YOSEMITE – Highway 140 (El Portal Road) inside Yosemite National Park is closed at the park line and the El Portal Road/ Big Oak Flat Road Junction due to a rockfall. Heavy precipitation has caused rocks, dirt and debris to fall in the roadway approximately 1/4 mile east of the park boundary in El Portal. El Portal Road will remain ...

OAKHURST — New guardrail was installed recently on a treacherous stretch of Highway 41 over Deadwood, according to Elizabeth Yelton, Caltrans PIO for Madera County. Approximately 375 feet of new guardrail was built by a contractor for Caltrans along the northbound lane around Postmile Marker 34.3. The newly-added safety measure is located about 1/2-mile south of Victoria Lane just above ...

YOSEMITE — With all the recent snow in the Sierra, there is a bit of good news from the Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area today. In a posting on their Facebook page, they’ve made the following announcement: We are excited to announce the opening of the Nordic Center at Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area with limited services starting March 9, ...

SACRAMENTO – Today’s snow survey at Phillips Station tells a more positive story than it did before the recent storm, but totals are still well below average. Despite the recent late-winter storm that brought much-needed snow to the Sierra Nevada, the snow water equivalent (SWE) is 9.4 inches, which is 39 percent of normal for early March. “California has unquestionably ...

Written by Randy Moore, Regional Forester, USDA CALIFORNIA —  Last year, more than 1,500 wildfires burned over 640,000 acres on National Forest System lands in California, including the Thomas Fire, the largest fire in California’s recorded history. The surrounding communities are still dealing with damage from debris flows caused by a charred and barren landscape that no longer has the ...

YOSEMITE — Alan Chow, the hiker missing in Yosemite National Park since Tuesday, Feb. 20, has been found safe today. Chow, who was backpacking alone, was spotted from a National Park Service helicopter around noon today above Wapama Fall in the Hetch Hetchy area after an extensive search the past several days.  He was transported to the Hetch Hetchy Ranger ...

YOSEMITE — Officials are asking for the public’s help in locating a man missing from Yosemite National Park. Alan Chow was last seen on the morning of Saturday, Feb. 17, at the entrance of Hetch Hetchy Trail at Yosemite National Park in Yosemite, Calif. He was planning to hike the Hetch Hetchy trail. He failed to check out on Feb. ...

YOSEMITE — Skiers and snowboarders of all ages have been looking to the sky for months, waiting for those snow flurries that would mean that Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area (Badger Pass) would open soon. Unfortunately, those snow storms have not materialized, and this message has now been posted on the Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area’s website: Thank you, everyone, ...

YOSEMITE – Tuolumne Winter Rangers Laura and Rob Pilewski have posted their latest blog on conditions at Tuolumne Meadows. Be sure to follow them every week for up-to-date reports. New snow: 4 inches Total settled snow depth: 9 inches (at 8,600 feet) High temperature: 50°F (February 17) Low temperature: -14°F (February 20) Ski Conditions and Weather: Well, we sure jinxed ...

YOSEMITE — Yosemite National Park announces the release of the Bridalveil Fall Rehabilitation Environmental Assessment (Bridalveil Fall EA). The public comment period for the Bridalveil Fall Rehabilitation Environmental Assessment is currently open and will be open until Mar. 14. The Bridalveil Fall EA describes and analyzes two action alternatives to improve visitor services and facilities located near Bridalveil Fall. The ...