Your source for weekly news, information and updates in the Yosemite National Park region and beyond updated December 17th, 2024.
Information Desk is located at 11892 Ponderosa Lane at our Yosemite
Basecamp from 8am - 6pm 7 days a week through January 5th!
January 6th - March 20th we will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8am - 6pm.
Reservations
Reservations are not required for any dates through 2024. For more information and full day or half day reservations for 2025 visit https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10086745.
You will not need reservations in 2025 if:
 you are entering on one of our guided tours
 you have a Half Dome or wilderness permit
you have lodging or camping reservations inside of Yosemite National Park
you are entering on YARTS
you are on foot, bike or horse
February 2025 Horsetail Fall Reservation Requirements
Yosemite National Park will require day-use entrance reservations for the last three weekends of February 2025 to manage the Horsetail Fall event.
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During February, thousands of visitors visit Horsetail Fall, a waterfall that can glow orange when it's backlit by sunset, which can make it appear to be on fire. This unique lighting effect happens only on evenings with a clear sky when the waterfall is flowing and when the sun is at the right angle in mid– to late February. This event attracts many visitors to a small area, causing traffic congestion, parking issues, safety concerns, and impacts to natural and cultural resources. To manage this event, a reservation will be required to enter Yosemite National Park on the weekends of February 8–9, February 15–17, and February 22–23, 2025, even for those not visiting Horsetail Fall. Visitors who arrive Mondays through Fridays (except Monday, February 17) won't need a reservation. The $35/car entrance fee is valid for entry for seven days, regardless of day of arrival. A similar system has been implemented for this event the past several years.
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Beginning at 8 am Pacific time on November 18, 50% of day-use reservations will be available for all three weekends at https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10086745. Beginning at 8 am Pacific time two days prior to a day-use reservation date, the remaining 50% of day-use reservations will be available. For example, on February 21 at 8 am, day-use reservations for February 23 will be available.
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Road Conditions, Closures & Detours
During the winter months, all roads within Yosemite National Park are chain controlled, so motorist must have chains in their vehicle when entering. When chain controls are in effect, signs will be posted along the road indicating the type of requirement.
Requirement 1 (R-1): Chains are required on all vehicles except vehicles with snow tires.
Requirement 2 (R2): Chains or cables are required on all vehicles except four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires.
Requirement 3 (R3): Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles, no exceptions.
Tioga Road
Tioga Road and the Highway 120 entering the Park from Lee Vining and Mammoth Lakes, CA is closed for the season.
Hetch Hetchy Road
Hetchy Road, from the intersection of Evergreen Road and Mather Road, is open from Sunrise to Sunset, but may have chain controls in place during inclement weather.
Big Oak Flat Road
Big Oak Flat Road & Highway 120 entering the Park from Groveland, CA is open, but may have chain controls in place during inclement weather.
Wawona Road
Wawona Road & Highway 41 entering the Park from Oakhurst, CA, is open, but may have chain controls in place during inclement weather. .
A team will be inspecting the Wawona tunnel and the tunnels along Big Oak Flat Road this week. Traffic Management has been contracted to conduct one lane closures Tuesday and Wednesday while visual inspections are occurring.
Mariposa Grove Road
The road leading into the Mariposa Grove is currently closed for the season.
Mariposa Grove transportation service is discontinued temporarily, due to icy road conditions, a winter weather advisory, and freezing overnight temperatures in the forecast. Road conditions will be re-assessed on Sunday, Nov 17. The Welcome Center parking area remains open. The grove accessible to hike-in visitors who are prepared for snow and ice (J. Donovon)
El Portal Road
El Portal Road and Highway 140 entering the Park from Mariposa, CA is open, but may have chain controls in place during inclement weather.
State Route 140 (SR-140) between Cathey’s Valley and the town of Mariposa will undergo improvements throughout the summer. Work will include pavement preservation with hot-mix asphalt, and removal and installation of guardrails, culverts, dikes, shoulder backing, signage, and corner curb ramps at seven intersections. Crews will work night shifts for approximately 170 working days, Sunday through Thursday, with alternating lane closures on eastbound and westbound SR-140. Project completion is expected in December 2024.
Glacier Point Road
Glacier Point Road is closed for the season. The Badger Pass cutoff road is closed.
As part of the Glacier Point Road Rehabilitation project, the Aquatics Restoration crew will be conducting stream channel work at the culvert on the east portion of Summit Meadow on Glacier Point Road. Work will begin October 21st and continue through October 22nd. As part of this work there will be single lane closures, with delays of up to 15 minutes, between 6AM and 8PM, Monday and Tuesday. A portion of the Summit Meadow pullout one mile east of Badger Pass will also be closed to allow workers access. Please be patient and aware of workers and equipment on the road and allow extra time to reach your destination.
Yosemite Valley Roads
All roads within Yosemite Valley are open, but may have chain controls in place during inclement weather.
Recreational Conditions
Valley Loop Trail near El Capitan
The Valley Loop trail will be barricaded at the west end of the project site near El Capitan and at the entrance to the project site south of the El Capitan picnic area. A trail detour is available to hikers by walking north of the project site. The contractor will also be periodically closing the left-hand lane of Northside Drive for approximately 2500 feet west of and in front of the El Capitan picnic area in order to stage trucks for off hauling of waste/soil from the site.
Closed Campgrounds
Bridalveil Creek, Crane Flat, Tamarack Flat, White Wolf, Yosemite Creek, Housekeeping Camp, Porcupine Flat, Tuolumne Meadow, North Pines, Lower Pines.
The laundromat at Housekeeping Camp will stay open throughout the winter, and all other facilities will be closed until the 2025 season.
