Yosemite Photos, Video and News

Contrary to belief there is still great cross country skiing on the Glacier Point Road starting at Badger Pass. This series of photos was taken today and shows that the road is in great shape with a few bare spots. Be warned it is firm in the morning but does soften up by 1pm. If you want to go really fast hit it early.

We went as far as Clark View, about 6 miles, and heard there was a longer bare section ahead.

Cant say what the conditions are like off the groomed road but the trail to Dewey Point did not look that great for skiing as the 1st hundred feet or so was solid ice. Looks ok for snowshoeing.

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Yes we have covered it before and the endangered species, the rare "Turnout" is rapidly disappearing in Yosemite.

Here we see where there was once a large colony of Turnouts thre is nothing left but turned up dirt and soon nothing will be left but rocks.

If you have been a long time visitor of Yosemite Valley you will remember seeing these everywhere, there was no shortage. Slowly they have been disappearing only to be replaced by logs or rocks. Now there are long lines of cars and huge traffic jams as folks look for the elusive Turnout! Once numbering in the hundreds in Yosemite Valley they have slowly dwindled away and one expert expects them to almost disappear.

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Yosemite Wildflowers 7/19/09

Yosemite Search And Rescue Training from 2000

The Merced River in the Lower Merced River Canyon below Yosemite Valley, 1/25/12

The new bridge in Foresta over Crane Creek replacing the old creaking wood bridge.

Daily Report - Yosemite National Park
Wednesday, January 25, 2012

WEATHER

Yosemite Valley
Today: Sunny, with a high near 54. 
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 41. 
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. 
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52.

El Portal
Today: Sunny, with a high near 63. 
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 35. 
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 66. 
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. 

Wawona
Today: Sunny, with a high near 62. 
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. 
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 60.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. 

These photos show Hwy 120 in Yosemite and the area where the rock came down on 1/22/12. As you can see NPS has made great progress and has what is left of the road paved. It looks like it will take a lot of work to fix the downhill side where part of the road and the wall were taken out.

You can also see the release point where the large boulder came from. I am no expert but this type of release looks like it is much less likely to continue with rockfall than say a crumbling cliff side. It appears to be just a random boulder that fell off and this is good news.

On 1/22/12 at 11:30 pm we had a significant rock slide on Hwy 120, the Big Oak Flat Road the took the entire east side of the road and possibly part of the west bound lane as well. The damage is severe enough that it may be a while (unknown at this point) before the road is repaired enough for travel.

This rockslide is just up from the junction of Hwy 140 & 120

On 1/22/12 at 1130 pm we had a significant rock slide on the Big Oak Flat Road the took the
entire east side of the road and possibly part of the west bound lane as
well. The damage is severe enough that it may be a while (unknown at this
point) before the road is repaired enough for travel. We closed the gate at
Foresta Junction going east bound and I have asked the roads crew to place
signs to show its closure near the Old BOF Road Trail. It is also closed at the junction of Hwy 120 &140. So as of right now
you will not be able to access the Valley Floor without going through
Greeley Hill and El Portal.