Yosemite Floods – Photo of Swollen Rivers & Creeks


When the weather finally starts to warm during the spring months, the valley swells with snowmelt. During the particular year I took these photos, it was after an extremely wet and snowy winter. Here are some images of Yosemite floods, though I do intend to add more when I can.

Submerged Meadow walkway - Yosemite floods
Meadow flooded over

This flooded walkway passes over Cook’s meadow I believe. It was late April when I took this picture. the water level was so high that people could no longer pass by here.

Flooded Merced River Overflowing onto Hiking Trail
Overflowing Merced River

Later I took my bike along the Merced River, near the Cathedral Beach Area. As you can see in these pics, the trail was completely flooded over. I did manage to ride through some of the more shallow parts, but at a certain point I couldn’t continue any further.

Submerged Rock Wall at Merced River's Edge
Submerged Rock Wall at River’s Edge

When I returned to the truck, I blasted the heater on my wet shoes. I usually do this on the long drive up to Glacier Point Road if my feet get wet during a shoot.


Bacteria in the Water? – Yosemite Floods


However, after riding through the flooded river section of trail, my shoes had a horrible smell. It persisted for months! I washed them in the machine many times, and even left them out to be sterilized by the sun. They finally seem to somehow be getting better now.

Let this be a lesson to you if you ever consider drudging through floodwaters in Yosemite! Haha. There must have been some funky bacteria in there or something. I’ve never experienced anything like it.

This may not compare to the historic flooding of early 1997 (which I was also here for), but it’s still quite substantial. More than I have seen for quite a few years.

Looking for lodging? Check out my Yosemite Hotels page.

Show the Sierra some love – Share this page:

About My Photos

The images on this website are available for licensing and/or sale as framed prints. If you’d like to purchase them for a blog, news article, or gift, feel free to contact me with the specifics. This way you’re supporting photographers such as me directly (as opposed to buying from a faceless stock photo corporation).

Pinterest users: By all means, feel free to pin!

– Nathan Allen

About Me

Photographer Nathan Allen

I’m Nathan Allen, photographer / creator of YosemiteParkPhotos.com (Yosemite Photos) and international travel site I Dreamed Of This. In truth, I lived in San Francisco, New York, & Singapore…but nothing compares to life in the mountains. I share my experiences HERE.