Yosemite’s Glacier Point Road to open in time for prime weekend weather. Here’s the forecast
Weekend visitors to Yosemite National Park can pen in plans to view vistas from iconic overlook Glacier Point, as park officials announced that Glacier Point Road will reopen at 8 a.m. Saturday.
Glacier Point Road will remain open as long as conditions allow, according to a social media post by the park on Friday.
Tioga and Glacier Point roads each closed after a much-anticipated heavy storm rolled through the Sierra Nevada and San Joaquin Valley floor at the end of October. Tioga Road continues to be closed due to snowfall and downed trees.
October‘s big storm, however, dumped a more significant onslaught of rain rather than snow on Yosemite National Park, said Jim Andersen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Hanford.
October 25 alone saw more than 5 inches of rain drop. The month finished off with a tally in excess of 7 inches. “That’s pretty amazing,” Andersen said.
Yosemite has received little snow so far — especially at its lower elevations — Andersen said, adding that no more is projected in Yosemite over the next week. “I think we’ve been pretty blessed with this nice fall,” he said.
Weather in Yosemite National Park is projected to be warm and clear through the weekend and into next week, according to the Weather Service.
Temperatures along the Valley floor are forecast to reach the high 60s and 70s, with wind expected to be calm, making conditions over the next several days prime for visiting.
Fall colors have been in full swing throughout the park in early November, attracting tourists to view vibrant trees and gushing waterfalls.
Ascending to more than 3,200 feet above Yosemite Valley’s floor, the reopening of Glacier Point Road offers sweeping views of that scenery, as well as Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and Yosemite National Park’s high country. A short, wheelchair-accessible trail leads visitors from the parking and tour unloading area to the Glacier Point view area.
Glacier Point Road is accessible by car typically from late May through October or November, according to the Park Service. Cross-country skiers can access the viewpoint mid-December through March via a 10.5-mile trek.
No services will be available along Glacier Point Road and overnight parking is not allowed, according to the National Park Service. The road can close at any time.
This story was originally published November 12, 2021 at 6:40 PM.
