MARIPOSA – Caltrans is pre-emptively closing State Route 140 in Mariposa County in the area of the Ferguson Fire burn scar, for approximately 17 miles from Bear Creek (south of Briceburg) to Foresta Road (on the west side of El Portal). The closure begins overnight at 2 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29, and will end depending on the impact of ...

YOSEMITE — With several storm systems having moved through Yosemite National Park over the past two weeks, officials announced today that Tioga and Glacier Point Roads in the Park are closed for the winter season. The Tioga Road is a seasonal road that closes each season, based on weather and road conditions. The road is closed from Crane Flat junction to ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Winter weather is on its way again this week, with a potential for flash flooding in the lower country and heavy snow in the higher elevations. The National Weather Service in Hanford has issued a Flash Flood Watch for towns including Ahwahnee, Coarsegold, Mariposa, North Fork, Oakhurst, and O’Neals. The Flood Watch is in effect from Wednesday ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park has announced the release of the Big Oak Flat Welcome Center Complex Environmental Assessment (EA). The public comment period for the EA is open until Dec. 20. The EA describes and analyzes one action alternative to improve visitor experience, address deferred maintenance, improve safety, and increase operational efficiency at the Big Oak Flat Welcome Center ...

“Ramble to the summit of Mount Hoffmann, eleven thousand feet high, the highest point in life’s journey my feet have yet touched.” (John Muir: My First Summer in the Sierra, 1911, p. 199.) We rambled in John Muir’s footsteps but didn’t make it to the top. We did explore around beautiful May Lake, up along the mountain, and even spotted ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the Sierra Nevada above 7,000-feet, from Yosemite National Park to Kings Canyon and the Tulare County Mountains. The Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21 through 8 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 22. Heavy snow is possible with total snow accumulations of ...

With so many special events and activities taking place over the next several weeks, we thought it would be helpful to compile a timely list of all the entertainment-related and community-oriented holiday happenings in the mountain area between now and December 25. If we missed anything, let us know and we’ll gladly add it to the Big Local List of ...

YOSEMITE —  As Yosemite National Park officials work to protect bears by reducing the number of incidents between bears and humans, bear activity in Yosemite National Park continues to decrease. Compared to this same week in 2017, the lowest year on record, bear incidents in 2018 are down by 43 percent and damage amounts in dollars are down by 64 ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park has announced that winter operations in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias to begin on Friday, Nov. 30. The Mariposa Grove will be closed to automobiles for the winter season beginning on Friday. The Mariposa Grove Shuttle Service also ends for the season on Nov. 30. Visitors can use the South Entrance parking area and ...

YOSEMITE – The Tioga and Glacier Point Roads in Yosemite National Park will close to all vehicular traffic beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 20, due to incoming winter weather. The road will reopen as weather and road conditions permit. This is not necessarily a seasonal closure. A series of winter storms are expected to pass through the Yosemite ...