Results tagged “yosemitenationalpark”

Mother Nature is taunting us as she does best. After an earlier-than-expected season opening for Mammoth Mountain on Friday, officials had to close the popular skiing spot down as warmer temperatures made a return. "After a big storm earlier this week and great skiing and riding on Friday, record breaking warm temperatures rolled in, wreaking havoc on our snow in the process," a statement from the resort read. However, a storm in the near future could bring back the snow and lower temperatures.

After burning through 7,425 acres, the Big Meadow Fire in Yosemite National Park has been 100 percent contained. The blaze intentionally began as a 90-fire controlled burn on Wednesday, August 26th, but officials lost control. All roads into Yosemite National Park, including the Big Oak Flat Road and portions of the Tioga Road, are now open with no restrictions. These roads allows visitors to enter Yosemite Valley via Highway 120. However, some pull-outs may be closed due to proximity to hot spots. A handful of campgrounds and trails remain closed, but it's good to see this fire out.

Two wildfires north of the Los Angeles region had prompted partial closures within National Park units over the weekend, but today one opened as the other continues to see dangers. The Gloria Fire has been after burning some 6,400 acres northeast of Soledad and near Pinnacles National Monument. Officials with the National Park Service closed portions of the monument on Friday and today announced the reopening. “Pinnacles has been working closely with Cal Fire and with the fire completely contained and all evacuations and road closures lifted, I am comfortable lifting the park’s temporary closures,” Superintendent Eric Brunnemann explained in a statement.

Geologists are monitoring the cliffs behind Yosemite's beautiful Ahwahnee Hotel after tumbling boulders from the Royal Arches formation forced the evacuation of all 300 guests yesterday. Lucky for those guests, no one was hurt (a few cars were damaged) and the hotel reopened tomorrow after 4:00 p.m. The largest rock that fell is estimated to be 350 cubic meters.