Yosemite Valley to close due to flood risk from melting Sierra snowpack

In the latest impact as California’s massive Sierra Nevada snowpack begins “the Big Melt,” much of Yosemite National Park will close from Friday night until at least Wednesday morning due to flood risk.

The Merced River, which flows through the middle of Yosemite Valley, is rising and is expected to peak Monday at about 2 or 3 feet above its flood stage. At that level, vehicles won’t be able to drive on Northside or Southside Drive in and out of Yosemite Valley. A warm-up this week, with temperatures expected to hit the 80s and 90s in much of California, will accelerate the melting Sierra snow.

“Its a difficult decision and we understand that people are disappointed. But the health and safety of visitors is our primary concern,” said park spokesman Scott Gediman. “We’ve had our biggest snowpack on record. We’ve needed it here in California. We’re thankful for that. But it inevitably leads to snow melt.”

Yosemite Valley areas east of the El Capitan Bridge — located about 2 miles west of the park visitor center — will close at 10 p.m. on Friday. There will be no public access to the visitor center, Yosemite Lodge, Ahwahnee Hotel, Curry Village, and other attractions in the eastern part of Yosemite Valley for the next four days.

Rangers plan to reopen the park fully by Wednesday, although that date could change based on river conditions.

“The water is only going to continue to rise over the next several days,” Gediman said. “That means more water across the road. People are driving through it now. But it is getting close to the point where it isn’t going to be safe for smaller vehicles.”

Visitors with reservations at campgrounds and hotels in Yosemite Valley for Saturday through Tuesday nights will be notified Tuesday and receive refunds, Gediman said.

Other parts of the park, including Wawona, Tunnel View, Crane Flat, Hetch Hetchy and the westernmost end of Yosemite Valley up to the El Capitan crossover bridge, will remain open.

The Big Oak Flat, Arch Rock, Hetch Hetchy, and South entrances will all remain open. The higher elevation areas of the park such as Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road remain closed due to snow. Crews began clearing the Tioga Road last week.

The portions of Yosemite Valley that will close Friday night to vehicles also will be closed to hikers and pedestrians.

The flooding is expected to be modest, Gediman said. Park officials will put sandbags near park employees’ low-lying homes, the Yosemite Valley School, and other at-risk buildings, but otherwise will allow nature to take its course.

“These type of closures typically have been four, five or six days, in the past,” Gediman said. “This is totally different than what we saw from the snow where we had to close for 3 weeks.”

The upcoming disruption is the latest in a string of Yosemite closures in recent years, due to everything from wildfires to the COVID pandemic. Most recently, the park was closed from Feb. 25 to March 18 as snow in Yosemite Valley accumulated to 10 feet deep. During that event, powerlines fell. Roofs collapsed. Trees snapped. The visitor center leaked. Fire hydrants were buried. Dump trucks hauled snow from roads so supplies could be brought to stores and ranger homes.

“It’s been difficult,” said  Jonathan Farrington, executive director of the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau.

“It seems like there have been more closures in the last five years than at any time that we can remember. The community is strong and people are resilient. But tourism is the number one economic driver here. When the park closes, it’s a very difficult situation.”

The huge snowpack is bringing amazing benefits, along with the setbacks, for park visitors.

On April 1, park officials measured the snowpack in the high country at Tuolumne Meadows at 15 feet deep — breaking the record from 1983 for the deepest April 1 measurement ever recorded, with records dating back to 1930. A few days later, it snowed 2 feet more in the area, which sits at about 8,600 feet elevation.

The park’s world-famous waterfalls are thundering now as billions of gallons of melted snow cascade 1,000 feet or more down sheer granite cliffs. Some long-time park experts say that Yosemite Falls and some of the iconic waterfalls could be running strong all summer, a rarity.

Farrington encouraged visitors to be persistent and not only check out other parts of the Sierra Nevada, but also Yosemite in the weeks and months ahead after Yosemite Valley fully reopens.

“The epic snowfall is leading to epic waterfalls,” he said, adding: “There’s so much to see and do in the Sierra Nevada. The wildflowers are phenomenal right now. I would encourage people to still get away and enjoy their weekends.”