Spring is here, and with it comes one of the most deceptive hazards in Yosemite National Park. As rising temperatures break down the snowpack at elevation, icy meltwater comes rushing down thousands of feet through waterfalls and into the rivers and creeks winding through the valley floor. The Merced River is surging, the falls are roaring, and every year,people end up in the water who never meant to.
Yosemite’s Search and Rescue team, known as YOSAR, runs 15 to 20 water-based rescues annually, and these incidents usually start the same way. Someone gets close to the edge to snap a photo, someone hops onto a boulder near the base of a fall, or someone wades in to cool off after a long hike in the heat.
Right now every moving body of water in the park is running high, fast, and cold. The boulders lining the banks of rivers and at the base of waterfalls are coated in slick algae and spray and they are treacherous even when they look dry. Currents beneath surfaces that appear calm are surging with force. Water temperatures are hovering around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and immersion at that temperature can trigger cold shock almost instantly, seizing muscles and eliminating any chance of self-rescue.
The mist at the base of Lower Yosemite Fall feels incredible after miles on the trail. The Merced River looks inviting on a warm afternoon. That temptation is understandable, but the danger is just as real and it does not announce itself before it takes hold.
YOSAR is asking visitors to stay well back from the edges of all rivers, creeks, and waterfalls while water levels remain elevated over the coming months. Give the water the respect it demands, keep your group away from the banks, and leave the rocks alone no matter how stable they look.
Read more on water safety in Yosemite National Park here.
