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In October 2008, Yosemite Valley rock falls occurred in the vicinity of Curry Village that prompted National Park Service (NPS) and independent geologists to conduct studies in the area. The results of those studies recommended the permanent closure of 234 visitor accommodations, and the NPS has formally closed those units from guest use.

Subsequent to the closure, we have been working with the NPS to replace approximately one-half of the units lost in another area adjacent to Curry Village; that plan is not final. As of today, there simply are not enough units to accommodate all of the guests that made reservations within Curry Village.

At this point, we regret to notify you this loss in overnight accommodations will probably affect your upcoming visit to Yosemite. It is imperative that you contact us and be prepared to discuss the following options:

* Downgrade your accommodation to a different Curry Village room type.
* Select new dates for your reservation at Curry Village (based on availability).
* Select new dates for your reservation at an alternate Yosemite property (based on availability).
* Cancel this year's reservation and rebook for summer 2010.
* Cancel this year's reservation and fully refund your advance deposit.
* Relocate your reservation to an alternate property outside the Park (based on availability).

Please contact us immediately at (801) 559-4963 or by email yoseres@dncinc.com.

We greatly appreciate your assistance in helping us resolve this unfortunate situation and thank you for your understanding.

At Your Service,
Yosemite Reservations

Rockfall dramatically influenced human activities in Yosemite Valley in 2008. By far the largest and most consequential rockfalls of 2008 occurred on October 7 and 8 from above the Ledge Trail near Glacier Point. Repeat laser mapping revealed the total volume of these rockfalls to be 5738 cubic meters (17,080 tons). Though not particularly large by Yosemite standards (for comparison, the July 10, 1996 Happy Isles rockfall was about 5 times larger, and the March 10, 1987 Middle Brother rockfall was more than 100 times larger), the October 7 and 8 rockfalls were consequential because of their proximity to Curry Village. Occupied cabins were extensively damaged by rockfall debris and three minor injuries resulted. A comprehensive geologic assessment led to the permanent closure of nearly 300 buildings in the Curry Village area. The other area of notable rockfall in 2008 was El Capitan, where a ~35 cubic meter (104 ton) rockfall occurred from low on the southeast face on July 7, and a ~80 cubic meter (238 ton) rockfall occurred from high on the southwest face on November 4. Other areas experiencing rockfalls in 2008 included Yosemite Falls, Middle Cathedral, the Four Mile Trail, Middle Brother, Washington Column, and Basket Dome. In all, there were 37 documented rockfalls in 2008, with an approximate cumulative volume of 6385 cubic meters (19,003 tons).

It is very likely that there were additional rockfalls in 2008, but these events either were not witnessed or went unreported. If you witness a rockfall of any size, please contact park geologist Greg Stock at (209) 379-1420, or at greg_stock@nps.gov. Predicting rockfalls is not yet possible, but understanding the events that do happen is an important step toward this goal.

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