Infos zum Yosemite NP

Yosemite National Park will be closed for days due to flooding from melting snow

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Yosemite National Park will be closed from Friday until at least May 3 because melting snow is expected to cause flooding in the area, the park said Tuesday.

The National Weather Service predicts temperatures will increase by 5 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend, prompting melting snow to raise the water levels in the Merced River.

This past winter, the Sierra Nevada region — which includes Yosemite Valley, Lake Tahoe and Mount Whitney — experienced snow levels at more than 300% than usual.

The closure will begin Friday at 10 p.m. More flooding is possible throughout May and June, the park said.

Visitors who booked reservations for lodging and campgrounds during the cancellation will receive a refund, and wilderness permits can be rescheduled, the park said.

During the closure, Wawona, Crane Flat area and Hetch Hetchy will be open. Mariposa Grove will be open, but only via hike. Western Yosemite Valley will be open, but no services will be available, and parking will be limited and visitors cannot park off-road, the park said.

"In Yosemite Valley, the closure will be at El Capitan crossover (the road that crosses the Merced River just east of El Capitan)," the park said.

No visitors will be allowed east of that road.

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Yosemite updates: Glacier Point Road reopens on weekends, Tioga Pass road stays closed

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Glacier Point Road will reopen for weekends only starting July 1 before opening full-time on July 15, Yosemite National Park said Tuesday.

Tioga Pass Road, meanwhile, will stay closed through July 4 as crews continue to clear snow. Its reopening date has not yet been set, but clearly it will be one of the latest times in recent history. Usually, the road reopens by the end of June.

Glacier Point Road, which goes from the valley up to Glacier Point, with its spectacular views of the valley, will be open from 6 a.m. on July 1 until 10 p.m. on July 4, and again from 6 a.m. on July 8 through 10 p.m. on July 9; ongoing construction work will continue when the road is closed.

“Arrive early in the morning to avoid long delays and full parking lots,” the park service warned on Twitter, noting that parking is limited at Glacier Point and throughout Yosemite.

Services may also be limited, the park said, with drinking water potentially unavailable over the holiday weekend. “Sections of trails in the Glacier Point Road area will still be wet and muddy, with snow persisting at the higher elevations (e.g., Ostrander Lake),” the park said. “If you want to go backpacking, wilderness permits are now available one week in advance (not the day before, as in the past).”

Even after Glacier Point Road fully reopens on July 15, 30-minute delays are expected from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. There will be no access for bicyclists this year, the park service said.

The Glacier Point reopening should ease some of the severe traffic in the valley by giving visitors another option for day trips. However, the continued closure of Tioga Pass Road means that driving to Tuolumne Meadows remains off-limits, and it’s still not possible to take the road out of the park and over to the east side of the Sierra, including the town of Mammoth Lakes.

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Kalifornien: Höchster Pass immer noch zu

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Nach dem schneereichsten Winter seit Aufzeichnungsbeginn ist Kaliforniens wichtigster Gebirgspass immer noch gesperrt. Nach Einschätzung der Behörden wird der Tioga-Pass wohl erst ab dem 15. Juli wieder befahrbar sein - so spät wie noch nie.

Über 15 Meter Schnee haben sich bis zum Frühjahr in den Hochlagen der kalifornischen Sierra Nevada angesammelt, soviel wie noch nie seit Messbeginn. Noch immer ist die wichtigste Passstraße über das Hochgebirge, die California State Route 120, wegen der Schneemassen für den Verkehr gesperrt.

Das Problem sind nicht nur die immer noch reichlich vorhandenen Schneemauern am Fahrbahnrand.

So geht Gefahr auch von Straßenschäden und umgestürzten Bäumen aus, die nach und nach durch die abschmelzenden Schneemassen freigelegt werden. Zudem besteht an der Passstraße abschnittsweise sogar noch Lawinengefahr.

Noch nie in den vergangenen 90 Jahren war die Straße so spät im Jahr noch in Wintersperre. In den meisten Jahren wurde der Pass im Laufe des Junis für den Verkehr freigegeben, oft aber auch schon im Mai, in besonders schneearmen Jahren sogar schon im April.

Die Behörden hatten ursprünglich gehofft, den Pass am Independence Day, dem 4. Juli, wenigstens kurzzeitig öffnen zu können. Anschließend wäre er wegen noch notwendiger Räum- und Aufräumarbeiten wieder geschlossen worden.

