Yosemite falcon closures 2023 (March 1 - July 15)

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/climbingclosures.htm

Good news first, these formations are completely gone from the 2023 list:

• Washington Column
• Lost Arrow Spire 
• Sentinel Rock
• Fifi Buttress
• Rhombus Wall

Everything else seems about the same as before:

• Arch Rock Area – Closure includes all routes of Arch Rock.
• B.O.L.T. Wall – Immediately southwest of Leaning Tower. Closure includes all routes on the B.O.L.T. Wall.
• El Capitan, Southwest Face – Closure includes all routes between and including “Octopussy” to the “Dihedral Wall."
• Fairview Dome, West Face – Tuolumne. Closure includes all routes between and including “Heart of Stone” to “Lucky Streaks.”  All other routes remain open.
• Hetch Hetchy – Closed area includes Wapama Cliff.
• Higher Cathedral Rock – Closure includes all routes between and including “Power Point” and “The North Face.” All other routes remain open.
• Mt. Broderick – West of Liberty Cap. Closure includes the entire SE face of Mt. Broderick opposite Liberty Cap.
• The Rostrum – Lower Merced Canyon. Closure includes climbing routes on all sides of the Rostrum formation. Super Nova and the Jungle Gym areas remain open. Slack-lining is prohibited at the summit and the top of the adjacent cliff.
• Wawona Dome – Closure includes all routes between and including “Cream of the Crop” to “Bark at the Moon.” From the base, the first pitch of the closed routes between and including “Lunar Eclipse” to “Bird in Flight” will remain open.
• Widow’s Tears – Closure includes all routes within the Widow’s Tears Alcove. Routes on Tower of Cosmic Winds remain open.
• Yosemite Point – Closure includes all routes between and including “Czech Route” and “Yosemite Point Buttress.” The first 3 pitches of “Czech Route” and the first 5 pitches of “Yosemite Point Buttress” remain open.

Birds aren't real

Lol, from that list I would def choose the overhanging B.O.L.T. wall....those will be some hardy birds this stormy year! This and many other Yosemite Logistics available at Yosemitebigwall.com to help you plan your trip! Woot Woot!

Erik

Yosemitebigwall.com

Major respect to the Yosemite NPS Falcon Monitoring Program. Other agencies, and parks would do well to take note. This is how an adaptive management strategy works best in the real world, balancing user access with the best available science, and maximizing protection while maintaining public support for the wildlife resource. Indian Creek, Utah BLM and their blanket 'voluntary closure' strategy is an example of a far less robust strategy. The Forest Service blanket closure for raptor nesting season at Granite Mountain, Arizona is another example of mismanagement. Denying adaptive management strategies alienates public lands user groups as the enemy and ultimately fails to build a holistic and sustainable relationship with the public, who is the ultimate protector of the resource.

Birds aren't real.

Bumping this with the changes I noticed:

Now open:
Arch Rock
El Cap southwest face
Hetch Hetchy

Now closed:
El Cap west face (Mirage and left)
Parkline Slab: top 4 pitches of the “Eagle’s Eyrie” top 3 pitches of “Moss Madness”

Connor Dobsonwrote:

Birds aren't real

No, according to Wingspan

Lol season won't start till mid July this year so we should be all good

I was born in 1948, Dad and I did Basic RC at GTNP with Barry Corbett of Everest fame, great guy, and after the USPO imploded I moved to Yosemite to be hired by old Curry Family HR woman to fold and sell t-shirts at the Mountain Shop Curry Village, with awesome Ned Gillette next door running the YMS. So never getting past beginner, I miss the hand drawn route pamphlets of those early days of 1970s-80s. Photos are ok, a second. I was looking at a great photo from a top Mt. Broderick on IG by 'andozchill' but could not find simple effective route drawings or photos with routes added. Descriptions are in-crowd boastful and not very helpful. For years I showed my sf bus tourists the full page routes drawing of W El Cap at Wawona Tunnel Valley View. Again, as only a beginner with lightly used 1976 EBs, and a tourist , I think route drawings for "scrambled" like Mt. Broderick and popular now Fern Ledge would be most helpful. Your site. Yes I witnessed many rock climbers daily stealing nuts biners etc from the Mtn Shop '74-'76 and witnessed the Arson. Best wishes!

All closures have been lifted as of July 15.