Park County seeks Old Yellowstone Trail South Corridor Study comments
Imagine riding your bike or walking into Yellowstone National Park and not having to fight the traffic from the shoulder of Highway 89. This could be a reality, but it needs your support.
For the past two years at the request of Park County, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Western Federal Lands Highway Division conducted a comprehensive study of the Old Yellowstone Trail South (OYTS) corridor, from Point of Rocks to Gardiner. This study looks at the feasibility and costs of repairing and improving the OYTS to make a multi-use road and trail, and an alternative means to access the Park.
The county is currently taking public comment on the OYTS study until 4pm, Monday March 2.
Email your comment to the County Commissioners.
The benefits of restoring and improving the OYTS for our community are many. Read our full comment online.
Recreation - A new trail extending from YNP through Yankee Jim canyon to Point of Rocks will provide an excellent recreation opportunity. It will provide a safe and pleasurable way for families to explore the lands just north of the Park on foot or by bicycle. It will also create a great alternative activity for people visiting the region and the Park, allowing a scenic opportunity outside of an automobile. Already, the trail is being considered for inclusion in the Great American Rail Trail, a 3,700-mile trail across the U.S.
Safety - Currently there is only one vehicular road connecting Paradise Valley and Gardiner. If that road were to be blocked during an emergency, Gardiner would be cut off from the north during the summer and isolated completely in the winter. Rebuilding and maintaining OYTS would provide an alternative route for local emergency services and evacuations.
History - The original route into YNP largely followed OYTS. It plays an important role in the history of the area. Rebuilding OYTS would return that connection to the present and provide locals and visitors a unique opportunity to learn that history through an interpretive self-guided tour along the route.
The 266-page study can be read online. At minimum, the study recommends removing obstructions from the road and conducting repair and maintenance to make vehicular access possible. The study also highlights other potential improvements, including widening the road, formalizing the trailhead and improving road drainage.
However, this is only a study, no project has been proposed. In order for this to become a reality, the county needs to demonstrate that there is broad support and buy-in from the community. This is especially critical in gaining the support and cooperation of the Park Service who will need to be partners in any future project because the trail will be partially within the Park boundaries.
Please submit comments via email to the County Commissioners by Monday, March 2, at 4 p.m.