Yosemite reopens amid haze, tight lodging
Yosemite National Park reopened its scenic valley Tuesday after a nearly three-week closure due to nearby wildfires but advised visitors to expect some smoke in the air and limited lodging and food services in the popular California park.
Meanwhile, a blaze in Montana prompted a hasty evacuation of hundreds of visitors at another national park.
At least nine homes and cabins in a historic district of Glacier National Park were destroyed in a wildfire that raged through the Montana park’s busiest area, with hundreds of summer homes, cabins and a lakefront lodge.
Park officials said the lost buildings include the socalled Big House at Kelly’s Camp, a resort developed early last century serving auto travelers along Glacier’s famous Going-tothe-Sun Road.
Firefighters managed to save several historic structures that caught fire. Among them were the Lake McDonald Ranger station and the Wheeler Cabin, built by the family of Montana’s former U.S. Sen. Burton Wheeler.
The wildfires raging through parts of the West Coast have caused massive financial losses to parks and nearby communities and also forced thousands of tourists to cancel visits.
Yosemite’s 20-day closure came during the busiest month for tourism. The park draws more than 600,000 visitors during a typical August, according to the National Park Service.
Undeterred by lingering haze, cars packed with visitors lined up at Yosemite entrance gates.
“It’s smoky, but you can see most of the mountains — just not the tops,” said Dutch tourist Gert Lammers. “We feel lucky that it’s open today,” said Lammers, 48, who heads back to Holland on Friday after a three-week tour of California with his wife and two children.