• View of Half Dome and Washington Column in Yosemite Valley

    Yosemite

    National Park California

Trails Reopen after Lightning Caused Fires in Yosemite National Park

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Date: October 7, 2010

All trails previously closed in the areas of Harden Lake and Vernon Lake in Yosemite National Park due to lightning caused fires are now reopened. These include all trails to Pate Valley from White Wolf and the Tiltill Valley Trail Junction to Lake Vernon. All trails through the Harden Lake and Vernon Lake areas have been closed since mid-August due to two lightning caused fires.  

Visitors to the area are urged to be aware that branches of trees may be weak due to the fire activity. Visitors are also advised to be aware of burning snags and logs that may still be present in the areas of the previously burning fires.  

The Slope Fire and the Vernon Fire were both located in Yosemite Wilderness and posed no threat to park facilities. The fires were managed by Yosemite Fire Crews for ecological benefits. Fire is a natural part of the ecosystem. It reduces dead vegetation, stimulates new growth, and improves habitat for wildlife.  

Cooperating agencies included San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the Tuolumne County Air Pollution Control District.  

For more information on fire, please visit http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/current_fire.htm or call 209-372-0480.

 

Did You Know?

Nevada and Vernal Falls

In Yosemite Valley, dropping over 594-foot Nevada Fall and then 317-foot Vernal Fall, the Merced River creates what is known as the “Giant Staircase.” Such exemplary stair-step river morphology is characterized by a large variability in river movement and flow, from quiet pools to the dramatic drops of the waterfalls themselves.