Even though the Ferguson fire isn’t burning inside Yosemite National Park, it’s keeping popular parts of the park shut through Sunday. Unhealthful air and ongoing firefighting operations have closed Yosemite Valley, the Wawona area, two groves of giant sequoia trees, and Hetch Hetchy, an announcement said Tuesday.
The east-west route in the park — Big Oak Flat Road, or California 120 West, to Crane Flat and Tioga Road, or California 120 East — remains open. Visitors are warned to beware of smoky conditions while driving.
Park officials earlier said travelers with reservations for lodgings in closed areas — including Yosemite Lodge and the Majestic Yosemite Hotel — will be notified and either rebooked or given a refund. Recreation.gov was giving refunds to campers with reservations at affected campgrounds.
Travelers planning on visiting the park this week may want to enter at Tioga Pass on the eastern side. Campgrounds and hiking trails along Tioga Road and at Tuolumne Meadows remain open. The High Sierra Camps and other back country destinations also are open.
#FergusonFire [update] Yosemite National Park announces Yosemite Valley and other areas will remain closed through Sunday, August 5, 2018 due to continued unhealthy smoke impacts and active firefighting operations pic.twitter.com/0H4JS48yq0
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) July 31, 2018
#FergusonFire [update] near El Portal (Mariposa County) is now 58,074 acres & 33% contained. Unified Command: CAL FIRE, USFS Sierra National Forest, Stanislaus National Forest, and Mariposa County Sheriff. https://t.co/E5lqAq9muX pic.twitter.com/lKoN1Vza7X
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) August 1, 2018
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