Yosemite National Park closed both of its high-elevation roads at 5 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, as the first major storm system of the season pushed into the Sierra Nevada. Tioga Road, the 46-mile route that is the only way across the park to the Eastern Sierra, and the 16-mile Glacier Point Road were shut after the park gave a day’s warning on social media. Officials described the move as a weather closure rather than the formal end of the season, and said they would evaluate conditions once the storms pass.
That distinction matters, because the park has not offered any estimate for reopening, and the forecast is not encouraging. The National Weather Service office in Hanford posted a winter storm warning for elevations above 6,000 feet running from Friday morning into early Tuesday, with up to 18 inches of snow and gusts as strong as 50 mph. Forecasters warned that travel could be very difficult to impossible, and two further storms are expected between Sunday and Thursday.
Yosemite Valley itself remains reachable. Wawona Road (Highway 41) and El Portal Road (Highway 140) are open, but chains are now required for anyone entering the park, including drivers of four-wheel-drive vehicles. Neighbouring routes have closed too: Sonora Pass on Highway 108 shut on Thursday, and Highway 180 closed at the Hume Lake junction on Friday, cutting off Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon.
For anyone hoping for a late-season drive over Tioga Pass, the history is sobering. Once winter settles in, the road typically stays closed until late May or June. Visitors heading to the park over the coming week should check the park’s road information line on 209-372-0200 before setting out, carry chains regardless of vehicle, and plan any Eastern Sierra trips around the much longer drive via Highway 395.
Sources: SFGATE, Active NorCal
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