Campgrounds at Yosemite Closed Due to Flooding

Waterlogged campgrounds were expected to be off-limits to weekend visitors at Yosemite National Park after flooding closed the park this week.

“The campgrounds still have standing water and debris,” park spokesman Scott Gediman said. “And on some of the roadways we’re trying to pump out the water.”

Rangers were expected to decide Friday evening whether to allow day visitors into Yosemite Valley, where flooding from the Merced River left some areas several feet deep in water, Gediman said.

The park entrance from California 140 was to remain closed all weekend except to employees, while entrances from California 120 and 41 were open for visitors with confirmed lodging reservations, park spokeswoman Nancy Novo said.

Only the Wawona area and Mariposa Grove were open to visitors, she said.

Heavy rains Wednesday night caused snow to melt in the upper Sierra Nevada, leaving the Merced River twice as high as normal, park officials said.

Employees were asked not to come to work Thursday, and about 1,000 campers were evacuated to higher grounds and a park auditorium, Gediman said.

Visitors have been cooperative, he said.

“It was a phenomenal sight,” Gediman said. “One guy said he enjoyed natural disasters, so he got his wish.”

The campgrounds could be open by early next week, Gediman said.