Image credit: Alexander Migl via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). License: CC BY-SA 4.0.
California Highway 140 is closed through the Merced River canyon after the Colorado Fire started Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at Highway 140 and Colorado Road west of Yosemite National Park. CAL FIRE last updated the incident at 9:20 p.m. Tuesday with the fire holding at 250 acres, 45 structures threatened, and 126 personnel assigned. There is no posted time for the highway to reopen.
Yosemite itself is still open. The park’s current conditions page says Highway 140 is closed between El Portal and Midpines because of a fire, while the same road remains open between El Portal and Yosemite Valley. Drive in from Merced or Mariposa on Highway 41 from Fresno or Highway 120 from Big Oak Flat instead. Deep Arrival’s Yosemite RV parks and campgrounds guide still maps Briceburg canyon sites, but those sites sit inside the closed stretch tonight.
- What closed: Highway 140 from the Briceburg area to the Yosemite Bug Hostel, with no reopen estimate.
- Park status: Yosemite remains open. Highway 140 is open between El Portal and the Valley; Highways 41 and 120 are open.
- Fire: Colorado Fire, 250 acres as of 9:20 p.m. September 1, holding overnight. Cause listed as under investigation.
- Orders: Evacuation orders for Mariposa zones 546, 548, and 549. Warning added for zone 551. Shelter at 5089 Cole Road, Mariposa.
- Traveler step: Do not wait on Highway 140. Reroute on 41 or 120, and call 209-372-0200 for park road status.
Where Highway 140 is actually closed
CAL FIRE’s road-closure line is Highway 140 from Briceburg to the Bug Hostel. That is the steep canyon grade between Midpines and El Portal, not the entire highway from Merced to the park.
NBC Bay Area independently reported the same Briceburg to Bug Hostel closure, 250 acres, and 45 threatened structures, and said Yosemite remains open and is not currently threatened.
Yosemite News, compiling Caltrans-style highway status as of 4:03 a.m. Wednesday, September 2, listed State Route 140 closed from 8.7 miles east of Highway 49 to 4.5 miles west of Incline because of a brush fire. The board told motorists to use an alternate route and did not give a reopen time. That milepost window is the Midpines to El Portal canyon.
The National Park Service is more precise for people already inside the park. El Portal Road, the park continuation of Highway 140, is listed as open. You can still drive between El Portal and Yosemite Valley on 140. You cannot use 140 to leave west toward Mariposa or to arrive from that side.
Evacuation orders, Briceburg campgrounds, and the shelter
CAL FIRE lists lawful evacuation orders for Mariposa zones 546, 548, and 549. An order means leave now. The area is closed to public access. The incident timeline added a warning for zone 550 at 5:33 p.m. Tuesday and lifted it at 5:50 p.m., then added a warning for zone 551 at 6:56 p.m. Use 546, 548, and 549 as the current orders and treat 551 as a live warning.
A 3:01 p.m. CAL FIRE update said multiple orders and warnings had been issued for the Briceburg area. Briceburg is the river crossing and campground cluster on Highway 140. If you hold a site there, do not try to occupy it while the order is in force.
The listed shelter is New Life Christian Church, also named as New Life Calvary Chapel, at 5089 Cole Road in Mariposa. Small animals are accepted there. For large animals, CAL FIRE says to call 209-966-3615. The Mariposa County Call Center is 844-668-3473.
Local paper My Mother Lode published a sheriff list naming Rancheria Creek Road, Briceburg including all campgrounds, and the Octagon area under a mandatory order. Use that as local place-name context. The numbered CAL FIRE zones remain the legal map.
Yosemite stays open on Highways 41 and 120
Do not cancel a Yosemite Valley day because Highway 140 is down. Wawona Road, the continuation of Highway 41 from Fresno, is open. Big Oak Flat Road, the continuation of Highway 120 from Manteca, is open. Yosemite Valley roads, Tioga Road, and Glacier Point Road are open. Hetch Hetchy Road is open sunrise to sunset.
Highway 140 is the all-year western approach from Merced, and it is the one now blocked. Highway 41 from Fresno and Highway 120 from the north and west still reach the Valley. If your trip continues from Yosemite toward Kings Canyon, Deep Arrival’s Yosemite to Kings Canyon pairing guide already assumes the Fresno-side Highway 41 and 180 connection, which is the better geometry while 140 is dark.
