Captured on the 45th parallel of latitude, halfway between Earth’s Equator and the North Pole, flows the Gardner River on Yellowstone National Park’s northern border. On June 13th, 2022, Yellowstone National Park experienced a 500-year flood event. Over a 24-hour period the northern parts of the park received a combined 7.5-9.5 inches of rain and snowmelt requiring the park to be evacuated due to multiple road washouts, and mudslides. The damage was extensive along the Yellowstone River and its tributaries, including the Gardner River. Several sections of the North Entrance Road and three sections of the Northeast Entrance Road were destroyed. By late October 2022, a new two-lane road was opened at the North entrance that utilized a previous one-lane dirt road that was originally an 1880’s stagecoach route.
