Snowpack thwarts Yosemite camps

Yosemite National Park will not open its five High Sierra Camps this summer due to heavy snowpack that’s still up to 15 feet deep in some spots.

This is only the second time since 1916 that the backcountry camps have not opened for the season, according to Kerri Holden, a spokeswoman for Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, which operates the camps. The decision affects 4,300 campers who had reservations and represents $1.5 million in lost revenue, Holden says.

Campers who have reservations at the High Camps have the option of requesting a refund or rolling over the reservations for next summer at the 56 furnished tent-cabins that include bathrooms and a dining hall.

The High Camps in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park are open as well as lodging in Tuolumne Meadows and the White Wolf area, Holden says.

Scott Doggett