Yosemite National Park will be closed for days due to flooding from melting snow: NPR

In this photo provided by the National Park Service, a structure at Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park, Calif., is covered in snow Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.

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In this photo provided by the National Park Service, a structure at Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park, Calif., is covered in snow Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.

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Yosemite National Park will be closed Friday through at least May 3 after melting snow is expected to cause flooding in the area, the park said Tuesday.

The National Weather Service predicts temperatures will rise 5 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend, prompting snowmelt to raise water levels in the Merced River.

Last winter, the Sierra Nevada region — which includes Yosemite Valley, Lake Tahoe and Mount Whitney — saw snow levels more than 300 percent above normal.

The closure will begin Friday at 10 p.m. Further flooding is possible in May and June, the park said.

Visitors who booked accommodations and campsites during a cancellation will receive a refund, and wilderness permits may be deferred, the park said.

During the closure, Wawona, Crane Flat and Hetch Hetchy will be open. Mariposa Grove will be open, but only for hiking. Western Yosemite Valley will be open, but no services will be available, and parking will be limited and visitors will not be able to park off-road, the park said.

“In Yosemite Valley, the closure will occur at the El Capitan Junction (the road that crosses the Merced River just east of El Capitan),” the park said.

No visitors will be allowed east of this road.

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