Around noon on Wednesday, a major rock slide came off from the Royal Arches area of Yosemite National Park. The falling rocks, some of which reached microwave oven sizes, tumbled down and neared the Awahnee hotel. There were no injuries but the hotel was evacuated as a precaution and will remain empty until Friday. It is unknown what, if any, climbing routes the rock fall affected.



Dust from the afternoon rockfall obscured the view of Half Dome



The faint red line shows where the rockfall likely came from.


The Modest Bee wrote a brief story on the slide as did The New York Times

Also, Highway 120 into Yosemite Valley is currently closed due to a prescribed fire that escaped. The Big Oak Flat Road is closed from Highway 140 to Crane Flat and the Foresta road into the community of Foresta. There is no estimated time for the road to re-open. Highway 120 from Big Oak Flat entrance station is open to Crane Flat, on to Tuolumne Meadows, and Highway 395. Park firefighters are working hard to contain the blaze which has burned approximately 1,170 acres.

For more information check out NPS webpage regarding the fire.

Labels: NPS, Rockfall, Yosemite Fires