Yosemite National Park is closed through Thursday, March 16—possibly longer Yosemite National Park will remain closed through Thursday, March 16—possibly longer. A partial reopening on March 17 is a best-case scenario.by FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update for March 7, 2023 March 08, 2023 || Posted by: Laura and Rob Pilewski New Snow: 133 inches (since 2/21/23) Settled Snow Depth: 136 inches High temperature: 39°F (March 3) Low temperature: -5°F (March 6) February Weather Summary New Snow: 99 inches (historical average 61.2 inches) Snow Water Equivalent: 6.07 inches (historical average 4.by FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yosemite National Park is closed Yosemite has experienced significant snowfall in all areas of the park, resulting in snow depths up to 15 feet in some areas. Park crews are working to restore critical services so visitors can safely return. There is no estimated date for reopening.by FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update for February 7, 2023 February 08, 2023 || Posted by: Laura and Rob Pilewski Looking towards Mt. Dana and Dana Plateau on February 2, 2023. New Snow: 14 inches Settled Snow Depth: 101 inches High temperature: 46°F (February 1) Low temperature: -5°F (February 6) Ski Conditions and Weather Tioga Lake and east side of Tioga Pass on Februarby FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update for January 31, 2023 February 01, 2023 Posted by: Laura and Rob Pilewski New Snow: 1 inch Settled Snow Depth: 101 inches High temperature: 46°F (January 26) Low temperature: -4°F (January 29) Fletcher and Vogelsang peaks on January 28, 2023. January Weather Summary New Snow: 181 inches (Historical Average: 60.7 inches) Snow Water Equivaby FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Caltrans has released some updated information on the CA 140 closure along the Merced River. Some morning & evening one-way CHP escorts between Midpines and El Portal today (Monday, 23 Jan). Sounds like one-way traffic control from 6am-7pm starting Tuesday, 24 Jan. Estimate for full two-lane reopening remains two weeks. Not sure if that means two weeks from the date of the slide (15 Jan),by FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update for January 17, 2023 January 18, 2023 || Posted by: Laura and Rob Pilewski New Snow: 64 inches Settled Snow Depth: 122 inches High temperature: 35°F (January 13) Low temperature: -6°F (January 17) Tuolumne Living Conditions Wake up. Hydrate. Start a fire in the wood stove. Drink strong coffee. Stare into the fire. Grab a grunt bar (aka proteiby FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update for January 10, 2023 January 11, 2023 Posted by: Laura and Rob Pilewski New Snow: 75 inches Settled Snow Depth: 102 inches High temperature: 34°F (January 6) Low temperature: 3°F (January 6) Lembert Dome and lenticular clouds over the Sierra Crest on January 7, 2023. Ski Conditions and Weather It was another wet week in the Golden State.by FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update for January 3, 2023 January 04, 2023 Posted by: Laura and Rob Pilewski New Snow: 40 inches Settled Snow Depth: 70 inches High temperature: 50°F (December 26) Low temperature: -2°F (January 2) The many moods of Lembert Dome on January 3, 2023. Ski Conditions and Weather It truly felt like a new year when we returned to Tuolumne Meadowsby FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update for December 20, 2022 Posted by: Laura and Rob Pilewski Tuolumne Meadows blanketed with snow on December 9, 2022. New Snow: none Settled Snow Depth: 48 inches High temperature: 41°F (December 18) Low temperature: -9°F (December 13) Ski Conditions and Weather Digging out the 24 hour snow stake in Tuolumne Meadows in December of 2022.by FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Wow, that look likes some serious work! Thanks to you, Eric, and Alyssa for your efforts to keep these trails clear. So, I guess you now have the skills needed to clear the BOFR between Tuolumne Grove and Hodgdon Meadow? : )by FatFlatlander - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Nice report and lovely pictures! Obata Lake is high on my bucket list of Yosemite hiking destinations. As is hike the old BOFR from Tuolumne Grove to Hodgdon Meadow. From the sound of it, that might not be a realistic or fun option. Hope they are able to get it back to maintained status sometime in the future.by FatFlatlander - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Went with my son's scout troop last weekend on a three-day, two-night trek up Lyell Canyon and then to Vogelsang before returning to Tuolumne Meadows. They'd had some snow and cold temperatures earlier in the week, but things were back to seasonal by the time we got there. Saturday we drove up to Tuolumne Meadows from the Bay Area and hiked 6 miles up Lyell Canyon. About a quarter mile beyonby FatFlatlander - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Yosemite National Park is holding Obata Art Weekend on Saturday, 27 August 2022. The event honors the artwork of Chiura Obata, his philosophy of Dai Shizen (Great Nature), and the ability of art to help us forge a connection with the natural world. Last year was, I believe, the inaugural Obata Art Weekend held up in Tuolumne Meadows. This year they are shifting events down to Yosemite Valleyby FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I may be reading it wrong, but I think fires are allowed in frontcountry campground fire pits. Here's a link to Yosemite's fire restrictions page: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/firerestrictions.htm#8000 That page says that current restrictions are in effect below 8,000 feet, which specify QuoteFire Restrictions Below 8,000 Feet The following are not allowed: Wood and charcoby FatFlatlander - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
