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Spring Wallops Yosemite National Park With Potent Punch

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on March 22, 2011 - 6:15am

The first day of spring was anything but spring-like at Yosemite National Park, which saw all its entrance roads closed down by a combination of snow, ice, mudslides, downed power lines, and fallen trees.

Between Sunday and Monday some parts of the park received more than 3.5 feet of snow. El Portal on the west side of the park received 9 inches, and the Wawona Road, Big Oak Flat Road, and El Portal Road all were temporarily closed, park officials reported.

Caltrans officials also temporarily closed Highway 140 outside of the park boundary between
El Portal and Mid Pines due to mud slides, rockfall, downed power lines, and fallen trees. The Badger Pass Road and the Hetch Hetchy Road were also closed Monday.

For 24-hour information for roads within Yosemite National Park, you can call 209-372-0200. For updates on conditions for roads outside of Yosemite, call Caltrans at 1-800-427-7623. For information about reservations and accommodations inside the park, call (801) 559-4884.

Comments

Submitted by John Montgomery (not verified) on March 22, 2011 - 12:41pm.

I left the park Sunday morning after a weekend visit as the storm was coming in....it had recieved more than 7 inches Friday and Saturday nights. Used the 140 route and passed several fallen trees and rockslides on the way to Mariposa, but the snow in El Portal hadn't started.

Submitted by Steve Nelson on March 22, 2011 - 8:58pm.

It's amazing how years can be different. I was in Yosemite at exactly this time in March, 2000. All the snow had melted in Yosemite Valley and the roads were all clear. It was mostly sunny the entire week I was there. I was in California for a month and I had to pay an extra $500 to make sure I had a 4-wheel drive for potential bad weather in Yosemite and the roads going into it.