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Dan and Teresa Hoffman, a Burbank couple who have visited Yosemite National Park several times, take selfies Thursday along the Merced River as it nears flood stage.
Tracy Barbutes/Special to The Chronicle
With much of Yosemite Valley closed from Friday night to Wednesday amid flood risk from Sierra snowmelt, the national park is gearing up for an unusual few days — with quiet in the valley and heavy traffic elsewhere.
The problems will not be nearly as extensive as the major floods of January 1997. Back then, the Merced River, which flows over some of Yosemite’s iconic waterfalls, rose 13 feet above flood stage following stormy weather. Bridges, roads and power lines washed out, and over 2,000 people were trapped for two days.
On Saturday, by contrast, the river — fed by hot-weather snowmelt, not fresh storms — is expected to exceed flood stage by just 1.1 feet, at the Pohono Bridge measuring site.
Flood forecasts are subject to change, but currently the river is expected to reach flood stage at 11 p.m. Friday. It will go up and down through Monday, with a peak at around 3 a.m. Sunday.
By 9 a.m. Monday, it is expected to come down out of flood stage.
The shutdown will impact the core part of Yosemite Valley — including the Ahwahnee and other hotels, campgrounds and shops.
Officials warned of heavy traffic congestion in parts of the park that remain open. They said that while visitors can still access the west end of the valley where there are few services, that could change if too many people crowd into the area, limiting parking.
松树Campgroun附近的一个标志d and Merced River alerts Yosemite National Park visitors Thursday to stay out of the river as it rises rapidly from snowmelt.
Tracy Barbutes/Special to The ChronicleOpportunities for hiking and other recreation will be “very limited,” the park said.
Among the areas that will remain open are Hetch Hetchy, Mariposa Grove, Wawona and Crane Flat.
San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Kurtis Alexander contributed to this story.
Reach Kate Galbraith:kgalbraith@sfchronicle.com
