Yosemite Valley to reopen to visitors Tuesday morning

Yosemite Valley will reopen for day-use visitors at 8 a.m. Tuesday. The park has been closed since Friday, as the Sierra landmark rode out waves of major storms.

There will be no access to Yosemite Valley via El Portal Highway (Highway 140) because a rockfall early Monday.

Campgrounds in Yosemite Valley are expected to reopen Tuesday night.

Visitors are advised that there will be limited services. Overnight use and concessions are scheduled to resume Wednesday.

RELATED STORY: Merced River begins to recede in Yosemite Valley after rising to flood level

The Merced River in Yosemite National Park reached its flood stage (10 feet) Sunday night. It peaked at 12.7 feet at 4 a.m. Monday. Park roads and facilities have been affected.

Yosemite spokeswoman Jamie Richards said employees can return to the valley Monday afternoon. She said more than 800 people work in the entire park but she wasn't sure how many will return to work in the valley. About 80 essential personnel staged during the storm.

Richards said large boulders came down on Highway 140 close to the park gate near Dog Rock, closing both lanes of traffic. Highway 120 was also closed Monday morning due to a rockslide but it was reopened after work crews removed the blockage.

She said some sewer systems were water-logged and some power utilities were affected but that the storm caused minimal damage.

This story was originally published January 9, 2017 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Yosemite Valley to reopen to visitors Tuesday morning."