Yosemite National Park Closed Indefinitely After Receiving Up to 15 Feet of Snow — See the Photos

Yosemite National Park is closed indefinitely after receiving up to 15 feet of snow in parts, burying nearly everything in a blanket of white.

The park, which closed on Feb. 25 after the massive snowfall, currently has no plans to reopen to the public, according to the National Park Service. 

“Yosemite has experienced significant snowfall in all areas of the park, with snow up to 15 feet deep in some areas,” the NPS tweeted. “Park crews are working to restore critical services so visitors can safely return. There is no estimated date for reopening.”

The closure followed a major winter storm that brought blizzard conditions to the Sierra Nevada mountains, ABC News reported. The snow got so high, people were forced to dig out of their homes, and the NPS noted the snow even covered three-quarters of the entrance to a park restroom.

In Soda Springs, CA, which sits about 200 miles north of Yosemite, about 109 inches of snow fell in the last week, ABC News reported.

This isn’t the first time Yosemite has had to shut the park to visitors. Last summer, wildfires forced both Yosemite and the Sierra National Forest to partially shut down. Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove then reopened a few weeks later.

Yosemite is also not alone in dealing with catastrophic weather-related closures. Last year, Yellowstone National Park suffered devastating flooding with several collapsed roads, leading officials to doubt whether large swaths of the park would reopen at all that year. But just weeks later, the NPS said it would reopen the majority of the park to visitors.

While visiting Yosemite in winter comes with its challenges, it’s also one of the best times to visit for smaller crowds and wildlife spotting (especially to see the elusive bobcat). February is also the only time to see the park’s “firefall" phenomenon in which Horsetail Fall is backlit by the sunset, causing it to glow like it’s on fire.