The Memorial Day weekend forecast called for snow at high elevations, yet few could have guessed the severity of what was about to transpire. 

It started harmlessly with some welcome rain in parched northwest Wyoming and southern Montana Saturday. The Lamar Valley was muddy, much to the liking of frisky red dogs.

The roads were clear through much of the day. But by 6:45 p.m. officials at Yellowstone National Park began closing roads; first the newly rejuvenated road through Dunraven Pass, then the road from Fishing Bridge to the East Entrance.

The park was full for the holiday and campers filled several campgrounds in the surrounding Shoshone and Custer-Gallatin National Forest.

By Sunday the rain turned to fat flakes, best coined as “slush chunks” by local camper Aspen Aldrete. “It was so crazy how fast the weather changed. These slush chunks were the size of baseballs as they made a splat on the windshield.”

The conditions were complicated by high winds. Everything that was wet froze as the temperatures dropped into the 20s. Newly formed ice was soon concealed by an increasingly thick blanket. The storm brought 2 to 3 feet of sloppy snow and drifts in amounts that surprised folks with decades of experience in the region.

“I’ve been at the shop here for 22 years, and I’ve never seen that much snow drop straight down at one time,” said James Berry, Cody maintenance foreman for the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

As the storm intensified, Berry rounded up a crew to head in several directions. Once he got the team organized — many of whom were scheduled off for the weekend — he headed to the North Fork, where rocks as big as “bowling balls” were raining down on the North Fork Highway, which was heavily traveled at the traditional start of summer vacation.

There he met department employee Dave Bell, who helped clear the path. “I was stuck on the North Fork because we had rocks coming down all day long in 10 or 12 different places. It just kept raining them.”

State highway patrol officers Todd Hardesty and Bill Daugherty also helped move rocks and guided motorists through the maze. Most vehicles made the trip unscathed, but at least two vehicles were disabled after hitting the large rocks.

“People are looking for animals, and they’re looking at the scenery. They don’t always see the rocks on the road,” Berry said.

At the same time, a crew — including shop supervisor Chris Hieb — headed to the Chief Joseph Highway, where several motorists were stuck on the pass in snow as deep as 3 feet. It was so heavy they couldn’t use plows, instead opting for front-end loaders to slowly dig out the road. The crew worked through the day and into the night “shoveling snow,” Berry said.

On the way up to Dead Indian Overlook, the crew was slowed while waiting for Rocky Mountain Power to arrive to cut power to a downed line near the Northwest College A.L. Mickelson Field Station, Berry said. “Hieb could see it arcing down by what we call the cow campus. Rocky Mountain Power came up and killed the line and got it cleared off the roads so we could continue, but that took a couple of hours.”

Some motorists, both out-of-state and locals, were trapped at various stages of their trips for hours as the snow kept piling on, he said.

Monday was another tough day. Search and rescue teams, accompanied by rangers and law enforcement from the Forest Service and Montana State Patrol, were sent to campgrounds in the Beartooth Mountains and the Gallatin Custer National Forest to extricate those stranded in backcountry campsites and on the road. Most of the sites, with trailers, tents and personal belongings will finally be accessible Thursday, said Annette Smits, district recreation program manager with the National Forest Service.

“It was probably about 2 feet deep when it just became unmanageable to drive, even in a 1-ton truck.”

By 3 p.m., all motorists stranded on the Chief Joseph Highway were back on their way home and Yellowstone road crews moved in to plow the Beartooth Pass between Cooke City and the pass to Red Lodge, which was only clear for their celebrated annual opening for five hours before officials closed it until further notice. Montana clears the pass as it crosses the border and into Red Lodge.

Yellowstone officials and maintenance crews spent the weekend working to keep roads open after the snow began to fall late Saturday afternoon. They were proactive in their messaging, as well as with road closings, said Linda Veress, spokesperson for Yellowstone National Park. 

Park communications department employees worked hard to get the word out prior to the storm, yet many ignored the warnings. “We put out a couple of heads-up messages last week about the roads temporarily closing due to snow and hazardous driving conditions. We sent the messages out to employees, partners, media, local chambers of commerce and posted them to our social channels and the website. We listed ways visitors can find updates on roads status, including on Nixle, which they can sign up for and get text notifications,” she said Tuesday.

Volatile weather is typical for spring in the mountains and visitors should always plan ahead, she said. “It can change quickly, especially in higher elevations.” 

The office also put out a news release last week about the top things to know, including expecting weather hazards, and uploaded a new video to help visitors plan their trips this season. 

Their efforts were heeded by most visitors. Yet, not everyone was as diligent with their advance planning. Most locals are keenly aware of the Cowboy State’s wicked weather, but anyone caught in the freak blizzard was stuck, no matter where they called home. 

“If it quits snowing by the Fourth of July I’ll be tickled to death,” Berry quipped.

Robin Hinegardner, a loan officer at Sunlight Federal Credit Union, was in a group of 15 adults and three youth camping just past Bear Gate near Strawberry Gulch for the weekend. After enduring the hazardous winter weather they attempted to head home Monday morning. Traveling in a convoy, they inched their way up and out of the area. Then one of the vehicles got stuck. “They tried pulling it out but couldn’t,” Hinegardner said.   

Later, a group closer to Bear Gate came by in an all-terrain vehicle and he said the road out had areas covered by avalanches, so they headed back to the campsite. “We all slid back down to camp and waited it out until [that afternoon].” 

Several trucks and a horse trailer attempted to bust through the drifts but the horse trailer got stuck. “Our guys had to help dig him out. At that time we decided we better head out or we’d be stuck for days,” she said.  

They had food, but some of the campers were running low on heating fuel and water. On a second attempt to escape they met a ranger who said he was headed in to find the group. The ranger advised them it was best to hold up in the campers because the highway was still shut down. The Wyoming road crew arrived later that afternoon, clearing the rest of the path to pavement, and the group headed for friendlier environs.  

“We’re all happy to be home safe and warm,” she said. “Now I’m just wondering when we can get in to get our campers.”

Darrell Rood, retired sanitation superintendent for the City of Powell, had pulled the family fifth-wheel trailer up to the Crandall area for a weekend of fun. He knew there was potential for inclement weather, so they planned ahead and packed some indoor activities and an abundance of patience.

“We played some games and whatnot,” he said, adding they weren’t in a hurry to head home until the roads were clear.

Public Relations Specialist Cody Beers said heading to the area in spring can wind up in disappointment. “This time of year is a great time to visit Yellowstone, but it’s also — borrowing the old saying — buyer beware.”

He was proud of all the hard work by the department and all those who came to the rescue. In the end, his advice was “the internet’s there. Use it.”

Many of those on the road this weekend were thankful for those who came to their rescue.

“Thank you to the [crews] who risked their own lives to go out and plow the roads and make sure everyone else got out safely! God bless you!” said Aldrete.

WYDOT is constantly updating Wyoming road conditions at wyoroad.info