Half Dome
The Half Dome cables are down for the season; they are usually installed the the Friday before the last Monday in May, conditions permitting. A permit is required to hike to the top of Half Dome when the cables are up.
John Muir Trail
The John Muir Trail between Clark Point and Panorama Trail junction (near the top of Nevada Fall) is closed for the season due to dangerously icy conditions. The Mist Trail provides access to the top of Nevada Fall.
Hetch Hetchy
The trail to Wapama Falls is closed for repairs from Tueeulala Falls to Tiltille Creek (near Rancheria Falls.
Valley Loop Trail
A short section of the Valley Loop Trail at The Ahwahnee is closed due to rockfall risk, although a short detour is available..
Elizabeth Lake Trailhead
Elizabeth Lake Trailhead (in Tuolumne Meadows Campground) is closed. Start from the visitor center or Dog Lake parking areas instead.
Half Dome
The Half Dome cables are up for the season; they are planned to remain in place through October 15. A permit is required to hike to the top of Half Dome when the cables are up.
Peregrin Falcon Climbing Closures
All Falcon closures are lifted on July 15th through March 1st
Additional Climbing Closures
Serenity Crack and Super Slide Climbing Area Closure:Â Closure includes all routes between and including Peruvian Flake West to the Rhombus Wall. The popular routes Serenity Crack/Sons of Yesterday, and Super Slide are included in the closure.Â
Fire Update – Nothing to report
Yosemite Bear Facts
Latest Report | October 20, 2024
2024 Total Bear Incidents to date: 34
2024 Total Property Damage to date: $3,034
Bear Incident Comparisons (year to date—previous years compared to 2024):
Last year (2023) - Â up by 6%
Most Incidents (1998) - down by 98%
Fewest Incidents (2019) - up by 55%
Bear Activity Summary: So far this year, about one third of bear incidents have occurred in Yosemite’s residential areas, another third have happened in wilderness, and the rest were in various frontcountry areas. This highlights the important impact we all have on wildlife in Yosemite both living here and visiting the park. Constant diligence with your food storage is important and can have drastic impacts on the lives of the bears that live here.
Bears this time of year are spending the majority of their time eating, trying to pack on pounds for hibernation. Acorns are a primary food source for bears in the fall, and the crop of acorns is particularly large this year. Bear activity has been picking back up in Yosemite Valley the past couple of weeks, with a bear getting into a food storage locker that was not properly latched this week.
Red Bear, Dead Bear: Please help protect wildlife by obeying speed limits and being prepared to stop for animals in roadways. Eleven bears have been hit by vehicles with two confirmed dead. One cub was taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center last week, it is likely the mother was hit by a vehicle.
Fascinating Bear Facts: Bears can travel great distances to return to a known food source. Relocated bears frequently return within days in Yosemite, and in the process of returning, risk encountering vehicles as well as human development. For this reason, YNP usually avoids relocating bears.
Other Wildlife: Summer is here! The Northern Pacific rattlesnake is a venomous species found in Yosemite. These snakes have excellent camouflage and are easy to miss when hiking hot, dusty trails, or scrambling through talus fields. Always check under objects and rocks when sitting to snack, and if you encounter a rattlesnake, give it plenty of room. Do not try to move the animal, it will move off trail on its own if given space. Â
Please report bear incidents and sightings:
Call the Save-A-Bear Hotline at 209-372-0322 or e-mail yose_bear_mgmt@nps.gov.
For more information about Yosemite’s bears, please visit:
Current Waterfall Conditions
Yosemite Falls | 2,425 ft | Flows: approximately November through July, with peak flow in May.
Current Condition: Visable with low flow
Bridalveil Fall | 620 feet | Flows: Generally all year, with peak flow in May
Current Condition: Low Flow
Nevada Fall | 594 feet | Flows: All year, with peak flow in late May.
Current Condition: Moderate Flow
Vernal Fall(s) | 317 feet | Flows: All year, though by mid to late summer, it narrows and separates into one, two, or three falls as water flows decrease; peaks in late May.
Current Condition: Low flow with separation
Wapama Falls | 1,400 feet | Flows: Not flowing
Current Conditions: low Flow
Chilnualna Falls | 2,200 feet | Flows: all year, with peak flow in May
Current Conditions: low Flow
Tuolumne River Flow Rates
For permitting and access information contact the Groveland Ranger District.
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Flows will continue to remain elevated and may vary significantly over the coming weeks as weather changes and spring runoff season progresses.
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Stated flow rates are best estimates and are subject to change as conditions and operational constraints evolve.
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Nature in the News
Scientists are reporting success with a 15-year program at Yosemite National Park to reestablish the endangered Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog.
Yosemite National Park officials release video of a white-lined sphinx moth. Is it a hummingbird?
Yosemite and Gateway Communities in the News
KVPR
But over a century ago, a different technology offered a solution to Yosemite's transportation problem.
NewsBreak
Yosemite National Park and Mariposa County are teaming up on a groundbreaking initiative to conserve and digitize hundreds of historic maps
They join Highway 120 Tioga Pass, which Yosemite officials announced earlier. Caltrans reports that the recent storm cycle, and accumulation of ...
Sonora, CA– Seasonal closures of select National Forest System roads and trails in the Stanislaus National Forest begin today, Dec 16.
Serious and pressing issues' at Yosemite National Park: Concessionaire responds to criticisms.
MSN
An open letter on Reddit accused Aramark Destinations of mismanagement, ignoring structural issues, and failing to look after their staff at Yosemite ...
This weekend's Mother Lode Views will feature a conversation with Kevin Day and Lloyd Mathiesen.
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