Road opens to Yosemite

Tioga Road, the backdoor to Yosemite National Park that vanishes under snow each winter, is open again for travelers.

The road, also known as California Highway 120, reopened on May 14, two weeks earlier than it did last year. It generally remains open through early November, depending on weather.

Meanwhile, park service crews on Half Dome have strung cables that aid summer hikers on the steep final stretch of the trail to the top, 8,842 feet above sea level. For more information on park conditions: www.nps.gov/yose/now/conditions.htm

-- Christopher Reynolds