Yosemite Valley Open Again!

At 12 noon Friday, March 14 Yosemite Valley reopened to the public… ending the longest closure in the park’s 100 plus years. The massive flooding in early January will not be forgotten for a long, long time.

Access to the valley from the west is now wide open. Visitors may use Highway 120 through Oakdale and Groveland or Highway 140 through Merced and Mariposa or Highway 41 through Fresno and Oakhurst.

The Yosemite Valley that the public will see will is decidedly different than the one they are accustomed to. $178 million worth of damage from the torrential rains January 1st & 2nd washed out much of the park’s infrastructure including roads, the sewer system, cabins, campgrounds, parking lots, trails and more. For the latest news on campgrounds that won’t be reopening and which ones are taking reservations, click on our campground link.

Park visitors will also need to dig deeper into their pockets. Those much discussed higher entrance fees, approved before the flooding, are now in effect. Visitors now pay $20 per car, up from the previous $5. A yearly pass, previously $15, is now $40. If you would like to comment on these major price hikes, click on our entrance fee e-mail feedback link.

The National Park Service, meanwhile, has postponed plans for a summer time day-use reservation system. It was scheduled to begin in May but, amidst much criticism from tourist-oriented businesses on the park’s 120, 140 & 41 corridors, Yosemite National Park Supt. B.J. Griffin has announced that reservation system won’t be implemented until May,1998. For details on the now postponed summer day-use reservation system, click here.

Overnight facilities in Yosemite Valley are now somewhat limited. Many campsites and tent cabins are gone (see the campground link above) and hundreds of Yosemite Valley hotel rooms are unavailable. May we suggest you check out the large selection of accommodations available on the Highway 120 corridor leading into Yosemite. Click here to see the 120 accommodation list.

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