Big Oak Flat Road/Hwy 120 closed for repairs Feb. 29, 2012 thru April

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A section of Big Oak Flat Road, leading from Hwy 120 into Yosemite Valley and other park destinations is scheduled to be closed for roughly six weeks starting at 8:00 am Wednesday, February 29, 2012 to repair damage from a rockfall on January 22 of this year. The road is expected to be closed 24 hours per day, seven days per week until early April. During this time, crews will be working around the clock to the get road ready for visitors hoping to use that route to see Yosemite’s waterfalls in peak flow for spring. (You can see an interactive version of the map here.)

Meanwhile, you can still get to Yosemite Valley via Hwy 140 (El Portal Road) coming from Merced/Mariposa and Hwy 41 (Wawona Road) coming from Fresno/Oakhurst. If you’re coming from the Bay Area, the Highway 140 route is commonly referred to as the year-round Yosemite Highway, and although longer in terms of distance, adds little, if any, time to your drive.

The best way to get current road information inside Yosemite National Park is to call (209) 372-0200 and press 1 and then 1 again. This recorded road information is updated by NPS as soon as road conditions change. For other current park information, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Read the full NPS press release below:

Hwy 120/Big Oak Flat Closed

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A short section of Big Oak Flat Road, the continuation of Hwy 120 inside the park, had to be closed following a rock slide at about 11:30 pm January 22. Hwy 140 and 41 are both still open for travel. Chain controls may be in effect. (See the interactive version of closure map here.)

Park Spokesperson, Scott Gediman, says a boulder “the size of a house” fell into the road approximately 1000 feet above the 120/140 junction. At the this point situation is still being assessed to determine when the road might open again, so there is no information on the estimated reopening.

Yosemite National Park remains open and Yosemite Valley is accessible via Highway 140 (El Portal Road) coming from Merced/ Mariposa and via Highway 41(Wawona Road) coming from Fresno/
Oakhurst.

With winter conditions present, chain restrictions are in place on select park roads. For 24-hour road and weather information, please call (209)372-0200 and dial 1 then 1 again. For ongoing park information, please join us on Facebook or visit the National Park Service Facebook page.

You can read the official NPS press release here.