardiner; slow down and enjoy some of the finest country on God’s green earth. See #6 above.
- Rediscover the joy your inner child experienced when camping; load the gear and hit the campgrounds as you tour the Park and area and don’t worry about getting back to town before your favorite eatery closes. You can still have that glass of Chardonnay in the campground.
- The pressure on the Gibbon will be minimal after the road closes; do a bit of hiking, loose the crowd, and enjoying fishing to minimally pestered fish.
- Plan ahead. Make some reservations now to secure lodging when and where you want to fish; sure, there’s a bit of a weather / river flow / fishing quality risk, but do it anyway. He who hesitates may be camping this fall.
