Royal Arches Rockfall Closes Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Valley

On Wednesday, August 26, Yosemite Valley experienced its second major rockfall of the year when a section of cliff on the Royal Arches broke away in the early afternoon and peppered the valley floor in a series of what the Park Service called "moderately small rockfalls."

The slide closed the Ahwahnee Hotel, a famed historic Yosemite lodge, when rocks tumbled into the hotel parking lot about 100 feet from the cliff base and covered the area with a thick layer of granite dust. No one was injured, but three vehicles in the parking lot sustained damage. The hotel, full with 300 guests although only 60 to 70 were inside at the time, was evacuated and closed until Friday. The Ahwahnee is a National Historic Landmark building.

The surrounding area was closed while the park geologist analayzed the rockfall to determine if the area continues to be unsafe. Park spokeswoman Kari Cobb told reporters, "We realize now that the first one may not be the only one. We want to err on the side of safety."

Glacier-carved Yosemite Valley, reaching depths of 3,000 feet, is an active rockfall zone. The Park Service estimates that while at least 600 rockfalls have occurred over the last 150 years, it appears that more rockfalls are happening now. Since 1857, rockfall has killed 14 people and injured 62, which is more than any other National Park site. Last year a rockfall from Glacier Point destroyed cabins at Curry Village. This year, a major rock fall occurred on March 28 when cliffs broke loose from Ahwiyah Point by Half Dome and tumbled 1,800 feet to the valley floor, snapping hundreds of trees and burying part of the Mirror Lake Loop Trail under dust and debris.

The south-facing Royal Arches, towering 1,600 feet above the valley floor, is a beautiful cliff sector with huge sweeping arches. Royal Arches Route, an excellent and popular classic climb, threads up the cliff for 16 pitches at a reasonable grade (5.7 A0 or 5.9+). It's probably not a good idea to plan on climbing it in the immediate future.

Photograph above: Dust from the Royal Arches rockfall lingers above Yosemite Valley. Photograph courtesy Erik Skindrud/National Park Service Photo