Heavy smoke from a wildfire burning near Yosemite National Park is forcing hundreds of thousands of tourists to alter their plans during the height of summer vacation, and hurting tourist-dependent businesses serving those seasonal visitors.
Park officials on Tuesday began urging visitors to leave Yosemite Valley, the park’s most popular area, because they are closing the area’s main road on Wednesday afternoon. July is usually the second-busiest month at Yosemite, drawing nearly 600,000 visitors to marvel at its soaring peaks, towering rock walls and wildlife. Only August is busier.
The closure, which takes effect at noon, applies to all hotels, campgrounds and visitor services in Yosemite Valley and Wawona. Anyone staying there will be required to leave, and no one will be allowed back in until at least Sunday, park officials said. An estimated 2,000 people were inside the park as of Tuesday, officials said.
“I’m going to lose $20,000 and that’s money I’ll never see again,” said Ron Skelton, who owns the Yosemite Blue Butterfly Inn just outside the park in the El Portal area. "We’re completely shut down.”
The Ferguson Fire began the night of July 13 and has spread across 57 square miles of rugged forest west of the park. The fire itself currently poses no immediate danger to Yosemite, but the heavy smoke prompted authorities to act. Park workers are being offered air purifiers and the government is setting up "clean rooms" to provide respite to people affected by the smoke.
Tuesday morning, visitors Brad Lyons and Courtney Richard stopped for photos at Tunnel View, the spot where park visitors typically can take in Yosemite Valley and its famous landmarks, including El Capitan and Half Dome. The pair had traveled from St. Louis and Tulsa to visit the park for the first time, and as they stood at the edge of Tunnel View, they could hardly make out the far reaching mountains, which they said eerily resembled ghost ships in the distance.
What was going to be a three-day visit was quickly shortened as Yosemite Valley filled with smoke and ash.
“When we saw that the visitor’s center was closed, we knew it had to be bad,” Lyons said.
Skelton's lodge has been shut down for several days, in part because some area roads are closed so firefighters can move around better. Skelton said he understands why the road closures are needed, but wondered why the whole area was being evacuated. A former volunteer firefighter, Skelton said he's seen far worse conditions.
"The closures are getting worse. The fire’s not getting worse," he said. “I’ve seen worse smoke in El Portal. It’s not that bad. And it’s certainly not that bad in the valley.”
Contributing: Calley Cederlof, USA TODAY Network
Cox Media Group
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