The National Parks: Arguably America's Only Good Idea

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > The National Parks: Arguably America's Only Good Idea

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

I picked up an annual pass today and hit up Canaveral National Seashore and Merritt Island NWR.

I'll get some wildlife photos up later after I pull them ftom my dslr.

# ¿ Jul 26, 2020 06:27

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# ¿ May 17, 2024 15:52

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

Merritt Island

# ¿ Jul 26, 2020 19:30

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

SirPhoebos posted:

I'm going to Isle Royale this summer, taking a seaplane from Houghton MI to and from. Since it's a long drive to Houghton I'm going to be staying overnight before and after the trip.

By any chance is there anything worth checking out in Houghton? My expectation isn't high but no harm in checking.

I went to Michigan Tech a dozen years ago. When I was there the biggest news in town was the Walmart becoming a Super Walmart. I doubt much has changed. Get out of town. Driving through the Keweenaw is beautiful if you take the back roads. Take the Brockway Mountain drive on your way to Copper Harbor.

You can also stop by the Jampot to pick up jam made by local monks. https://poorrockabbey.com/

Zero One fucked around with this message at 04:51 on Feb 28, 2022

# ¿ Feb 28, 2022 04:47

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

Yesterday: I finalized plans to go to Yellowstone in a few months.

Today:

https://twitter.com/nbcnews/status/1536457643241390082?s=21&t=qeWhLIeZP__-VukP0D9v0A

# ¿ Jun 13, 2022 23:56

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

North Entrance is pretty bad:

https://twitter.com/nbcmontana/status/1536463003037495296?s=21&t=qeWhLIeZP__-VukP0D9v0A

# ¿ Jun 14, 2022 00:19

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

Yeah I would make alternative plans for this weekend. My trip isn't until the end of September so we are just waiting to see what's going to happen.

https://twitter.com/wtae/status/1536688903176200193?s=21&t=xZ41WfsxqddJ9_8zTslkJA

# ¿ Jun 14, 2022 13:46

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

Update from Yellowstone

quote:

UPDATE: June 14 at 6:38 p.m.

Northern portion of Yellowstone National Park likely to remain closed for a substantial length of time due to severely damaged, impacted infrastructure; Visitors traveling to park in coming weeks must stay informed about current situation, road and weather conditions

Updates

Aerial assessments conducted Monday, June 13, by Yellowstone National Park show major damage to multiple sections of road between the North Entrance (Gardiner, Montana), Mammoth Hot Springs, Lamar Valley and Cooke City, Montana, near the Northeast Entrance.
Many sections of road in these areas are completely gone and will require substantial time and effort to reconstruct.
The National Park Service will make every effort to repair these roads as soon as possible; however, it is probable that road sections in northern Yellowstone will not reopen this season due to the time required for repairs.
To prevent visitors from being stranded in the park if conditions worsen, the park in coordination with Yellowstone National Park Lodges made the decision to have all visitors move out of overnight accommodations (lodging and campgrounds) and exit the park.
All entrances to Yellowstone National Park remain temporarily CLOSED while the park waits for flood waters to recede and can conduct evaluations on roads, bridges and wastewater treatment facilities to ensure visitor and employee safety.
There will be no inbound visitor traffic at any of the five entrances into the park, including visitors with lodging and camping reservations, until conditions improve and park infrastructure is evaluated.
The park�s southern loop appears to be less impacted than the northern roads and teams will assess damage to determine when opening of the southern loop is feasible. This closure will extend minimally through next weekend (June 19).
Due to the northern loop being unavailable for visitors, the park is analyzing how many visitors can safely visit the southern loop once it�s safe to reopen. This will likely mean implementation of some type of temporary reservation system to prevent gridlock and reduce impacts on park infrastructure.
At this time, there are no known injuries nor deaths to have occurred in the park as a result of the unprecedented flooding.
Effective immediately, Yellowstone�s backcountry is temporarily closed while crews assist campers (five known groups in the northern range) and assess damage to backcountry campsites, trails and bridges.
The National Park Service, surrounding counties and states of Montana and Wyoming are working with the park�s gateway communities to evaluate flooding impacts and provide immediate support to residents and visitors.
Water levels are expected to recede today in the afternoon; however, additional flood events are possible through this weekend.

Known damage and issues

Known damage (at this time) to some park roads includes:

North Entrance (Gardiner, Montana) to Mammoth Hot Springs: road washed out in multiple places, significant rockslide at Gardner Canyon
Tower Junction to Northeast Entrance: segment of road washed out near Soda Butte Picnic Area, mudslides, downed trees
Tower-Roosevelt to Canyon Junction (Dunraven Pass): mudslide on road
Canyon Junction to Fishing Bridge: Segment of road just south of Canyon Junction potentially compromised and closed for evaluation
The power continues to be out in multiple locations in the park.
Water and wastewater systems at Canyon Village and Mammoth Hot Springs are being impacted by flooding conditions and are being monitored.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2022 04:08

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/16/weather/yellowstone-national-park-flooding-closed-thursday/index.html

quote:

Yellowstone National Park could partially reopen as early as Monday as officials continue to assess the damage caused by historic flooding, which now threatens to hamper the peak of the summer tourist season.

Heavy rains and rapid snowmelt caused rivers to swallow bridges, sweep away entire sections of roadway and forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 visitors. The sudden closure has fueled concerns from business owners and employees in surrounding communities who rely on Yellowstone visitors as a key source of revenue.
The park's northern region, which bore the brunt of the flood damage, is expected to be closed for a "substantial length of time," which will likely go through the end of the season, the park said in a release Tuesday.
The less-impacted southern loop could reopen as early as Monday, Park Superintendent Cam Sholly told residents and tourists in Cody, Wyoming, on Wednesday, according to the Casper Star-Tribune.

