Yosemite Tightens Fire Restrictions as Danger Rises

Visitors heading into Yosemite National Park are being asked to take extra precautions as increased fire danger has prompted new restrictions on campfires, charcoal fires and smoking across much of the park.

Fire restrictions are now in effect throughout Yosemite below 8,000 feet, according to the National Park Service. The restrictions took effect Aug. 7 and apply throughout Yosemite National Park as well as the El Portal Administrative Site.

For visitors, the biggest change involves wood and charcoal fires. Below 8,000 feet, those fires — including the use of twig stoves — are prohibited except in designated open frontcountry campgrounds, designated picnic areas where fires are allowed and certain residential areas. In the Yosemite Wilderness, fires may still be used in existing fire rings above 8,000 feet and below 9,600 feet, subject to the park’s other wilderness fire regulations.

The restrictions do not mean backpackers and campers have to go without a way to cook. Portable stoves using pressurized gas, liquid fuel, propane or alcohol, including tablet and cube stoves, remain permitted.

Smoking is also restricted throughout the park, with exceptions that include enclosed vehicles, designated smoking areas and certain open campgrounds and picnic areas. Smoking may also be permitted while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or has been cleared of flammable material.

Why Restrictions Are in Place

Yosemite uses several factors to determine when additional fire restrictions are necessary, including weather, fuel conditions, visitor use, nearby fires and the availability of firefighting resources.

One of the measurements used is the Energy Release Component at Crane Flat, which helps indicate how intensely a fire could burn based on current conditions. Restrictions below 8,000 feet can be triggered when that measurement exceeds the 97th percentile for three consecutive days. Park officials can also implement restrictions earlier when other conditions warrant additional precautions.

The restrictions come during the dry stretch of late summer, when visitors may be spending more time camping and backpacking throughout Yosemite’s high country.

Some Fire Rules Apply Year-Round

Visitors should also remember that several Yosemite fire regulations remain in place regardless of seasonal restrictions.

Fireworks are prohibited throughout the park. Fires must always be attended and completely extinguished, with no burning material remaining. In Yosemite Valley campgrounds, picnic areas and Housekeeping Camp, as well as Hodgdon Meadow Campground, fires are permitted only between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Additional restrictions apply to wilderness campfires even outside periods of heightened fire danger. Fires are prohibited above 9,600 feet and in several designated locations, including the Upper and Lower Cathedral Lakes basins and on top of Half Dome.

Visitors planning a camping or backpacking trip can check Yosemite’s current restrictions before leaving home.

Yosemite National Park Fire Restrictions