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Yosemite National Park plans to “restore minimal public access” Saturday, after shuttering for almost a month because of multiple strong winter storms that dumped record-breaking snow, caused several rock falls and damaged many park facilities.
Yosemite Valley — one of the most popular and accessible parts of the world-famous park — will reopen to visitors Saturday during daylight hours, but park officials warned that many roads in the park remain closed and trails are still snow-covered, according to a statement from park officials. The Hetch Hetchy Valley in the northwestern part of the national park will also reopen from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., park officials said.
Visitors will be able to access Yosemite Valley only from the west through Highway 140 and El Portal Road, with a short detour in El Portal, the statement said. The valley will have limited services available.
Hetch Hetchy will also be accessible only from the west, through Highway 120 and Evergreen Road.
Park officials said all other roads and areas of the park, including Big Oak Flat and Wawona Roads, will remain closed, noting that in the last few weeks the park has documented 22 rock slides, many debris flows and other slope failures along park roads, though many have been mitigated.
The park closed Feb. 25 and has since broken at least two snowfall records, one for snow accumulation in the Yosemite Valley, and another in the park’s high country, where Tuolumne Meadows broke a 1983 record for the amount of snow on the ground, with 146 inches Wednesday, according to park officials.
Yosemite Valley has received more than 21 inches of rain and Tuolumne Meadows has received more than 15 feet of new snow since Feb. 21, when the storms started, park officials said.
Park officials are hoping Yosemite Valley will return to its typical 24-hour operation on Monday, including limited overnight lodging but no camping since campgrounds remain buried by snow. That plan could be affected with more wet weather forecast for early next week.
From Monday through Wednesday, the Yosemite Valley is forecast to get at least an additional foot of snow, while higher elevations could see much more, according to the National Weather Service. The Tioga Pass region, to the park’s east, could get up to 3 feet of snow.
Closer to the coast, some forecasters are predicting California could see more storms brought about by another atmospheric river system, but it isn’t yet clear just how much of that particularly heavy precipitation will hit Yosemite — though significant snowfall is expected.
While many paved pedestrian paths in the Yosemite Valley have been plowed, all hiking trails are covered in snow, and officials warned visitors to not hike on such trails without proper equipment.
Park officials recommended visitors come prepared with chains and call (209) 372-0200 to check road conditions.
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Grace Toohey
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