"While the park’s north loop remains closed due to flood damage until further notice, Yellowstone will begin allowing visitors to access the south loop of the park at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, 22 June 2022," the service said in a statement on Saturday.
In order to ensure that the southern part of the park is not "overwhelmed" with tourists, the administration will introduce a temporary system of access based on licence plate numbers. Visitors with licence plates ending in an even number or zero will be allowed in on even-numbered days of the month, and vice versa for the licence plates ending in odd numbers.
On Monday, the National Park Service said in a statement that the Yellowstone National Park closed all inbound traffic through its five entrances due to heavy flooding, rockslides, mudslides and other hazardous conditions on the roadways there. Blackouts affected multiple areas of the park, the statement said.
Yellowstone, which is one of the world's oldest national parks, has never before been closed due to flooding, although it experienced closures during government shutdowns and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The flooding impacted local businesses and communities outside of Yellowstone in the states of Montana and Wyoming. A state of disaster was declared in Montana on Tuesday.