The News from Yosemite

Falling Boulders Endanger Lives at Yosemite

A major rockslide at Yosemite National Park's Curry Village has prompted officials to consider closing part of the lodging area permanently.

Yosemite National Park's Leader Says Farewell

Unpacking his car after a trip last month, Yosemite National Park boss Mike Tollefson chatted with an intimidating visitor lying next to his sidewalk -- a deer with a large rack of antlers.

"I was trying to have this conversation with him, mostly so he wouldn't be startled," he said.

"I wanted to be really careful."

Whether he's speaking to a buck mule deer in the front yard or an environmental pit bull in the courtroom, careful conversations have defined Tollefson's life for six years in the park. All that will end in January.

Feasts and Festive Fun for Christmas Week at Evergreen Lodge

Dreaming of a white Christmas but hesitant about airfare to Aspen? Then go ye to Yosemite National Park. The park interior is full of enjoyable options including heated tent cabins and less rustic lodge rooms, but more comfort for your dollar — as well as, perhaps, serenity — may be had outside park boundaries.

Yosemite Visitors Treated to a New View

Don't tell the big shots at the National Park Service that they can't improve a masterpiece.

The famous view of Yosemite Valley at the overlook known as Tunnel View was getting a little rough around the edges, so park officials got out their broad brushes and gave it a little touchup.

Getting Stoned at Yosemite

After a rock slide on Tuesday damaged an unoccupied cabin, another pile of debris forced hundreds of visitors from their vacation hideaways Wednesday at Yosemite National Park. Thursday, park officials reopened some of the cabins in Curry Village while still investigating what caused to rocks to tumble.

Climate warms, creatures head for the hills

From California to Costa Rica, rising temperatures could be driving species to higher elevations

Chipmunks, mice and other small mammals pretty much moved up in the world as Yosemite National Park’s climate warmed during the last century.

As temperatures rose, these species tended to edge upward to higher and cooler ground, says Craig Moritz, director of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology in Berkeley, Calif.

The possibility that climate change is pushing around sensitive species has been worrying biologists, so Moritz and his colleagues found a way to test the idea over an unusually long time. They resurrected the museum’s trove of field notes and revisted sites of a mammal survey that started in 1914.

Warming in Yosemite National Park Sends Small Mammals Packing to Higher, Cooler Elevations

Global warming is causing major shifts in the range of small mammals in Yosemite National Park, one of the nation's treasures that was set aside as a public trust 144 years ago, according to a new study by University of California, Berkeley, biologists.

Yosemite Rock Slide Prompts Curry Village Evacuation

Cabins near Curry Village in Yosemite National Park have been evacuated after a second rock slide in the past two days hit the area about 7:15 a.m. today.

Seven cabins were destroyed and three or four more damaged in today's slide, said Ariel Kelly, a park spokesman. Five tent cabins and two hard-sided cabins were destroyed.

Steve Fossett's Plane Found in Bear Country

Steve Fossett's plane and a tiny amount of human remains have been found in California near Yosemite National Park, officials confirmed today. The millionaire U.S. adventurer has been missing since early September 2007.

Green Your Ride: When Visiting Yosemite, Leave the Driving to YARTS

Do your part to help alleviate congestion on the roads near Yosemite by using Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS). The YARTS buses provide an affordable, dependable alternative to driving between Yosemite Valley and gateway communities—and they can help you reduce your carbon footprint!

YARTS buses run through Mariposa County, California from Merced to Yosemite National Park and connect with Amtrak and Greyhound service in Merced. The smaller buses in the fleet run on clean diesel, and the company hopes to upgrade the remaining buses by the end of next year.

The buses also provide seamless connections with the free Yosemite Valley shuttle, which makes stops at 21 locations throughout the park. The hybrid shuttles have improved fuel economy while reducing engine emissions and noise levels. Yosemite’s fleet of hybrid buses is capable of transporting more than 1,000 passengers per hour and has been an invaluable tool in reducing congestion in the park.

For more information about YARTS, visit www.yarts.com or call (877-98-YARTS).

Yosemite National Park Introduces Innovative GPS Experience to Engage Visitors in Outdoors

In an effort to further provide park customers with a complete, hands-on experience, Yosemite National Park concessionaire Delaware North Companies has partnered with MMG Worldwide to develop an integrated campaign focused on thoroughly exploring the outdoors. Through the “Take It All In” campaign, visitors are urged to step outside of their cars and use GPS technology to actively engage in biking, hiking and sightseeing.

In Yosemite, Scientists Find New Types of Lichen

After exploration by millions of visitors over the past 100 years, it's hard to imagine anything left to discover amid the majesty of Yosemite's glacier-cut granite cliffs and giant Sequoia groves.

But, by thinking small, scientists have discovered new species of lichen clinging like microscopic starfish to Yosemite icons such as El Capitan, Half Dome and Vernal Falls, and countless slabs of less famous rock. And they are trying to determine whether the species exist anywhere else.

In Yosemite, Scientists Find New Types of Lichen

After exploration by millions of visitors over the past 100 years, it's hard to imagine anything left to discover amid the majesty of Yosemite's glacier-cut granite cliffs and giant Sequoia groves.

But, by thinking small, scientists have discovered new species of lichen clinging like microscopic starfish to Yosemite icons such as El Capitan, Half Dome and Vernal Falls, and countless slabs of less famous rock. And they are trying to determine whether the species exist anywhere else.

Lichen on Yosemite Icons Key to Pollution Studies

After exploration by millions of visitors over the past 100 years, it's hard to imagine anything left to discover amid the majesty of Yosemite's glacier-cut granite cliffs and giant Sequoia groves.

But, by thinking small, scientists have discovered new species of lichen clinging like microscopic starfish to Yosemite icons such as El Capitan, Half Dome and Vernal Falls, and countless slabs of less famous rock. And they are trying to determine whether the species exist anywhere else.

Delaware North Companies’ The Ahwahnee Named Top National Park Lodge by ShermansTravel.com

Yosemite National Park’s historic and grand hotel operated by Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, has been named the best national park lodge by ShermansTravel.com, a travel Web site that routinely posts top-10 lists.