Yosemite National Park closed for the rest of the month due to winter storm

By Cat Ellis
published

All roads inside the park are closed except for administrative use, and aren't expected to open until at least Wednesday

Yosemite National Park in winter
(Image credit: Getty)

Yosemite National Park is closed to visitors until at least March 1 due to a severe winter storm. Between 55 and 84 inches of new snow is forecast to fall in Yosemite Valley over the next few days, creating treacherous conditions on roads and trails.

All campsites are currently closed, and roads are closed for everything except administrative work.

A winter storm watch for the area went into force at 4pm yesterday (February 25), with particularly heavy snowfall expected at high altitudes, and winds over 60mph. Further storms are expected to move throughout California today, eventually easing by the end of the month.

Flash floods may also be possible due to snowmelt as the temperature rises. Ventura County experienced flash floods late last week.

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If you have a reservation to visit the park once it reopens, keep a close eye on the National Park Service's status page for details of current conditions, road closures, and any special requirements such as snow chains. Chains may become mandatory at any time, and temporary or plastic snow chains are not acceptable.

Cat Ellis
Cat Ellis
Editor

Cat is the editor of Advnture, She’s been a journalist for 15 years, and was fitness and wellbeing editor on TechRadar before joining the Advnture team in 2022. She’s a UK Athletics qualified run leader, and in her spare time enjoys nothing more than lacing up her shoes and hitting the roads and trails (the muddier, the better), usually wearing at least two sports watches.