Yosemite National Park Alerts and Current Conditions

Cover of Brian Russ's guide to Yosemite National Park

Last checked: October 25, 2026. This page tracks what's closed, what's changed, and what's coming up at Yosemite National Park, California, from the park's alerts, conditions, and news pages. I check it daily and rewrite it when the park posts something new, so bookmark it rather than an old news story. Roads start closing for snow around November, so check the park's own alerts and road line the morning you go.

Current alerts

  • No overnight parking on Tioga Road or Glacier Point Road, including every parking lot you reach from either road. (NPS)
  • Dome Fire closure area south of Glacier Point Road. The area east of Wawona Road, between Glacier Point Road and Wawona, reaching east to the Bridalveil Creek trailhead (south of the Ostrander Lake trail), is closed; the park's public information map shows the boundary. The trail to the top of Chilnualna Falls has reopened. The park's last fire update, on October 13, put containment at 86%. (NPS)
  • Mist Trail detour above Vernal Fall. Through October (subject to change), the Mist Trail from its John Muir Trail junction to the top of Vernal Fall is open Fridays through Sundays and holidays, and Monday through Thursday only from 3:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. At other times, take the John Muir Trail to the top. (NPS)
  • El Capitan Bridge work. Expect 15-minute delays on weekdays, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., through December 2026, and possible brief closures with a detour. The Valley Loop Trail crossing on the bridge is closed on weekdays. (NPS)
  • Big Oak Flat Road delays. Fire safety work between Foresta and Big Oak Flat means 15-minute delays on weekdays. (NPS)
  • Other trail notes. The Half Dome cables are down for the season. In Tuolumne Meadows, construction has closed the trail from the wilderness center to Lembert Dome, and an alternate trail is available.
  • Bears are active everywhere in the park. Store food properly and stay at least 50 yards from bears in forests and meadows, but scare off one that approaches you or wanders into a developed area.

Open and closed right now

  • The park is open 24 hours a day, all year. Entrance is $35 per private vehicle, good for seven consecutive days. Non-U.S. residents 16 and older also pay a $100 nonresident fee each, unless they enter on an Annual or America the Beautiful pass. (NPS)
  • Roads: Wawona, El Portal, Big Oak Flat, Yosemite Valley, Tioga, and Glacier Point roads are all listed as open. Hetch Hetchy Road is open sunrise to sunset and closes when snow is falling or forecast overnight. Mariposa Grove Road is open only to vehicles with a disability placard; everyone else rides the free shuttle from the Welcome Plaza. (NPS)
  • Visitor centers: the Yosemite Valley Welcome Center is open year-round, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Big Oak Flat Information Station is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, its last day. Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center is closed. Wawona Visitor Center is listed as open until November 1, though the park says it typically closes in early October, so call first.
  • Camping: open by reservation only at Upper Pines, North Pines, Camp 4, Wawona, and Hodgdon Meadow. Nothing is first-come, first-served right now. Lower Pines and every campground off Tioga and Glacier Point roads are closed. (NPS)
  • Fire rules: no fire restrictions are in effect beyond the normal regulations.

Coming up in the next few weeks

  • Monday, October 26: North Pines closes until April 21, 2027. Wawona's B and C loops close for the winter. Hodgdon Meadow goes first-come, first-served. The Big Oak Flat Information Station closes until May 31, 2027.
  • Sunday, November 1: Wawona Visitor Center is listed as closed through April 18, 2027.
  • Sunday, November 29: last day of required reservations at Camp 4 and Wawona's A loop; after that, both go first-come, first-served (half of Camp 4). Upper Pines stays reservation-only all winter, with about 90 sites in two loops.
  • Through November and December: the Mariposa Grove shuttle runs approximately through November, and the El Capitan Bridge work continues through December.
  • Snow: the park says some roads close for snow from around November through May or June.

What this means for your trip

The Dome Fire closure is the one that changes plans, and only on the south side of the park. Check the public information map before you pick a hike between Glacier Point Road and Wawona. The road itself is open, and Chilnualna Falls is back as an option.

In the Valley, weekday hikers heading up before 3:30 p.m. should plan on the John Muir Trail route to the top of Vernal Fall. Weekday drivers coming in on Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120) and crossing at El Capitan Bridge can hit two separate 15-minute waits. Yosemite Falls is dry and Vernal, Nevada, and Bridalveil falls are low, so plan around granite views, not waterfalls.

The overnight parking ban on Tioga and Glacier Point roads means you can't leave a car at those trailheads for a backpacking trip right now. After Monday, Valley camping is down to Upper Pines and Camp 4, both by reservation, and Hodgdon Meadow becomes the walk-up option.

Before you go

  • Check the park's current conditions and alerts the morning of your visit.
  • For the latest road conditions, call 209/372-0200 (press 1, then 1). The web list shows only planned or long-term closures.
  • Reserve campsites on Recreation.gov. Most open on the 15th of each month at 7 a.m. Pacific.

If a closure knocks out part of your plan, my guide to Yosemite National Park has nine one- to three-day itineraries at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for weather or closures. You can also check alerts and conditions for every national park.

This page is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Always check the park's current alerts before you go.