Poor Air Quality Prompts Yosemite NP Shutdown
The Creek Fire remains one of the most devastating of multiple blazes in California and the West, and the poor air quality that’s been rampant prompted a closure at Yosemite National Park. Here’s more from a Park Service press release:
Date: September 17, 2020
Yosemite National Park announces that the park will close to all visitors and vehicular access due to significant smoke impacts and hazardous air quality throughout the park. All park entrance stations and roads will close beginning at 5:00 pm tonight, Thursday, September 17, 2020.
With air quality projected to be in the unhealthy to hazardous range over the next several days, the park anticipates the closure to be in effect at least throughout the weekend. The park will continue to assess the smoke impacts, air quality index, and fire activity throughout the region. Yosemite National Park will reopen to visitors when conditions improve, and it is safe for visitors and employees to be in Yosemite National Park.
Yosemite National Park’s closure is in alignment with the closure of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and the surrounding national forests.
For detailed information on current air quality and smoke impacts, please visit https://fire.airnow.gov/?lat=37.672508866650354&lng=-119.80573
For updated 24-hour road and weather conditions for Yosemite National Park, please call 209-372-0200, press 1 and press 1 again. Updated information is also available on the park’s website at www.nps.gov/yose and on the Yosemite National Park Facebook page.
