Watch CBS News

Historic Yosemite hotel to close in December for comprehensive condition assessment

CBS News Live
CBS News Sacramento Live

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK – The historic Wawona Hotel inside Yosemite National Park has been slated for an extended closure.

National Park Service officials announced Wednesday that the hotel will close starting Dec. 2, 2024.

A recent roof replacement project revealed that a more comprehensive condition assessment of the hotel complex needed to be done, NPS says.

It won't be the first time the historic hotel, which was originally established in 1856, will see an extended closure in recent years. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials took advantage of the drop in visitors to close the hotel for a season to do electrical repairs.

The hotel eventually reopened in 2021 after that electrical work was completed.

Wildfires nearby have also prompted closures of the Wawona Hotel, like the Washburn Fire in 2022

National Parks officials did not go into detail about what prompted the decision to do a more intensive assessment of the Wawona Hotel.

Located at the southern end of the park, the Wawona Hotel is one of Yosemite's seasonally open lodging options. 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.