Current State of Yosemite — What Does it Mean?

I am excited that it is almost climbing seasons in the valley but it was a crazy winter in the Sierra Nevada with record hitting snowfall and all of that snowfall means that we will need to keep an eye on the spring and summer as the base pack continues to melt and we continue to see impacts.

Already, we are seeing potential issues with Yosemite announcing a flood warning and now a massive crack in the highway!

The roaring Bridalveil falls in Yosemite! (photo from USA Today)

Last week, Yosemite announced a flood warning when increased temperatures caused for a spike in snow melt, increasing the water level of the Merced River to 11 feet (Check out LA Times to read more). The chances of more flooding happening throughout the spring into the summer is high, so make sure you check the NPS website if you have any concerns!

Just because there is potential flooding doe snot mean that your trip needs to be scrapped! The NPS team will let you know which specific campsites / hikes are closed (currently 5/15 Housekeeping Camp and Pines Campground (both North and South) are closed)

What else is happening?

So far no one has been able to start up El Cap quite yet because the snow pack for the walk off is too high. While other crags are more friendly, getting to certain climbing spots may present potential issues…

Highway 120 with a big ol’ crack down the middle! (Photo from SF chronicles)

Yosemite park officials announced that a section of Highway 120 (from the entrance of the national park to Merced Grove) will be closed until possibly late July. Highway 120 / Big Oak Flat is a major entrance, especially for those coming from San Francisco. The Big Oak Flat entrance will service Hogden Campground with the ability to get to Hetch Hetchy, but not much is accessible from that entrance beyond those two things. While I love Hogden Campground, I would not recommend staying there until highway 120 is fixed!

There are still other options to get to the valley. The next best option will be to use Arch Rock Entrance which comes in from Mariposa. Check out my Yosemite Entrance guide for more information.

Snow pack in Tuolumne (photo from NPS)

Finally, Glacier Point Road and Tioga Pass (the extension of Highway 120 from Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows) will be closed later that usual because of the significant snow pack that needs to melt before their reopening