East Entrance to Yellowstone reopens after temporary closure

Posted 8/29/15

The road closed around 3:30 p.m. after the explosive was found near the road. The road reopened a few hours later.

A team from Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana, responded to the pass to destroy the device, said Julena Campbell, a …

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East Entrance to Yellowstone reopens after temporary closure

Posted

The East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park was temporarily closed Friday afternoon while crews remove an unexploded ordnance discovered on Sylvan Pass.

The road closed around 3:30 p.m. after the explosive was found near the road. The road reopened a few hours later.

A team from Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana, responded to the pass to destroy the device, said Julena Campbell, a public affairs officer for Yellowstone.

Explosives are regularly used on Sylvan Pass in the winter months to trigger avalanches under controlled conditions, she said.

“Occasionally, one doesn’t go off, and they do a controlled search for those each spring when the snow melts, and they go out and look for any that have not exploded,” Campbell said. “They take care of those before they open the road to visitors. But occasionally, they miss one.”

She added that things like melting snow and small landslides also can uncover ordnances.

“It’s not uncommon to have a few out there,” Campbell said.

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