#yosemite-national-park

#yosemite-national-park

Tioga Pass opens for 2026 at 8 a.m. Friday, May 15, marking the earliest start to the season at Yosemite National Park's eastern gateway in 11 years and completing the full slate of High Sierra passes for the summer season. The pass, which carries Highway 120 through the park at 9,945 feet above sea level, is the highest paved route across the 400-mile Sierra Nevada range. Tioga Pass connects Mono County to Yosemite National Park's only east entrance.

"At his peak, Dean Potter was a figure similar to Alex Honnold-the leading free-soloist in the game. But he was also a much more enigmatic and eccentric character than Honnold. It is also true that Potter remains one of the all-time great culture heroes of American rock-climbing."

In 2025, former ranger and biologist Shannon ''SJ'' Joslin and a group of climbers displayed the flag on El Capitan. Joslin was fired and accused of failing to demonstrate acceptable conduct.

Yosemite National Park is closed through Friday because of impacts from the winter storm, including heavy snowfall and heavy trees. The National Park Service announced Thursday that the park is closed and that visitors with lodging reservations may still enter the park through Highway 140 at the Arch Rock entrance. Since Monday, Yosemite Valley and the park has received about 4 feet of snow and up to 52 inches in some areas, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford.

Even though most of us are eager for spring here in the Northern Hemisphere, we're happy to linger in winter a little while longer to take in Robinsson Cravents ' new project. The Colombia-based designer and illustrator recently released a pair of hand-drawn digital landscapes that take a bird's-eye view of Yosemite National Park. Starting with a wide aerial shot of coniferous trees, the films then journey down a stream up to a waterfall, capturing the majestic scenery with grainy, tactile detail.

Yosemite National Park is bracing for thousands of visitors who will descend on the area to see the setting sun illuminate a waterfall so that it looks like fire. The so-called firefall phenomenon takes place each February at Horsetail Fall, which flows over an eastern ridge of El Capitan. This year, the projected viewing period began Tuesday and runs to Feb. 26.

The Lower Yosemite Falls Trail is a short, paved loop just under a mile that winds through shaded forested areas and rocky outcroppings. It's ideal for families, casual hikers, and anyone who wants to enjoy beautiful scenery without a long or difficult climb. Even though the walk is brief, the views feel generous. You soon find yourself surrounded by the sight and sound of the waterfall.

For as long as there have been people in what is now California, the granite peaks of the Sierra Nevada have held masses of ice, according to new research that shows the glaciers have probably existed since the last Ice Age more than 11,000 years ago. The remnants of these glaciers, which have already shrunk dramatically since the late 1800s, are retreating year after year, and are projected to melt completely this century as global temperatures continue to rise.

"I hung a trans flag on El Capitan. It flew for a total of two hours in the morning, then I took it down."

"This breaks my heart," said Elisabeth Barton, a founding member of Echo Adventure Cooperative that guides tourists several days a week along the same trail. "It's that constant battle between safety and exploration."

Angela Lin, a cautious adventurer, was struck and killed by a falling tree limb while hiking in Yosemite, raising concerns about park safety measures.

Eric Bana stars as Kyle Turner, an ISB Special Agent in Yosemite, who engages in a classic thriller plot rife with personal demons and the serenity of nature.

"I enjoyed digging up my memories, trying to put a word to an emotion. It was a valuable way to continue the efforts of my career, which was to tell the world how important the natural world is."

Nathan Baptista, a former Yosemite National Park employee, is now considered a fugitive sought for aggravated sexual abuse, violating probation, and has an active federal warrant.

"The whole place was dark," McEvoy said, noting that the computers at the front desk did not have power and the elevators didn't work. When McEvoy got to his room, he flicked the light switches - the room stayed dark. "I don't know how you put on a tux without light," he said.