Modern Roads

Beryl Spring Road, National Park Service photograph.
Beryl Spring Road, National Park Service photograph.

Expansion and development projects were put on hold in late 1941, when the United States entered World War II. Many young able-bodied men went into in the military, so the road maintenance crew was staffed by local high schoolers and men too old to enlist. While no major road improvements were completed during the war era, the maintenance team conducted emergency repairs so the park could remain open.

At the end of the war in 1945, many families took to American roads for vacations, and Yellowstone’s popularity skyrocketed. However, the sharp increase of visitors in private automobiles caused rapid road deterioration. Critic Bernard DeVoto, writing for Harper’s Magazine in 1953, decried the lack of maintenance funding and called for the national parks to be closed until necessary infrastructure repairs could be made. In 1956, the National Park Service’s ten-year Mission 66 program was backed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and funded by Congress. It was implemented to improve park infrastructure by the National Park Service’s 50th anniversary in 1966. Visitor centers, lodges, trails, and roadways were upgraded throughout Yellowstone to improve visitor experience and aid in the preservation of the park for future generations, and 14 new bridges were built.

Park administrators recognized roads in unstable hydrothermal areas needed ongoing reconstruction. Today, roadways through the park are sometimes closed due to heat damage caused by thermal activity, such as Firehole Lake Drive in the Lower Geyser Basin in 2014. Road engineers continue to face challenges throughout the park, especially in heavily used areas, such as hydrothermal areas near the overpass by Old Faithful. In the summer, a combination of heat from the sun and thermal sources can cause asphalt to soften and flow, hastening pothole formation. Vehicles driving over the warmed asphalt can cause even more significant and costly road damage. Innovative solutions to these issues include applying an insulating foam before a road is laid to mitigate the impact of the hot ground below.

Yellowstone hosted 4,860,537 visits in 2021. With continual growth in visitation over the last 30 years, park management is seeking strategies to mitigate the impacts of more vehicles and people on the park’s natural and cultural resources. As in the past, updated road systems and alternative modes of transportation may prove necessary to provide a sustainable visitor experience.

Last updated: June 6, 2024

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