# ¿ Jun 16, 2022 16:31

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

Thisisfine.jpg

https://twitter.com/glaciernps/status/1537454703327465474?s=21&t=EbMjCppEN8r9-xII3lkUPg

# ¿ Jun 16, 2022 16:57

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

Yellowstone update: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/flood-recovery.htm

quote:

North Loop of Yellowstone (Primary Flood Recovery Zone)

(North Entrance to Northeast Entrance, including Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris, and Tower Junction to Canyon Village)
We anticipate this area of the park will likely remain closed for a substantial length of time. Many sections of road in these areas are completely gone and will require substantial time and effort to reconstruct. Yellowstone staff are working to determine other potential sections of the park that may be reopened prior to all park roads closing for the season on Nov. 1. Park managers are evaluating plans to reopen roads connecting Canyon Village, Tower Junction, Mammoth Hot Springs, and Norris; however, this will not happen initially. Decisions will depend on the extent of damage and ability to safely open additional sections as the year progresses. The park is also working to reconnect Mammoth Hot Springs to Gardiner, Montana, and Cooke City and Silver Gate, Montana, as soon as possible with temporary solutions, while long-term reconstruction is planned.

South Loop of Yellowstone (Operations Zone)

(Norris to Canyon Village to Fishing Bridge to West Thumb to Madison, accessed via the West, South, and East entrances)
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, June 22, 2022. To ensure the south loop does not become overwhelmed with visitors and to balance park resource protection and economic interests of surrounding communities, the park is instituting an interim visitor access plan, referred to as the Alternating License Plate System (ALPS).

# ¿ Jun 19, 2022 14:10

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

Another update: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/emergency-yellowstone-funding-reopening.htm

They also announced that in addition to the park�s southern loop reopening on June 22, the park�s northern loop is expected to reopen in two weeks or less following completion of clean-up, repairs and final inspection of the northern loop infrastructure. This will allow visitors to access Dunraven Pass, Tower, Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris opening visitor access to approximately 80 percent of Yellowstone National Park. Additional details on access will be announced in the coming weeks.

The initial $50 million will be used to restore temporary access to Gardiner and Cooke City, Montana and other additional sites. Plans are being finalized for improving the Old Gardiner Road for temporary access between Yellowstone and Gardiner, Montana. In partnership with the Federal Highway Administration, road construction crews and materials that were already in the park for a previously scheduled road project to repair 22 miles of the Grand Loop Road between Old Faithful and West Thumb Geyser Basin will be diverted to the Old Gardiner Road project.

The NPS currently anticipates the Old Gardiner Road will be substantially improved over the upcoming months, ensuring that essential emergency services, food, supplies and other administrative needs will be available throughout the winter months. As work proceeds through the summer, the NPS will look for opportunities to restore limited visitor access at the park�s North Entrance. Emergency environmental and historic preservation compliance is underway in accordance with the National Historic Preservation and Environmental Policy Acts. Permanent reconstruction options are being developed and alternatives will be completed in the upcoming months.

In addition to plans to reopen Yellowstone�s northern loop much sooner than initially anticipated, the NPS is working with the Federal Highway Administration on a range of temporary and permanent options to restore access to Silver Gate and Cooke City at the park�s northeast entrance. Currently, the Northeast Entrance Road is impassible between Lamar Valley and Silver Gate. Cost, funding and timelines are not yet available for these short or long-term repairs to the Northeast Entrance Road but will be released as soon as possible.

# ¿ Jun 22, 2022 17:11

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

Yellowstone north loop reopening tomorrow.
https://twitter.com/yellowstonenps/status/1542584421286658049?s=21&t=Cthyq8FQoCsqArzBAVOZkA

# ¿ Jul 1, 2022 20:53

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

Cool. Cool cool cool.

https://twitter.com/reuters/status/1556326805295882240?s=21&t=G23XwQ04T2UH6F2GYfL8iw

(Death Valley was a last minute drop from my upcoming trip. Better watch out, Arches!)

# ¿ Aug 9, 2022 04:14

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn4IJFERCRM

# ¿ Aug 12, 2022 01:33

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

Zero One posted:

(Death Valley was a last minute drop from my upcoming trip. Better watch out, Arches!)

God dammit�. uhh� God? � I was joking�

https://twitter.com/neildos/status/1561194488273387521?s=21&t=_ZPcBK65z4-jDi7WFz_YYw

https://twitter.com/sltrib/status/1561416395782606853?s=21&t=_ZPcBK65z4-jDi7WFz_YYw

Zero One fucked around with this message at 06:26 on Aug 26, 2022

# ¿ Aug 26, 2022 06:23

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# ¿ May 17, 2024 15:52

Zero One: Dec 30, 2004; HAIL TO THE VICTORS!

Fitzy Fitz posted:

What's funny is that the concession companies are having just as much trouble hiring employees as the feds. Xanterra was probably the worst part of my Yellowstone visit this year. They did not have their poo poo together.

Yeah I just got back from my Yellowstone trip (which I'll write up later) and we stayed at Lake Yellowstone Hotel.

Besides not having housekeeping (which wasn't uncommon with hotels we stayed at even in big cities) the food service was difficult.

Only one option for dinner and the menu never changed. However over several nights we always got slightly different things (like bread service) as they came into and out of stock. Service wasnt great but it wasn't terrible. We were lucky though because I'm a planner and had booked dinner reservations every night. We saw plenty of starving people who couldn't get in on a wait list and had no options for food (except driving 90 minutes away to Cody, I guess).

Many restaurants were just closed. At Old Faithful they had 3 open hotels with only 2 options for lunch. So everyone coming to the main place at the park had a choice between a small counter service location or a cafeteria style place with most "windows" closed.

# ¿ Oct 15, 2022 01:51

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