Natural History Wanderings

El Portal Road will be closed 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Friday, August 24 through Sunday, August 26, 2018

Yosemite National Park announces that there will be a temporary closure on the El Portal Road (Highway 140) inside Yosemite National Park from the Parkline in El Portal to the El Portal Road/Big Oak Flat Road Junction (Highway 140/Highway 120 junction). This closure will be in effect between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm Friday, August 24 through Sunday, August 26, 2018. Visitors will have access to drive through the work zone from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 pm each day. The closure may not be in effect on Sunday pending the completion of the work.

These closures are necessary to replace high voltage powerlines that service Yosemite Valley, which were burned and damaged during the Ferguson Fire. The work will involve helicopters and heavy equipment, making it unsafe for vehicles to be on the road. Completion of this project will restore full commercial power to Yosemite Valley.

For updated 24-hour road and weather conditions for Yosemite National Park, please call 209-372-0200, press 1 and press 1 again. Updated information is also available on the park’s website at www.nps.gov/yose and on the Yosemite National Park Facebook page.