Yellowstone National Park to reopen some entrances Wednesday

June 20 (UPI) -- Portions of Yellowstone National Park will reopen Wednesday after flooding forced the park to close last week.

The Park Service on Saturday announced that the eastern, southern and western entrances to the park will be reopened Wednesday, allowing visitors to access the south loop of the park.

The park's northern loop will remain closed until further notice due to flooding damage.

"We have made tremendous progress in a very short amount of time but have a long way to go," Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly said in a statement. "We have an aggressive plan for recovery in the north and resumption of operations in the south."

To prevent the park from being overwhelmed with visitors, the park is implementing a new system that will allow visitors to enter the park based on the final digit of their vehicle's license plate.

Visitors with odd-numbered license plates will be allowed to enter the park on odd dates, while those whose plates end with an even number can enter on even dates. Visitors with reservations will be allowed to enter the park regardless of their license plate number.

Satellite imagery released Thursday showed that the flooding -- spurred by heavy rain and snowmelt -- caused "extremely hazardous" conditions throughout the 3,472-square-mile park, which spreads across Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

Park officials on Sunday said they would spend $50 million to restore temporary access to the northern part of the park, including Gardiner and Cooke City, Mont.

"We realize there is much challenging work ahead, and we will do everything we can to support the park, partners, concessioners and gateway communities on the road to recovery," National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said.