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Dome Fire Closes Chilnualna Falls While the Rest of Yosemite Stays Open
A hundred acres north of Wawona Dome, moving away from the community — but the best-known trail out of Wawona is shut.
A wildfire that started Tuesday roughly a quarter-mile north of Chilnualna Falls had grown to about 100 acres by late afternoon, and the Park Service closed the Chilnualna Falls Trail along with the routes running from the top of the falls toward Buena Vista and Crescent lakes.
The fire takes its name from nearby Wawona Dome. It was reported around midday and is moving north and northeast at a moderate rate, away from the community of Wawona. No evacuation warnings were issued and officials reported no immediate threat to infrastructure or developed areas. Crews worked it from the ground and from the air, securing line along the south and west flanks and using natural barriers elsewhere.
The rest of Yosemite is open and operating normally. Buena Vista and Crescent lakes can still be reached from the east, which makes a trip into that country a rerouting problem rather than a cancelled one. The smoke column has been visible from Wawona Road.
If Chilnualna was on your calendar this weekend, assume it stays shut and check before you drive. The Park Service is pointing people to InciWeb for fire updates and AirNow for air quality, which is worth watching well beyond the park when a late-season fire settles into a drainage.
Fires this time of year move quickly through cured grass and brush in the southern Sierra. A hundred acres is small, but the situation can change either direction inside a day.
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