Yosemite National Park closure extended following snow damage, destructive winds
Yosemite National Park will stay closed until at least Monday as a result of an ongoing winter storm, Yosemite officials announced Thursday afternoon.
“Yosemite Valley has already received over 18 inches of snow, and it continues to snow,” Yosemite spokesperson Jamie Richards said in a news release. “Heavy, wet snow has caused trees and branches to fall throughout the park, causing damage to park facilities and vehicles. There have been no injuries reported.”
This storm, which moved into the area Tuesday and is expected to continue into Friday, follows a destructive Mono winds event last week that caused major damage in the park, especially its community of Wawona.
Richards said road crews in Yosemite are continuing to do an “amazing job” clearing park roads and parking areas, “however, with ongoing falling snow and tree failures, it is not safe for the park to reopen.”
Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman said Thursday that at least 15 giant sequoias in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias had fallen.
When the park reopens, it will be open 24 hours per day. It was previously only open to day-use visitors to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
In Yosemite Valley, Upper Pines Campground is expected to open Feb. 8. Yosemite Valley Lodge and The Ahwahnee will open Feb. 5.
Visitors will be able to enter the park using El Portal Road (Highway 140), Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120 from the west), and Hetch Hetchy Road.
Areas south of Yosemite Valley (including Badger Pass, Wawona, Mariposa Grove, South Entrance, and Wawona Road) will remain closed until further notice. It was previously announced that the park’s south entrance via the Wawona Road (Highway 41) would only be accessible to residents and employees during that closure.
This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Yosemite National Park closure extended following snow damage, destructive winds."
