CENTRAL SIERRA – Anyone taking to the mountain highways over the weekend should avoid any unwanted delays by making sure there are traction devices in their vehicle. Chain control is now in place on Highway 41 from three miles north of Coarsegold (the bottom of Deadwood) to Yosemite National Park (R2 – see below). The location could change as conditions warrant. ...

CENTRAL SIERRA — The National Weather Service office in Hanford has issued a new Winter Storm Warning for the southern Sierra Nevada from Yosemite National Park to the Tulare-Kern County Line. Two feet of new snow accumulations or more can be expected above 7,000 feet, while snow levels are predicted to drop to as low as 4,000 feet. A Winter Storm ...

EL PORTAL — The El Portal Road (Highway 140) into Yosemite National Park is closed again today to all traffic following a rockfall, according to YNP. The Big Oak Flat Road is temporarily closed due to plowing operations. The Badger Pass road is closed, temporarily, as well. Highway 140 was closed in the same area on January 10, and subsequently reopened, ...

YOSEMITE — Good news if you want to head down into the valley for some truly classic wintertime activity. The Half Dome Village Ice Rink is now open for the 2016-17 season. The new seasonal ice rink is located on the eastern section of Half Dome Village in the main parking area, with stunning views of Half Dome. According to ...

CENTRAL SIERRA — Bird lovers, photographers and anyone interested in the enjoying the variety of bird species in the Central Sierra are invited to join the National Audubon Society’s 117th Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The CBC is an annual international bird census that began on Christmas Day in 1900, and now takes place in more than 1,500 locations throughout the ...

MARIPOSA — The Mariposa Symphony Orchestra’s concert at Yosemite National Park’s Glacier Point continues to bring surprising international attention to the small town and its symphony orchestra. That once-in-a-lifetime Aug. 21 performance was the final concert in the MSO’s recent tour commemorating the Centennial of the National Park Service. An iconic National Park Service image by photographer Al Golub highlighting ...

YOSEMITE — Smoke visible to the north of the Oakhurst area in recent days is likely rising from the Lakes Fire in Yosemite National Park. The Lakes Fire in the Chilnualna Lakes area, between Turner Meadow and Buena Vista Peak, is a lightning caused fire that is being managed by Yosemite fire officials for multiple objectives. On Sept. 6, Yosemite ...

YOSEMITE — Yosemite National Park fire managers are planning a 61-acre Ahwahnee Meadow prescribed burn in the coming week. Ignition will take approximately one day and an additional two to four days of active burn down. Smoke will be present during the prescribed fire and in Yosemite Valley. Fire managers are working with the Mariposa County Air Pollution Control District ...

YOSEMITE — Yosemite National Park encourages all fourth graders to visit the park for free this year as part of the Every Kid in a Park (EKIP) program. The program gives fourth grade students, and those accompanying them, free access to more than 2,000 federally managed lands and waters. Visit www.EveryKidinaPark.gov to download the pass and obtain more information. “We ...

YOSEMITE — Yosemite National Park has expanded the American Sign Language (ASL) Program offered to Deaf and hearing impaired visitors. The park’s Deaf services program offers trip planning, park orientation at the visitor center, and interpretive services for Deaf and hearing impaired visitors. The program also focuses on employee training in Deaf/disability awareness and outreach to the Deaf community. Yosemite ...