Some California Parks Still Snowed Under

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK — Heading to the Sierra Nevada for Memorial Day? Forget your shorts, T-shirts and hiking boots, and pack the heavy jackets, snowshoes and cross-country skis.

Although the El Nino-powered storms have apparently passed, wintry temperatures are keeping much of the snowpack heavy in the high country.

At least two major national parks in California--Sequoia and Lassen Volcanic--will not have as many campgrounds available this weekend, the unofficial start of the summer camping season.

In the foothills, it’s spring. Flowers are blooming, fresh leaves are popping out of tree branches, birds are chirping and tourists are wearing sunglasses and hiking boots.

But a half-hour drive into the Sierra, the scenery changes dramatically. At 4,500 feet, snow covers the ground and hangs from trees and buildings like cake frosting.

“We hiked up about 200 yards and we were just lying down, watching the snow come down,” said Jeff Pierce, 44, of Palos Verdes. “I was suspecting some snow on the ground, but this is unbelievable. In May! It’s ridiculous!”

Pierce had brought his childhood friend from New York to see the “Largest Living Thing on Earth,” the 270-foot General Sherman Tree at Sequoia National Park.

“I was sitting in a boat in Marina Del Rey in the sun, and a few hours later, I see this,” said his friend, Brian Hart. “Here I am, from the Northeast, coming to California to see snow.”

Rob van den Dobbelsteen and his wife, Truus, visitors from Holland, showed up in the snow in khaki shorts.

“I didn’t expect this at all. We were at Death Valley and it was raining there. This is unbelievable. We like it very much,” the travel writer said. “We’re from Europe and we’re used to snow, but we didn’t expect to see this here, in May.”

Snow has collapsed the roofs of some vacant buildings and caused structural damage at Sequoia. No injuries have been reported.

“You don’t often get to experience snow on the Memorial Day weekend,” park Superintendent Mike Tollefson said. “I’d like to think of it as one last time to throw snowballs.”

Farther north, in the northern end of the Sierra Nevada, the snowfall has been dramatic.

“All our campgrounds are snowed under,” said Marilyn Parris, superintendent at Lassen Volcanic National Park. “Over 750 inches of snow from January and it’s still snowing. The park is always open, but our facilities are snowed under right now.”

It’s not clear when campgrounds will be open for the summer season, but people will be able to cross-country ski into August, she said.

About 300 miles south of Lassen is Yosemite, the crown jewel of the national park system. Because of snow, the Tioga Pass Road, the California-Nevada link that usually opens by the end of May, won’t reopen until mid- to late June.

“We’re still seeing the last legs of El Nino,” Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman said. “It’s not something that happens every year, but snow and rain in May is not that shocking.”

What has been surprising is the temperature.

“Our high last year in May was 82 degrees in Yosemite Valley. This year, the highs have been in the upper 40s,” he said. “We’ll see people coming in shorts and T-shirts, but when people call, we tell them to wear layers of clothing.”