Doch inzwischen ist klar, dass die Straße aus Sicherheitsgründen auch am Feiertag gesperrt bleibt. Die Behörden hoffen, den Pass dann am 15. Juli endgültig für den Verkehr freigegeben zu können.

Wintersportler kommen dagegen in einigen Skigebieten noch auf ihre Kosten: Aufgrund der außergewöhnlich großen Schneemassen des vergangenen Winters liegt unweit des Lake Tahoe sowie rund um den Mammoth Mountain trotz der mittlerweile sommerlichen Temperaturen noch genügend Schnee für Skitouren.

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Yosemite National Park Bringing Back Reservations But Not Until Next Year

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The most visited national park in California is bringing back reservations. A top Yosemite official says it’ll likely happen next year given the recent crowds. Summer months are always the busiest but it’s gotten worse since reservations ended in November with parking lots filling up fast. Just last week, some waited up to five hours to get in. A permanent policy wouldn’t happen until 2025, after the park’s Visitor Access Management Plan ends next year.

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Yosemite's Tioga Road to open with flooding, no food, water, fuel

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Tioga finally reopens, but the conditions for park visitors are far from ideal

The National Park Service announced that Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park is set to reopen July 22, but the conditions are less than ideal. The 46-mile road is a continuation of Highway 120 that serves as an entry point into the park through Tuolumne Meadows.

After a record-breaking closure, on July 14, the park announced Tioga Road had been cleared of snow, but the surrounding area had suffered significant damage due to the intense snowpack. Now that the entry point is reopening, park officials warn that travelers must be cautious because of the conditions.

“While vault and portable toilets will be available, there will be no water, no store/food service, and no fuel. Be sure to bring all the food/water you need,” the park service wrote on Twitter. “The Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center will be open (8 am to 5 pm) and a general information desk near the visitor center will be open from 9 am to 5 pm.”

Park officials said they hope to provide portable toilets in the future. At least 60% of the buildings at Tuolumne Meadows were damaged, including the Meadows Lodge, employee housing, the gift shop and the post office.

The road typically reopens in mid-May or June. The closure has officially broken the 1917 record, when Tioga Road didn’t open until July 19, according to AccuWeather.

The park also warns that campgrounds will remain closed and that many roads are still snowy and flooded. Inexperienced hikers might want to pass on trekking the area, as the park warns visitors to pack navigation, a map and a compass since marked trails “may be hard or impossible to follow.”

This year is the first since the pandemic that Yosemite has not required reservations for the busy summer season. Although the opening is expected to relieve some congestion that has caused hourslong delays to get into the parks, officials also said there will be some one-lane sections, causing potentially 15-minute delays around Olmsted Point.

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Have you seen these giant piles of rocks at Yosemite? Rangers say knock 'em down

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If you've been feeling like you want to knock over giant piles of rocks, then Yosemite National Park might be your playground.

The park posted a video on Facebook earlier this month instructing visitors to stop building large rock towers, called cairns, and dismantle any they find. In the video, a wilderness restoration ranger gently shoves over a cairn, which appears to be several feet high.

"This dramatically oversized cairn is a mark of human impact and is distracting in a wilderness setting," the post read. "Building rock cairns also disturbs small insects, reptiles, and microorganisms that call the underside home!"

Constructing such towers goes against Leave No Trace ethics, a set of seven principles designed to educate members of the public on minimizing their impact on outdoor spaces and that the National Park Service advises its visitors to follow.

According to the park service, cairns are most commonly used to designate hiking routes. Typically cairns should be assembled only by rangers and trail workers, according to the park service.

"When used appropriately, rock cairns are great for navigation, safety, and delineating a new or hard-to-follow trail," Yosemite said on its Facebook post.

The spring and summer months are peak seasons for the National Park Service system, with flocks of tourists packing parks across the country.

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Opa (93) erklimmt mithilfe von Sohn und Enkelin Berggipfel

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Der 93-Jährige absolvierte die Besteigung zusammen mit seinem 57-jährigen Sohn Jon und seiner 19-jährigen Enkelin Sidney.

