Yosemite’s summer setbacks: Half Dome cables and 5 other delayed openings

With Memorial Day just two weeks away, Yosemite National Park is dealing with numerous delays in opening for the summer season.

The most immediate setback is the short-notice closing of three Yosemite Valley campgrounds (No. 1 on the map below). Lower Pines, North Pines and Housekeeping will be shut down from Monday, May 15, until further notice because of the possibility of flooding on the Merced River.

The park has also given these status reports, with locations noted on the map:

2/ Half Dome cables. The installation of the posts and cables that allow hikers to reach Half Dome’s summit has been delayed because of heavy snow, the park reported. The scheduled opening date for that section of trail had been May 26; no revised date has been announced. In 2017 — a year with heavy snow, but lighter than this year’s — the cables were up on June 2.

Hikers who have permits for days when the Half Dome trail remains closed will not have to pay the $10-a-person fee, but there is no refund of the application fee and no priority will be given for substitute dates.

3/ Big Oak Flat Road. Highway 120 is closed from the Big Oak Flat entrance station to Merced Groves because of road damage. It is expected to remain closed at least until mid-June. Hodgdon Meadow campground is accessible from Highway 120, but Yosemite Valley is not. Visitors will have to enter by Highway 140 or Highway 41/Wawona Road.

4/ Mariposa Grove shuttle: The shuttle, which usually begains service on May 15, will start no earlier than late May this year because of road damage. When the road is open, only people with disability placards can drive their own cars to the grove.

5/ Tioga Road. Highway 120 between Crane Flat and Lee Vining will reopen “later than usual,” the park said, but no date has been set. The park’s plowing update says: “In the previous snowiest years, Tioga Road opened in late June or early July. There is no way to provide a more precise estimate for this year.” In 2017, it opened on June 29. The closure affects park attractions including lodging and camping at White Wolf and Tuolumne Meadows and the trailheads for the high Sierra camps.

6/ Glacier Point Road. In addition to the plowing of heavy snow, this road has construction work to be completed and will not open until July at the earliest. The closure applies to bicyclists and pedestrians as well as vehicle traffic.

For updates on closures, see Yosemite’s “Plan Your Visit” webpage.