Two Yosemite campgrounds to close starting Monday, May 15
Yosemite National Park has announced the closure of two campgrounds starting Monday, May 15, due to forecasted flooding, the latest effect of record snow this winter and rising temperatures this week.
As of May 1, Yosemite had more than double the average amount of snow for this time of the year, according to park authorities. The Merced River, which flows through the southern part of the park, was expected to remain above flood stage “for some time.”
More information on the two campgrounds – the Lower and North Pines Campground and the Housekeeping Camp – is expected on Monday evening, along with word of other potential closures. Tioga, Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove Roads are also closed as of Saturday afternoon.
“It seems really unlikely we’ll see an improvement this week (sorry),” tweeted park authorities on Sunday morning.
Yosemite Valley, Wawona, and the Mariposa Grove are accessible by entering Yosemite via Highways 41 and 140; Hetch Hetchy and Hodgdon Meadow (but not other areas of Yosemite) are accessible via Highway 120 from the west, according to park authorities.