From the Yosemite National Park Campgrounds page: QuoteWhite Wolf Campground will be open from July 18 through September 5.. Reservations for 50% of campsites will be available on July 15 at 7 am PDT. The remaining 50% of reservations will be available on a two-week rolling window on Recreation.gov. For example, reservations for August 15 arrivals will become available on August 1 at 7 am Pby FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yosemite Creek Campground will open on July 15 and close on September 15. All reservations will be available each day, four days before arrival, at 7 am PDT on Recreation.gov. For example, reservations for August 15 arrivals will become available on August 11 at 7 am PDT on Recreation.gov.by FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Tamarack Flat campground will open on 20 June and close on 15 October. 50% of campsites for the period 20 Jun - 15 Aug will be available on recreation.gov at 7am PDT on 15 June. 16 Aug - 15 Sept will come available on 15 July, and 16 Sept - 15 Oct will come available on 15 August. The other 50% of campsites will be available two weeks ahead of time on recreation.gov each day at 7am PDT. (by FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
No day use reservation is required for the Hetch Hetchy entrance per the FAQ page. The actual text is buried at the end of the question about whether reservations are required: QuoteIf you enter the park via YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System) buses, bicycle, on foot, or on horseback, or if you visit Hetch Hetchy, you do not need a peak-hours reservation to enter the park. Paby FatFlatlander - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
The camping page on the YNP site has been updated with the planned reservation scheme for the Tioga Road corridor campgrounds: QuoteTamarack Flat and White Wolf Campgrounds We don't have an opening date yet for these campgrounds. We will post here once an opening date is available. Tamarack Flat Campground is scheduled to close on October 15. White Wolf Campground is scheduled to close on Sby FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update for April 13, 2022 April 14, 2022 Posted by: Laura and Rob Pilewski Looking down Lyell Canyon on April 6, 2022. Ski Conditions and Weather This is our final post of the 2021-2022 season. It has again been an honor and pleasure to serve in the capacity of the Tuolumne Meadows winter rangers. When we arrived in early December, we were soon buriedby FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
From the Yosemite National Park Campgrounds webpage: QuoteNo first-come, first-served camping will be available from May 20 through September 30, 2022. All open campgrounds will require reservations and QuoteTamarack Flat, White Wolf, and Yosemite Creek Campgrounds will be available by reservation this summer. We'll post reservation details once they're available. and QuoteTuolumne Mby FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update for April 7, 2022 Posted by: Laura and Rob Pilewski Rafferty Peak and Nelson Lake, April 3, 2022 New Snow: none Settled Snow Depth: 22 inches High Temperature: 53 °F (April 1) Low Temperature: 19 °F (March 31) March Weather Summary New Snow: 16 inches (Historical Average: 55.5 inches) Snow Water Equivalent: 0.97 inches (Historical Avby FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update for March 29, 2022 Posted by: Laura and Rob Pilewski New Snow: 8 inches Settled Snow Depth: 30 inches High temperature: 59 °F (March 25) Low temperature: 23 °F (March 25) Sunrise at Evelyn Lake on March 25, 2022. Ski Conditions and Weather The weather this week brought us the best corn snow cycle of the season so far. Although the high temby FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update for March 22, 2022 Posted by: Laura and Rob Pilewski New Snow: 3 inches Settled Snow Depth: 30 inches High temperature: 52 °F (March 21) Low temperature: 12 °F (March 20) Ski Conditions and Weather Spring has sprung here in Tuolumne Meadows. The mating calls of birds and sound of rushing water now compete with the sound of the wind in the treby FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Nice report on what sounds like it was a fun trip! We had a day in Death Valley in December during our trip to Manzanar, and we certainly plan to return to get more than just a taste of the park. Thanks for some ideas on future hikes! Spring sounds like the sweet spot for a visit there.by FatFlatlander - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update for March 16, 2022 Posted by: Laura and Rob Pilewski Mono Lake and Kidney Lake as seen from near the base of Mount Dana from near the park boundary. Ski Conditions and Weather It was a dry week with temperatures near seasonal norms. Not much has changed as of our lasting posting in regards to ski conditions or weather. With the daylight hours nby FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
At this point you have to wonder when, or even if, the High Sierra Camps will open again. I think in 2019 they said that, in addition to the impacts of heavy snowfall during the winter of 2018-2019, they were keeping the camps closed in order to do some maintenance work on them. I would hope/assume they do some sort of check on the camp equipment even during summers when the camps are closed.by FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
1. Were the HSCs closed in 2019 too? Yes, I believe due to excessive snowpack the previous winter. 2. What pandemic? It's 2022, not 2020. Yeah. Maybe they are worried about another variant/wave coming through between now and summer? Or maybe they felt they could not risk employees, even if vaccinated, potentially getting seriously ill if they contract COVID from one of the manby FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
And those numbers are YTD. Both Tuolumne and Merced drainages are at 56% of the April 1 "full season" average. Statewide averages looking about the same, at 69% YTD and 60% of the April 1 average.by FatFlatlander - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion