The US National Park Service has announced that Yosemite National Park will start to reopen on Saturday with restricted entry and operating hours. The park is still closed right now.
A string of destructive storms that have swept across the area in recent weeks forced the closure of the well-liked park, which is tucked away in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
At Tuolumne Meadows, snowfall since February 21 has reached a height of more than 15 feet (4.6 meters), which is higher than the typical single-story home. Rainfall totaled 21 inches (53 centimeters) due to warmer storms.
Around two dozen reported rockslides and debris flows that affected highways were caused by the winter storms, which also severely damaged park infrastructure and roads. According to the park, most of these have been cleaned up.
The main thoroughfares have been cleaned, and the higher mountains’ snow has been plowed. Smaller park roads and the areas they access will continue to be blocked off.
This weekend, Yosemite will be open from dawn till dusk. On Monday, the Yosemite Valley portion of the park will be open 24 hours a day with a small amount of overnight housing. Because they are still covered with snow, campgrounds will continue to be closed.
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