Skip to main content
Arts & Entertainment

Yosemite is closed indefinitely, but you can see the park live right now

Snow blankets a wintry landscape seen from the Tunnel View in Yosemite National Park in California on Feb. 22, 2023. | Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

With as much as 15 feet of snow piling up in some areas, Yosemite National Park has indefinitely closed its awe-inspiring sights to visitors.

“There is no estimated date for reopening,” the park posted on social media late Tuesday afternoon. A National Park Service official confirmed Wednesday that there was no timeline for opening things up to visitors and and said “there are snow impacts throughout the park!”

But would-be park guests and longtime fans need not despair—Yosemite unveiled a new live webcam this week that showcases the winter wonderland views of El Capitan, Half Dome and Yosemite Valley.

READ MORE: 9 Incredible Photos of California’s Historic Winter Storm

The dramatic weather makes it difficult to see, but the left side view of the new video feed features the 3,000-foot-tall granite formation El Capitan, popular the world over with adventurous rock climbers.

Screenshot of Yosemite's new live webcam | Courtesy of Yosemite Conservancy

Yosemite closed Saturday, Feb. 25, with the intention of reopening Wednesday, March 1, but the weather had other plans for the park.

READ MORE: 9 Cheap(er) Ski Spots Near the Bay Area

The weather forecast on the park’s valley floor called for a low of 15 degrees and a high of 31 on Wednesday. The park’s peaks were expected to drop to temperatures of around 7 degrees.

California’s cold snap resulted in winter storm warnings issued across the state, with snow peppering rarely impacted regions, including the Bay Area, Santa Cruz and even normally sunny Los Angeles County