The 2022/2023 winter season in Yosemite National Park was truly one for the record books! The park received so much snow, 15 feet plus in Yosemite Valley alone, that many things were buried and operations in park had to be temporarily suspended at various times. Fortunately the seasons do change and the snow stopped falling. Now, with winter many weeks behind us, all that amazing snow, especially the record amount that accumulated in the higher reaches of the park, is melting. All that record snowfall means one thing in Spring and early Summer - amazing amounts of runoff. This is giving us magnificent waterfalls (both their size and the shear number of them...), rising river levels, many seasonal ponds & pools in the meadows and other low-lying areas, and not surprisingly - some park impacts.
Here's what you can expect if you visit now and tips how best to navigate the park this late spring/early summer season.
Note - conditions are dynamic, especially as day-time temps are varying a bit. So we highly recommend that before you embark on your adventure to Yosemite, you are up-to-date on current park conditions. How do you find them? We can offer two resources: Yosemite's Current Conditions page, or you can call us at (559) 683-4636, or stop in at our Visitor Center in Oakhurst before you head into the park.
There's a couple of common of questions we're getting, so let's address those right up front...
Is Yosemite Open? Yes it is! There are some specific closures (that we'll discuss further below) but the Park is open.
Do I need a Reservation to get into the park? More good news - reservations are NOT required this summer to enter Yosemite National Park.
Okay - now on to the details...
Click on to view Yosemite National Park's interactive Public Information Map
*(with the exception of Hetch Hetchy which does have limited visiting hours)
We've got a lot more information about many of the major projects in the park, from the road rehabilitation project on Glacier Point Road to the Bridalveil Fall Restoration effort, in our Travel story: What's New in Yosemite This Year. There's also a host of general info about the park on our Yosemite page, plus links to other articles and seasonal itineraries and well as info about lodging, events, activities and more.
And a couple of last reminders:
Have fun and please let us know if you have any additional questions.