Roads like these are the lifeblood of places like Gardiner, which depends on the seasonal rhythm of engines to keep their shops filled and hotels occupied.

The collapsed road turned Gardiner into a dead-end town, severing its access to tourism dollars just as the summer season began.

The town itself escaped the worst of mudslides and flooding. But once tourists discovered they would be blocked from entering the park, they canceled their reservations — even those in December.

“This hidden underlying damage is economic,” said Mike Skelton, president of Gardiner’s Chamber of Commerce and owner of Yellowstone Wonders, which conducts private tours of the park.