Well, Yos Valley itself is now back open. But anyone planning on going there should check their website in advance. Things can change, depending on the weather. And expect snow on the higher routes in, llke Hwy 120.
Well, Yos Valley itself is now back open. But anyone planning on going there should check their website in advance. Things can change, depending on the weather. And expect snow on the higher routes in, llke Hwy 120.
FWIW there is a mighty serious crack that's developed on 120/Big Oak Flat Road
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/calif...275086436.html
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
I was in Yosemite Valley today and saw a gent with a 4x5 shooting on the path to the base of Yosemite Falls.
I was going to introduce myself, but he was busy setting up his shot so I refrained as it would be a distraction and I know I don't appreciate distractions while shooting.
FWIW, it was a beautiful day with lots of drama with the clouds, and the traffic, crowds, and mosquitos were light.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
And things are warming up again after some cooler temperatures -- so the waters will rise, working their way back up towards flood levels into next week.
"Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China
I wonder what all the avalanche and stream carnage will be like to high country trails when things finally thaw out? Heck, just taking a decent hike behind Mt Diablo here this afternoon, the weather destruction to trails and fire roads, and all the downed trees is like nothing I've ever seen around here in the past 40 yrs. And the paved road involved, which they just repaved a couple years ago, looks like it hadn't been paved for the past fifty. Job security for the road crews! And that "big crack" on Hwy 120? - I'd be surprised if they can safely fix it before snowfall arrives in autumn. It could take more than one season, and possibly cut off the Crane Flat intersection from the Valley entirely until its redone. Fine with me - less 120 traffic gunning right over the top at Tioga when it finally opens.
Kings Canyon NP is apparently having a real hard time reopening. Maybe it won't. Good grief!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Last time I checked, you can get up to Grant Grove and the lodge etc. Getting down into Kings Canyon is rare this early any year; who knows with all these washouts this year? If it weren't for PG&E having power plants and serious equipment of their own, I don't think the road around Pine Flat and up to Balch Camp would have had all the slides cleared so fast. Runoff of the Kings River is probably still too rough for white water tourism. I saw only one raft on the Merced, and they bailed out onto shore not too far further. The San Joaquin is a monster with all the water being released.
Below the lower Ash Mtn entrance to Sequoia, and blocking access to trying to get the Mineral King road open sometime later, there's some kind of big road collapse which is proving quite a challenge to fix. So they're trying to gain progress from the opposite direction, getting the road open to Moro Rock etc from the Grant Grove side, but apparently that is going slow too. I nearly always entered Kings Canyon NP on foot anyway, from various directions. Only a tiny portion of it (Cedar Grove) has a road. Too dang hot down in there anyway in summer. Even in Oct, I had to get up at 2:00 in the morning to beat the heat down in there and get up to some altitude before afternoon, when it was 95 degrees at the bottom - and then it snowed a couple days later!
I have better expectations for Sonora Pass, since they did so many major improvements to that road just the past two years. Same along the coast here; the major slides have been seriously addressed in recent years, and numerous bridges upgraded. And again, due to the big utility companies, you can bet the Dinkey Road and into Florence Lake will be well maintained.
FWIW, some campgrounds in Yosemite Valley were closed today in advance of expected flooding.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
They're right on the verge of flood stage clear over some of the roads. All depends on the rate of snowmelt and how warm it gets the next two weeks.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
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