Re: Winter trail closures

The Mist Trail and the John Muir Trail between Clark Point and the top of Nevada Falls are closed for the winter.

The Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point is still open for now. It'll close when the snow and ice conditions get worse.

Can't you still traverse those trails on snowshoes or cross-country skis?

The Mist trail below Vernal Fall closes more due to ice than snow. Likewise, the JMT has an icy section just below Nevada Fall that would be pretty dangerous. Crampons would work, but I don't know if the trail closure is "enforced" or "advisory".

So the winter route is up the JMT from the Vernal fall bridge, to Clark point. Then down a steep zigzag trail to the Mist trail, where you can then go to Nevada Fall. It's a bit longer, but it works.

There's a gate across the 4 mile trail part way up, that they close in winter. Again, I don't know if it's "advisory" or if they can cite you.

There's the Panorama trail, but I think I'd be more worried about getting lost than anything. Assuming you had showshoes/crampons, I think there are a lot of areas where the trail isn't obvious, and snow would make it a guessing game of which way to go. A bit like the top of the Upper Yosemite Falls trail...you can go up there when there's snow, but it gets a bit hazardous near the top, and when you get to the top with fresh snow, good luck finding any trail unless you've been up there often enough to know exactly where it goes.

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Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo

Sierrafan wrote:

> The Mist trail below Vernal Fall closes more due to ice than
> snow.

I went up it once when it was supposed to be closed. The steps were all nicely coated with clear ice. I found out it was closed when I got the the gate at the top. What I don't know is how the lower gate got open.

> Likewise, the JMT has an icy section just below Nevada
> Fall that would be pretty dangerous.

I'd say very dangerous. They don't call it Ice Cut for nothing.

> Crampons would work, but
> I don't know if the trail closure is "enforced" or "advisory".

You can definitely get cited for being on either trail when they're closed.

Sierrafan wrote:

> There's the Panorama trail, but I think I'd be more worried
> about getting lost than anything. Assuming you had
> showshoes/crampons, I think there are a lot of areas where the
> trail isn't obvious, and snow would make it a guessing game of
> which way to go. A bit like the top of the Upper Yosemite
> Falls trail...you can go up there when there's snow, but it
> gets a bit hazardous near the top, and when you get to the top
> with fresh snow, good luck finding any trail unless you've been
> up there often enough to know exactly where it goes.

I did it last Feb. Got all the way to the bridge by following all the footprints in the snow. I did stay way, way from the edges just in case the snow decided it didn't want to hold me up. I saw several people there, and nobody was using snowshoes (myself included).

As of today (12-14-07) is there snow on the valley floor/roads or just at the higher elevations?

Thanks.

---

Bill

wbmyosemite wrote:

> As of today (12-14-07) is there snow on the valley floor/roads
> or just at the higher elevations?

Unless there was some new snow I doubt there's any left on the Valley floor. You can check during daylight hours here:

http://www.yosemite.org/vryos/ahwahnee.jpg

wbmyosemite wrote:

> As of today (12-14-07) is there snow on the valley floor/roads
> or just at the higher elevations?

As of today (12-18-07) there is now.

We are planning to camp at Little Yosemite valley campground next week. If the Mist Trail & JMT is closed in certain segments, what are the alternate ways to go ahead in JMT? will there be signs for alternate routes?

Thanks.



Post Edited (12-19-07 12:30)

YoseLover wrote:

> We are planning to camp at Little Yosemite valley campground
> next week. If the Mist Trail & JMT is closed in certain
> segments, what are the alternate ways to go ahead in JMT?
> will there be signs for alternate routes?

You go up the JMT to Clark Point and then down to Vernal. From there the trail goes up the left side of Nevada Falls. There are signs but the snow could be an issue for y ou.