Der 93-jährige Everett Kalin ist der "älteste bekannte Kletterer" am Half Dome des Yosemite. Everett Kalin beschloss, am 18. Juli den Half Dome des Yosemite zu besteigen. Nach Angaben des National Park Service benötigen die meisten Wanderer für die Tageswanderung zum Half Dome 10 bis 12 Stunden, und man geht davon aus, dass Kalin nun der älteste Mensch ist, der diesen Gipfel bestiegen hat.

"Wenn man auf die 90 zugeht, denkt man: 'Was würde ich gerne mal machen?' Ich schätze, der Half Dome war das, was mir am meisten in den Sinn kam."

Der 93-Jährige absolvierte die Besteigung zusammen mit seinem 57-jährigen Sohn Jon und seiner 19-jährigen Enkelin Sidney. Die beiden trugen die gesamte Ausrüstung, so dass der Großvater nur mit einer Wasserflasche auf dem Rücken wandern konnte.

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Huge, growing crack splits Yosemite cliff, raising rockfall danger and forcing trail closure

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A massive crack has opened up on a Yosemite National Park cliff face, raising the risk of a dangerous rockfall and forcing the indefinite closure of part of a popular trail, park officials said.

Rock climbers recently reported the crack on the western side of the Royal Arches, near a climbing route known as Super Slide above the Yosemite Valley Loop Trail, according to the National Park Service.

Upon further investigation, officials found that the crack had partially detached a large pillar of rock, and the split was growing.

A climbing guide who scaled the rock face Aug. 6 did not see the crack; by the time of his Aug. 20 climb, the crack had appeared, up to an inch wide and 200 feet long, the recreational magazine Outside reported.

“A climbing ranger and a geologist observed it firsthand and they could hear it cracking like a frozen lake that wasn’t consolidated,” supervisory park ranger Jesse McGahey told Outside. “And there were pieces of rock rattling down the crack without touching it. The park geologist said they’d never seen anything like this. He’s never been able to observe that in his 15 years in Yosemite.”

As a precaution to reduce the risk from potential rockfalls, the National Park Service closed a quarter-mile of the Yosemite Valley Loop Trail at the Ahwahnee hotel. There is no timeline for a complete reopening of the trail, but in the meantime hikers can take a detour.

All climbing routes from Peruvian Flake West to the Rhombus Wall are also closed, including the popular routes Serenity Crack/Sons of Yesterday and Super Slide.

Rockfalls are relatively common in Yosemite, increasing last year as strong fall storms hit the area. In 2022, Yosemite had a documented total of 52 rockfalls within the park, recent data show.

The largest rockfall of 2022 occurred in November from halfway up Middle Brother, part of the Three Brothers granite formation. A roughly 4,000-ton slab of rock detached from the face of Middle Brother and hit a ledge, dislodging over 440 tons more of rock from two other points on the lower end of the cliff. Some boulders caused damage to Northside Drive.

On Dec. 27, another rockfall east of the park’s Arch Rock Entrance fragmented into dozens of boulders, striking a vehicle on El Portal Road and killing two people inside.

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New Yosemite Valley Welcome Center is Now Open in Yosemite National Park

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Yosemite National Park officials report that the Yosemite Valley Welcome Center is now open!

This facility is our new hub for visitor orientation in Yosemite Valley. Inside you’ll find NPS rangers and volunteers for park information and a @yosemiteconservancy operated bookstore, and since it’s part of the Village Store complex adjacent to the central parking lot, no hike across Yosemite Village is necessary to get your question answered. We’re open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, so come drop on by. It’s even got a nice view looking up at Glacier Point.

As for the old Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, its transformation into the new Yosemite Exploration Center is well under way. Stay tuned for further announcements about it this season, but while we install expanded exhibits in the vacated space, know that the adjoining Yosemite Conservancy bookstore, in addition to the nearby Yosemite Theater and Museum remain open.

The welcome center and forthcoming Yosemite Exploration Center are made possible in part by the generous support of Yosemite Conservancy donors.

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Yosemite Requiring Reservations for Horsetail Fall Event

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During February, thousands of visitors visit Horsetail Fall, a waterfall that creates the illusion that the water is on fire. The surge in visitation has led to full parking lots, parking overflowing into traffic lanes, pedestrian-vehicle conflicts causing safety issues, and damage to natural and cultural resources.

Day Use Reservations

In order to manage visitor activity during this event, a reservation will be required to drive into Yosemite National Park on the weekends of February 10th to the 11th, February 17th to the 19th, and February 24th to the 25th, 2024. Visitors who arrive Mondays through Fridays (except Monday, February 19th) won’t need a reservation. The $35/car entrance fee is valid for entry for seven days, regardless of day of arrival. A similar system has been implemented for this event the past several years.

Beginning at 8 am Pacific time on December 1st, 2023, 50% of day-use reservations will be available for all three weekends at https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10086745. Beginning at 8 am Pacific time two days prior to a day-use reservation date, the remaining 50% of day-use reservations will be available. For example, on February 23rd, 2024, at 8 am, day-use reservations for February 25th will be available.

Lodging Reservations

If you have a lodging reservation for Yosemite Valley, Wawona, Foresta, or Yosemite West, you don’t need an additional entrance reservation.

Campground Reservations

Campground reservations will be required for Camp 4, Hodgdon Meadow, and Wawona Campgrounds for Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays beginning February 9th through February 25th, 2024 (these campgrounds normally operate on a first-come, first-served basis in February). There will be a 2-night minimum reservation requirement. Reservations will be released on December 15th, 2023, at 7 am Pacific time at Recreation.gov. If you have a campground reservation for Upper Pines, Camp 4, Hodgdon Meadow, or Wawona Campgrounds, you don’t need an additional entrance reservation.

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Yosemite National Park Announces Park Entry Reservation Pilot for Summer 2024

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Yosemite National Park is announcing a “Peak Hours Plus” 2024 vehicle reservation pilot system for park entry on the following dates: On weekends from April 13 to June 30; every day from July 1 to Aug. 16; and on weekends from Aug. 17 to Oct. 27. This system will be similar to the 2022 “Peak Hours” system, with the addition of more reservations for afternoon entries.

Park officials say the goal of the pilot is to ease overcrowding during peak times and continue to offer access for all to this extremely popular park.

"This summer's pilot system is built from extensive public feedback, data from three years of pilot reservation systems here in Yosemite, and lessons learned from other national parks," said Superintendent Cicely Muldoon. "This pilot system will inform how we ensure an equitable and outstanding visitor experience while protecting Yosemite's world class resources."

Reservations will be required for vehicle entry to the park between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. during the reservation periods. Reservations are not required to enter the park after 4 p.m. Visitors will pick from two types of reservations: Reservations valid for a full day, or reservations valid for entry any time after noon.

Reservations will be available for purchase online beginning at 8 a.m. (PST) on Jan. 5, 2024, for all arrival dates (Apr. 13 to Oct. 20) at recreation.gov/timed-entry/10086745. Reservations will be available until none remain. Afternoon arrivals and additional full day reservations will be added one week in advance; e.g., reservations for a Sept. 30 arrival date will be added on Sept. 23.

Both reservation types (full day and afternoon) are valid for up to three consecutive days, including the arrival date. Visitors with in-park lodging or campground reservations, wilderness or Half Dome permits, or visitors entering the park via YARTS buses and on permitted commercial tours do not need a vehicle reservation. Learn more about reservations at go.nps.gov/reserve.

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Yosemite Wilderness

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Wilderness in Yosemite is a special place. It is the feeling of humility amidst the grandeur of granite walls, the challenge of a trail through a red fir forest, the independence in route finding through an alpine lake basin, and the connection to your family, friends, and those who came before you camping under the stars. It is also the diverse wildlife, plants, water, geology, and cultural history that makes up a majority of Yosemite and its most protected areas. It is a protection of land to be celebrated and explored.

When many of us think of wilderness, we may think of anything wild, from our backyards to local parks. Here, we celebrate the importance of legally designated wilderness, which may evoke some of the same feelings as places close to home but also have extra protections to keep them forever wild. Though humans have existed here for thousands of years, our presence and impact are not immediately obvious; nature itself remains the dominant force. Those who venture into the Yosemite Wilderness won’t find roads, buildings, or modern conveniences. Instead, they are likely to find inspiration, deep connections, and meaningful challenges. Whether you are visiting the park for a few hours and gazing to the top of Half Dome or travelling for days far from cars and roads—you are seeing Yosemite Wilderness!

The Wilderness Act was passed by Congress in 1964 as a conscious decision to manage and act with restraint and let the natural world dominate in these special places. It is meant to be different! Wilderness areas are designated by an act of Congress and provide the highest level of protection for some of the most unique and least manipulated land in the United States. The Wilderness Act was enacted in 1964 with guidelines for future additions to the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS). Twenty years later, Congress established the Yosemite Wilderness, which currently includes 704,028 acres (or 1,100 square miles—over 94% of the park) and 1,012 acres of potential wilderness. These potential wilderness additions include areas that had already been developed before 1984 and were non-conforming to designated wilderness such as water utility systems, roads, and High Sierra Camps.

Wilderness acreage cited is based on current acreages informed by GIS mapping technology, which may differ from older sources.

Wilderness is protected for its intangible and tangible qualities:

It is a protection of natural processes like the unique animals and their habitats of Yosemite like great gray owls, Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs and whitebark pines, vibrant night skies and vistas from the high country, and water quality. It's a spectacular research location for studying flora and fauna that is less manipulated by humans, a reservoir of all natural things that would be lost through modern development. These processes are important to be protected not only for species that call Yosemite home, but to all of us at our other homes as well—it impacts the snowpack of the Sierra Nevada, an important water source for the Central Valley, an agricultural hotspot growing as much as 25% of the food we eat in the United States!

It provides for solitude and opportunities for primitive and unconfined recreation, which offer challenge, a sense of awe, and unplugging from the technological world. The Yosemite Wilderness is not an island—it is surrounded by other wilderness managed by the US Forest Service to our north, south and east. Which creates some unique opportunities for large areas of protection, and long adventures to take along the Pacific Crest and John Muir Trails. Explore our website to learn more about backpacking opportunities, permits, regulations and trailheads,

Indigenous peoples, including the seven traditionally associated tribes of Yosemite, have historic and ongoing relationships with living, travelling, and stewarding this place. Yosemite Indians were some of the first protectors of the lands now designated as wilderness, and other people joined to continue to research, manage and protect these lands with them.

Wilderness areas are places where a conscious decision has been made by the American people to let nature prevail, to be unhindered or—as worded in the law—“untrammeled.” In wilderness, natural processes are the primary force acting upon the land, and the developments of modern technological society are substantially unnoticeable. For expanses as large as the Yosemite Wilderness this may include allowing lightning fires to burn, moving trails out of meadows for hydrologic flow and floods or allowing the natural wildlife cycles of life and death to carry on with minimal interference.

It is undeveloped by modern technologies and impact—including roads, buildings, structures or utilities. This lack of things provides for many, more places where we are awed and humbled by vast landscapes and powerful natural forces, places where we can connect—to the earth, to each other, and to ourselves.

The opportunities for exploring wilderness are as diverse as the landscapes these places protect. From hiking, backpacking, rock climbing and horseback riding to journaling, painting, and photography, there are ample ways for pleasure, inspiration, and adventure in Yosemite Wilderness. However you visit, it's important to be a steward and take of these special places. Familiarize yourself with Leave No Trace and start planning your next trip!

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Yosemite Got 45 Inches of Snow During Storm

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Yosemite National Park closed last week because of a storm that ended up bringing lots of snow and high winds

Yosemite National Park partly reopened after a storm brought high winds that knocked over trees and lots of snow. Officials reminded visitors to “be prepared for winter camping (bring a shovel!).”

It was reported that 33 inches of snow fell near the entrance of the park, 45 inches fell in Tuolumne Meadows and around 12 inches fell in Yosemite Valley, according to the National Weather Service.

“This actually was more like two times to almost four times what they would normally get with a more normal storm,” meteorologist Carlos Molina said to the LA Times. The closure of the park before the storm had more to do with the expected high winds, said Molina. “A 50- to 60-mile-an-hour wind was actually strong enough to knock down some of the dead trees that Yosemite has right now,” Molina said. “The public was kept out because, as the storm was moving through … they didn’t want anyone in the park to get hurt.”

With clear conditions expected for the rest of the week, Molina said the chance of Yosemite National Park closing again “is very low.”

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Captivating Firefall At Yosemite National Park: Photo Of The Day

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Mike Jay photographed the incredible firefall in Yosemite National Park. The phenomenon happens when "the sunlight streams through the thin sliver of Horsetail Falls, turning it molten orange," according to the Park Service. The fleeting glow occurs about 5 to 15 minutes before sunset and the Park Service warns that a single cloud can ruin the effect.

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