Yosemite Crag Conditions Question

I'm planning on climbing in the Valley this weekend (April 1-3). Temps look to be sunny & high (high 50s-60s) all this week, but I really don't have a feel for how quickly the snow at the lower elevations and south aspects will burn off. There are a couple of areas I want to climb at that I haven't been to yet in winter, so I don't know how wet they are and how likely they are to dry out or become safe by this weekend.

Could the regulars pitch in and give me some guesses?

Or warnings as to any main routes that might be wet even if the area in general is dry?

The areas I want to go to are:

Royal Arches (Select Routes)
I know a lot of this area is wet, but it really depends on the main waterfalls off of the rim. I'm wondering about Peruvian Flake (more likely to be wet as I understand) and especially Superslide

Glacier Point Apron

Camp 4 Wall

El Cap Base - I know this one can be dangerous from stuff falling off of the rim. What should I look for/consider in determining if it is reasonably safe & clear?

Plan on it being wet everywhere, especially cracks and single-pitch climbs in the trees. The devil's bathtub area (Peruvian flake, etc.) is often a good bet, as the bathtub ledges direct most of the upper runoff to the side, but it will still be wet. Royal Arches will be a waterfall. Most of the post-storm ice and rockfall will probably have past, but scope the upper walls in the morning. If there are sheets of ice hanging, you're better off staying away from Glacier Point apron and El Cap.

Zin, you seem to pretty knowledgeable about the area. I'm looking to make my first trip to The Valley the last week of April. I understand this can be hit or miss with the weather, but will a lot of the crags be dry by then if the weather is nice?

its going to be a soggy spring in the valley. CA got tons of snow this winter, could take a while to melt and dry. suerte!

Lots of winter snow doesn't mean the crags are going to be wet all spring. Some climbs (e.g., Royal Arches) will stay wet longer. Many others will be unaffected. It mostly depends on whether theee's a lot of precipitation.

Parkline, Cookie, and Arch are good year round and dry out quickly

Hey are you coming in to Yosemite from the North side or the South side? Im heading out that way a few days after you get there and Im going to be coming from the South and wasnt sure what roads were open and if my little Chevy Colbalt would make it through that area with it being mid April.

Eric T. wrote:Zin, you seem to pretty knowledgeable about the area. I'm looking to make my first trip to The Valley the last week of April. I understand this can be hit or miss with the weather, but will a lot of the crags be dry by then if the weather is nice?

If we don't get another significant storm before then, it will certainly be climbable. The cracks will still be wet, but they definitely can be climbed. As Kevin stated above, the Cookie is also a good sunny option.

I'm no regular... But Reeds is also really good in the winter. Pretty much the lower valley I suppose. Although I was at the Cookie before the storm came in, and some routes were wet even then. Still climbable. But yeah maybe you've already been to those places.

I don't really know if this is a good guide, but if you look at the webcam, you can see how much snow is on top of El Cap. Maybe, if there is snow on top, this means that a lot of the routes (even base routes(?)) will be wet from melt.

nps.gov/yose/photosmultimed…

And, according to NOAA, there is a slight chance of rain this weekend. Best of luck man. I bet it's really pretty there though (like always). And yeah, roads are questionable right now for sure, but should probably be good by the weekend. You could always call and ask for specifics.

Cwaters wrote:Hey are you coming in to Yosemite from the North side or the South side? Im heading out that way a few days after you get there and Im going to be coming from the South and wasnt sure what roads were open and if my little Chevy Colbalt would make it through that area with it being mid April.

On their website the current status is:

Monday, March 28 Update: Roads into Yosemite National Park have reopened. This includes park entrances via Highways 120 from the west, 140, and 41. All park services are fully operating at this time. Please carry tire chains with you as they may become mandatory at any time.

Also, a good link to watch for weather:

forecast.weather.gov/MapCli…

Thanks Mark, My girlfriend and I appreciate the info.

Arch rock is now closed due to Falcon Nesting FYI so that crag would be no go.

Was in Yosemite this weekend and Manure Pile was relatively dry (would be fine by midweek I would think.

Reeds pinnacle was fine on the right side, pitch 1 of direct was fine but 2nd pitch was very wet. Not sure how long that one would take. Lunatic Fringe was dry as a bone.

3rd pitch of Nutcracker is wet, but the rest of the routes on Manure Pile are dry. Pat & Jack Pinnacle was nice & dry, and so was Generator Crack!

Swan slab is hit or miss depending on the route (Grant's crack is good). Five Open Books is a water park right now.

The last two nights there were some very big rumbles coming off from the direction of Glacier Point Apron.

Also, the ground at Upper Pines is saturated with water, so the area is very wet and muddy. Camp 4 is much nicer, with either dry ground or consolidated snow.

just wanted to give this conditions thread a bump and see how things are looking for this weekend (april 15th)....

Based on last weekend, this weekend should be pretty good. The snow levels from that giant storm a few weeks ago have been reduced substantially by rain and warm temps. It's looking more like spring.

Lower Merced Canyon should be good to go. The stuff in the Valley proper is a little suspect, but I'm hoping the El Cap Base and 3 Brothers will be doable.

Edit: Here's a photo of the Lower Merced, taken last Monday

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Almost no snow at all and I think it's been mostly warm sunny this last week so stuff should be getting dry. I don't have any photos of the Valley, but there was still a lot of white stuff up on the ledges of the 3 Brothers and Falls Area.

any Valley updates? I'll be there this weekend and will update the thread then.