Yosemite National Park remains closed, no reopening expected

Alyssa Flores

Friday, March 3, 2023 10:42 pm

Yosemite National Park remains closed with an estimated reopening date unknown.

MARIPOSA COUNTY, California (KFSN) — Yosemite National Park remains closed and it is not known when it might reopen. Work is underway in the park to clear tons of snow and restore critical services.

The park has 214 miles of paved roads, all of which are buried under feet of snow.

“Everyone is on deck. Everyone is in the park,” said Nancy Phillip of Yosemite Fire. “All employees work exceptionally hard.”

Hundreds of Yosemite National Park workers are trying to get the park back to safety after several winter storms brought record snowfall to the area.

National Park Service photographs show the A-frame building at Badger Pass almost completely buried underground. The Curry Village tents have almost disappeared under the feet of snow.

“We are setting records for the amount of snow,” Philippe said. “The snow pillar at Badger Pass is 158 inches and it’s completely covered.”

The picture shows the doorway to the bathroom, completely covered in foot-high snow. There are parts of the park that are below 15 feet.

“Using as many tools as possible just to dig,” Philippe said. “It’s hard to say where we’re going to dump this snow. When we open all car parks, we want to make sure people can drive in and visit safely. But where will they park? figure out places to move the snow.”

Heavy snowfall puts stress on trees that cannot support its weight.

Road assessment. Not only that, but also dangerous trees. Make sure the weight of the snow on the trees won’t cause any problems,” Philippe said.

With more wintry weather expected in the coming days, park officials are concerned about the growing risk of avalanches.

“We have a number of places on different roads in the park that we are actually checking and that these areas are safe,” Phillip said.

Yosemite National Park officials will meet with the National Weather Service for another briefing. They have what they call another monster system on the way, so it’s hard to say when a reopening might happen.

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