In an annual California event that signifies the changing of the seasons in the High Sierra, Yosemite National Park officials plan to open Glacier Point Road to motor vehicles on Saturday.
The 16-mile-long road, which closed Nov. 11 for the winter, will open at 8 a.m. It delivers visitors to one of the park’s most popular attractions, Glacier Point, a massive granite landmark with commanding views of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall.
Every year, crews driving huge snow plows remove snow that buries the fabled route seven feet deep or more. This year had near-average snow. On April 1, the snowpack was 85% of normal in the park, the third year in a row when it was near-or-above average.
“We’re very excited,” said Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman. “The road is completely clear. There’s still a lot of snow on the trails, so visitors should be careful. But the views are spectacular.”
During the winter months, the road, which was repaved and fitted with new drainage, guardrails and other upgrades two years ago, is only accessible to cross-country skiers and hikers.
At 7,214 feet, Glacier Point sits roughly 3,200 feet above Yosemite Valley. It has been an attraction for visitors for more than a century. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt posed for a famous photograph there with John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, as part of a camping trip where Muir showed him Yosemite’s wonders over several days.
For the first few weeks at Glacier Point, vault toilets will be available but drinking water will not be available. The snack bar and gift shop at Glacier Point parking lot are expected to open Saturday also.
The other area of Yosemite that will re-open Saturday is the shuttle bus service to Mariposa Grove. The grove on the park’s southern edge, first set aside for protection by President Abraham Lincoln, contains giant sequoia trees reaching up to 285 feet tall, with bark more than a foot thick and dating back 2,000 years.
It is open to hikers and cross-country skiers in winter, but more accessible to the general public in spring when the road is cleared and a free shuttle bus service resumes. It closed to vehicles Nov. 30.
“I was up there this week,” Gediman said. “The big trees are absolutely magnificent. They are beautiful all year. But in spring with wildflowers and water flowing, the area is really amazing.”
Yosemite’s other prominent road that closes every winter because of snow, Tioga Road, remains closed. The high-elevation route usually opens in late May or early June each year. Last year it re-opened June 10. Park officials reported this week that snow-clearing crews have reached Tioga Pass. Avalanche safety work continues at Olmsted Point, and forestry crews are removing trees at risk of falling into the road.
This summer, visitors coming to Yosemite will need to make reservations to enter the park. In an effort to reduce crowds during some of the busiest times of the year, visitors who plan to travel to the park between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Memorial Day weekend, or any day between June 15 and August 15, or over Labor Day weekend, will need to make a reservation beforehand to get in by going to recreation.gov.
Visitors who have overnight reservations at hotels or campgrounds located inside the park do not need to make reservations to enter.
Finally, after finishing the process of hiring enough seasonal employees for the summer, parks officials on Friday also announced they will release reservations for several popular campgrounds at 7 a.m. PDT on Thursday via Recreation.gov as follows:
- Upper Pines sites 1–124: August 15 through September 14
- North Pines: August 15 through September 14
- Lower Pines: June 15 through September 14
- Wawona A & C loops and horse sites: August 15 through September 14
- Hodgdon Meadow: August 15 through September 14
Additional reservations will also release on Thursday between 7 am and 7:30 am PDT as follows:
- Upper Pines sites 125–240: June 15 through September 14
- Wawona B loop: June 15–September 14
- Hodgdon Meadow: June 15 through August14 (limited availability because some sites were already released)
For more information about road conditions in Yosemite, go to www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm or call (209) 372-0200 (then press 1, 1) for road conditions and tire chain requirements.