Two Forest Fires Burning In Yosemite National Park

If you're planning to spend the holiday weekend in Yosemite National Park, you might run into smoky conditions on occasion due to two fires burning in the park.

The fires both were sparked by lightning. While they continue to grow in size, at this point they're being manged for natural resource benefits, according to park officials.

The Grouse Fire was last reported at nearly 850 acres in an area about 3 miles southwest of Yosemite Valley and north of Glacier Point Road. The Harden Fire was right around 600 acres oi Wednesday and is located on the north side of the park, west of Harden Lake and northwest of White Wolf.

Park officials are advising travelers of temporary road delays and closures due to smoke and firefighters working along the Wawona Road and the Glacier Point Road. For firefighter and driver safety, please use caution.

Trail closures have been implemented on the Harden Fire for public safety. The closures are the Smith Meadow to White Wolf and Aspen Valley to White Wolf. There is an alternate route to Pate Valley from White Wolf, which bypasses the Harden Lake area.

Park staff continue to monitor smoke and work closely with Mariposa and Tuolumne County Air Pollution Control Districts to address air quality concerns. Managers have implemented actions on the Grouse Fire to meet incident objectives and minimize smoke impacts to the park and surrounding communities. Smoky conditions may exist from time to time within the park, on roads and in surrounding areas. Residents and visitors are advised to take precautions to minimize smoke impacts to health.

Park officials say a strong high-pressure system will persist over the next few days with partly cloudy conditions, high temperatures and a chance of isolated thunderstorms.

All park facilities remain open. Smoke is visible at many locations throughout the park, so please use caution while driving through the park.