Yosemite National Park Will Open Again on Saturday, March 18 (With Limited Access)
This news story about the announcement that Yosemite National Park will open again after severe winter weather is based on a March 16, 2023, Yosemite National Park Facebook post. You can see the original post here.
Having been closed to the public since the end of February, due to severe winter weather and snowstorms, Yosemite National Park will reopen again on Saturday, March 18, 2023, the park said in a Facebook post.
This reopening does not mean, however, that all things will be back to normal in the park. Rather the opposite, in fact, visitors will still have minimal access.
Many services, too, will not be in operation again quite yet.
Yosemite National Park Will Open Again on Saturday, March 18
The park said that the Yosemite Valley will be open from sunrise to sunset starting Saturday, with very limited services available. The only access to Yosemite Valley will be via Highway 140 and El Portal Road, with a short detour in El Portal.
Additionally, Hetch Hetchy will reopen from 8 am to 5 pm every day, but will only be accessible via Highway 120 west of Yosemite and Evergreen Road.
Please note that all other roads and areas of the park, including Big Oak Flat and Wawona Roads, will remain closed until further notice.
Although several miles of paved pedestrian paths in Yosemite Valley have been plowed, hiking the park’s trails won’t be possible. All hiking trails are still covered in snow, Yosemite National Park warns visitors.
Even though pathways are plowed, they can still be icy. Visitors are therefore advised to wear waterproof boots and traction devices. The park recommends avoiding snow-covered trails, as they are not maintained and pose various, sometimes hidden, dangers.
Current Conditions and Possible Reopenings
Winter weather is again in the forecast next week. However, conditions permitting, Yosemite Valley will open 24 hours per day starting Monday, March 20, with limited overnight lodging.
Campgrounds are still buried in snow and will not open immediately. Visitors should be prepared for the possibility of road closures and tire chain requirements. Please call 209/372-0200 (then 1, 1) to check road conditions.
The park has been closed since February 25 due to a series of storms that damaged roads and other facilities. Since February 21, when the series of storms started, Yosemite Valley has received over 21 inches of liquid precipitation and Tuolumne Meadows has received over 15 feet of new snow.
The park has documented 22 rockslides, debris flows, and other slope failures along park roads during this time, most of which have been mitigated.
Other services and areas of the park will reopen as park recovery efforts such as these continue.
You can check current conditions and see what’s open on the Yosemite National Park website.
