What are the possible fire restriction stages?
Yosemite has three stages of fire restrictions. If fire restrictions are in effect, the current stage is shown above.
Fire Restrictions Below 6,000 Feet
The following are not allowed:
- Wood and charcoal fires (including twig stoves) below 6,000 feet, except they are allowed in:
- designated frontcountry campgrounds that are open;
- designated picnic areas that are open in which wood or charcoal fires are allowed;
- residential areas;
- designated Wilderness in existing fire rings above 6,000 feet (and below 9,600 feet).
- Smoking below 6,000 feet, except it is allowed:
- within an enclosed vehicle;
- designated frontcountry campgrounds and picnic areas that are open and where wood or charcoal fires are allowed;
- designated smoking areas;
- while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or has been cleared of flammable material.
Fire Restrictions Below 8,000 Feet
The following are not allowed:
- Wood and charcoal fires (including twig stoves) below 8,000 feet, except they are allowed in:
- designated frontcountry campgrounds that are open;
- designated picnic areas that are open in which wood or charcoal fires are allowed;
- residential areas, except in El Portal and Foresta, where only charcoal fires are allowed;
- designated Wilderness in existing fire rings above 8,000 feet (and below 9,600 feet).
- Smoking anywhere in the park, except is it allowed:
- within an enclosed vehicle;
- designated frontcountry campgrounds and picnic areas that are open and where wood or charcoal fires are allowed;
- designated smoking areas;
- while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or has been cleared of flammable material.
Parkwide Fire Restrictions Due to Unhealthy Air Quality and/or Extreme Fire Situation
The following are not allowed:
- Wood and charcoal fires (including twig stoves) with no exceptions.
- Smoking anywhere in the park, except is it allowed:
- within an enclosed vehicle;
- designated frontcountry campgrounds and picnic areas that are open and where wood or charcoal fires are allowed;
- designated smoking areas;
- while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or has been cleared of flammable material.
What are the normal fire and smoking regulations?
Fire Regulations
- Regardless of fire restrictions, portable stoves that use pressurized gas, liquid fuel, propane, or alcohol (including tablet/cube stoves) are always allowed.
- Fireworks are always prohibited.
- All fires must always be attended and completely extinguished with no burning material remaining.
- Fires are only allowed in grates, grills, existing fire rings, stoves, and barbecue grills.
- Fires are only allowed between 5 pm and 10 pm at Yosemite Valley campgrounds, picnic areas, and Housekeeping Camp, as well as Hodgdon Meadow Campground.
- Burning of giant sequoia material, leaves, tree needles, conifer cones, and wet or green wood is prohibited.
- Campfires at Little Yosemite Valley and the High Sierra Camp campgrounds are only allowed in NPS-provided fire rings.
- Wilderness campfires are only allowed below 9,600 feet in existing fire rings, except they are not allowed:
- Within 100 feet of a trail or body of water even if a fire ring exists;
- On top of Half Dome
- On top of El Capitan from the trail to the rim of El Capitan
- The Upper and Lower Cathedral Lakes basins
- Within a a quarter mile of the shoreline of Kibbie Lake
Smoking Regulations
Smoking is not allowed:
- in all public buildings and public areas of concession buildings (including restrooms).
- while traveling on trails. (Smoking is allowed if you stop and remain in one location until you have extinguished your smoking material.)
- within 25 feet of any building, except those used as a single-family residence.
How are fire restrictions determined?
Fire restrictions may go into effect based on conditions at Crane Flat. When energy release component (which is related to how hot a fire could burn based on current conditions) at Crane Flat exceeds the 73rd percentile for three consecutive days, fire restrictions go into effect below 6,000 feet. When the energy release component exceeds 97th percentile for three consecutive days, fire restrictions go into effect below 8,000 feet. Parkwide restrictions go into effect when the air quality index in Wawona, Tuolumne Meadows, or Yosemite Valley is unhealthy or worse and is expected to remain at or above that level for the next 48 hours. Parkwide restrictions may also go into effect based on the National Wildfire Preparedness Levels, availability of firefighters, or other fires burning in or near the park. Fire restrictions may go into effect earlier based on weather, fuels, visitor use, fires in the park or region, fire restrictions in adjacent jurisdictions, and/or regional/national preparedness levels.
