How to get around that massive rock slide blocking one Yosemite entrance
If you’re driving to Yosemite Valley this weekend, choose your route carefully. The popular entrance from Mariposa along State Route 140, which becomes El Portal Road, is shut because of a slide Monday that sent 4,000 tons of rock raining down a ledge and onto the road, a park news release said.
The slide occurred about a mile east of the park entrance, burying the road under 15 feet to 20 feet of rock debris, blocking the 45-mile route into the park’s valley.
The road has no estimated reopening date; the closure is expected to last at least through the weekend.
Visitors can use State Route 41/Wawona Road from Oakhurst to the Valley (50 miles) or State Route 120/Big Oak Flat Road from Groveland (about 50 miles).
It’s the second major road closure this season. Big Oak Flat Road was shut for about two months because of winter storm damage. It reopened May 1.
Also, Tioga Road/State Route 120, which leads to Tuolumne Meadows and entrances on the park’s west side, still hasn’t opened for the season. Crews are working to clear snow from the route.
Glacier Point Road, another seasonal road, opened May 11.
Info: Yosemite National Park Road Closures
ALSO
Meet the first person ever to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan without ropes
The lottery is now open for permits to hike Yosemite’s iconic Half Dome this summer
Gaze down upon Yosemite Valley (and up at Half Dome) from Glacier Point
Sign up for The Wild
We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