Call 209-372-0200, press 1 then 1, for the park’s live road recording. The written conditions page still carries an August 19, 2026, footer, but the live road-status block is the fire closure. Yosemite is not using a timed entrance reservation in 2026, so Deep Arrival’s note on the reservation-free summer still holds for the gate.
What started the fire, and what remains unofficial
CAL FIRE lists the cause as under investigation. Do not treat a crash story as the agency’s finding until the incident page says so. KCRA reported that LiveCopter 3 video showed a bus and cement truck crash on Highway 140, and that CHP logs said the crash reportedly sparked the fire. My Mother Lode, citing CHP, described a tour bus versus cement truck crash just east of Midpines.
Those are independent crash reports, not a CAL FIRE origin report. The fire is real, the closure is real, and the cause box on the incident page still reads “Under Investigation.”
CAL FIRE has not posted a containment percentage. NBC Bay Area, citing CAL FIRE, reported zero percent containment. The incident log said the fire was holding at 250 acres, spreading at a slow to moderate rate, and backing toward the river canyon, with rising humidity helping slow it. Crews were trying to keep it north of Colorado Road, east of Telegraph Road, west of Buffalo Road, and south of the Merced River. No destroyed structures were listed.
What travelers should do now
If you are still west of Midpines and bound for Yosemite, turn around and use Highway 41 or Highway 120. Do not sit in a canyon queue hoping Caltrans will drop the closure before dinner. There is no estimate.
If you are already in Yosemite Valley or El Portal, stay on the open park roads. You can move between El Portal and the Valley on Highway 140. You cannot exit west through Midpines. Leave on 41 or 120 when you go.
If you hold lodging at Yosemite Cedar Lodge, the Bug Hostel, or another 140-corridor property between Midpines and El Portal, call the property before you drive. A paid reservation is not a pass through a fire closure. If you hold a Briceburg campground, treat it as closed until the order lifts.
| If you are | What to do |
|---|---|
| Driving from Merced or Mariposa to Yosemite today | Abandon Highway 140. Use Highway 41 from Fresno or Highway 120 from Big Oak Flat. |
| Already in Yosemite Valley or El Portal | Keep your plans. 140 is open El Portal to the Valley. Leave on 41 or 120, not west through Midpines. |
| Booked at Briceburg, the Bug Hostel, or Cedar Lodge | Call the property. Do not drive the closed canyon to check in. |
| Heading to Glacier Point, Tioga, or Wawona | Those park roads are listed open. Enter on 41 or 120 and recheck 209-372-0200. |
| In an evacuation order zone or need a bed tonight | Go to 5089 Cole Road, Mariposa. Call 844-668-3473 for county help. |
- Highway 140 mileposts: A reopen will show on CAL FIRE’s incident page, Yosemite News, or Caltrans QuickMap as a dropped restriction, not as a rumor.
- El Portal Road: Recheck Yosemite current conditions or 209-372-0200 if you are already in the park and need to leave west.
- Evacuation map: Orders for 546, 548, and 549, plus the 551 warning, can change faster than the summary list.
- Cause box: CAL FIRE still lists the cause as under investigation. Treat crash reports as independent until that box changes.
The Colorado Fire is a canyon highway problem, not a park shutdown. Rebuild the drive around 41 or 120, keep the Yosemite day you already have, and wait for CAL FIRE and Caltrans to put Highway 140 back in service before you point a car at Briceburg again.
Is Highway 140 to Yosemite open?
No. CAL FIRE lists Highway 140 closed from Briceburg to the Bug Hostel, and Yosemite says the highway is closed between El Portal and Midpines. There is no reopen estimate.
Is Yosemite National Park closed because of the Colorado Fire?
No. The park remains open. Highway 140 is open between El Portal and Yosemite Valley, and Highways 41 and 120 are open.
Which alternate route should I use?
Use Highway 41 from the Fresno and Wawona side or Highway 120 from the Big Oak Flat side. Do not wait on Highway 140 for a same-day reopen.
Which evacuation zones are in effect?
CAL FIRE lists orders for Mariposa zones 546, 548, and 549. A warning for zone 551 was added Tuesday evening. Zone 550 was added as a warning and lifted the same afternoon.
Where is the shelter, and who do I call?
New Life Christian Church at 5089 Cole Road in Mariposa accepts people and small animals. Large animals: 209-966-3615. Mariposa County Call Center: 844-668-3473. Yosemite roads: 209-372-0200.
