Yosemite Valley is Accessible from Highways 140 and 41 —  From Highway 120 Visitors Must Use Detour on Highway 49 North

Mariposa, Calif., July 29, 2014 – The El Portal Fire on the western edge of Yosemite National Park has burned more than 3,000 acres of wilderness and is currently 19 percent contained, but the park, including Yosemite Valley, remains open.

All entrances to the park are open. Yosemite Valley, Mariposa Grove, and Glacier Point are accessible from Highways 140 or 41. The high country is accessible from Highway 120, but the Big Oak Flat Road that connects Highway 140 to Highway 120 to the Valley is temporarily closed. Visitors traveling on Highway 120 can use the Highway 49N detour to access the Valley and the southern areas of the park.

“The park and the historic towns leading into the park are open and welcoming visitors, but visitors should check ahead depending on the area they’d like to enjoy,” said Terry Selk, executive director of the Yosemite/Mariposa Tourism Bureau. “From Highway 120, instead of driving from Yosemite Valley to Tioga Pass through the park, the detour created by the closure of Big Oak Flat Road sends visitors through historic California gold towns, such as Bear Valley and Coulterville.”

The EL Portal Fire is confined to the western edge of the park on both National Park Service land and Stanislaus National Forest. It is being managed by a Joint Unified Command. For more information visit http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4012/ for the latest updates on road conditions and potential closures. Or call the fire information center: 209-372-0327 or 209-372-0328.