Tuolumne Gas Station Closed For Upgrades

Beginning Monday, 9/8, the Tuolumne Gas Station will be temporarily closed for vapor recovery and dispenser upgrades. Fuel will not be available from 9/8 until 9/29. The sport shop will remain open for business and propane will still be available through 9/21, daily from 9 AM to 5 PM. Fuel is still available at Crane Flat Station 24 hrs/day. (NPS Press Release)

[Editor: Fill up in Lee Vining at the Mobil Station instead and enjoy some yummy fish tacos while you are there!]

Tioga Road to Open in Yosemite National Park

See you at the Mobil Station for fish tacos, it's Tioga Pass time!

From the NPS:

Yosemite News Release
May 19, 2008
For Immediate Release

Tioga Road to Open in Yosemite National Park
Visitors urged to take safety precautions for upcoming Memorial Day Weekend

Yosemite National Park Superintendent Mike Tollefson announced today that the Tioga Road will open for the season on Wednesday, May 21 at 8:00 a.m. for all vehicle traffic. The Tioga Road, bounded on both sides by State Highway 120, is the popular east-west crossing of the Sierra Nevada. There will be no commercial services available along the road. Additionally, the Tuolumne Meadows Campground, other campgrounds along the corridor, and the Visitor Center will not be open. However, there will be restrooms available on the road. All visitor services, including the campgrounds, store, gas station, etc. will open over the next several weeks.

Visitors who are planning to visit Yosemite National Park over the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend are urged to take extra safety precautions, especially along the Merced River. With the current warm weather and accelerated snowmelt, the river is running fast and cold. People should take extreme caution along the river and watch children at all times.

The park is expecting a very busy weekend. People should plan on arriving in the park as early in the day as possible. People visiting Yosemite Valley are urged to take the free Yosemite Shuttle Bus to explore the sites and hike on the trails. If people can not arrive early, they should wait until late afternoon to enter the park as park entrances can become congested, especially mid-day.

There are a limited number of first-come, first-served campsites available in the park. However, those are expected to fill up as the weekend approaches. There are many opportunities for hiking and overnight accommodations in the gateway communities surrounding Yosemite National Park.

Finally, the cables on Half Dome are up for the season. The cables allow visitors an opportunity to climb to the top of Half Dome and view the park from an elevation of 8,842 feet above sea level.

Fall Color Report

The Weekend of October 13-14 is your best bet for fall color in the Eastern Sierra. Most of the big trees are near peak color, but with the unusual weather patterns we’ve been having, it might not last long. Another storm could end it all, or two weeks of warm weather could make it last and last. It’s anyone’s guess. Last week’s storms burned out or blew off the leaves at higher elevations, and there is snow painting the shadowed crevices of the peaks.

The latest reports are saying that Conway Summit is not looking good, but from Lundy south there is a lot of nice color.

Be on the lookout for migrating deer. Last weeks snows have driven them from the higher elevations and there are lots of dead ones on the side of the roads from their attempt to migrate to lower elevations.

If you make it to Mammoth, try the mahi-mahi fish tacos at Roberto’s Cafe. YUM! Top notch!

Yosemite is also starting to turn, and the dry year is bringing a spotty change in color. Many dogwood are already turning, with a lot of deep reds, more than in most years, but many are still green, The oaks and big leaf maples are starting to turn and will probably peek around Oct 26, but is worth a trip even now. The maple tree by the chapel is in full color now, but I always ignore it as it is a non-native species, and I’ve got a thing against those.