Snow, floods and wildlife in peril: grueling winter leaves Yosemite scarred

Yosemite valley was buried under shoulder-high piles of snow this winter, damaging crucial infrastructure and leaving behind the threat of flooding. Photograph: Gabrielle Canon/The Guardian

It’s been a winter few in Yosemite valley will ever forget.

After wildfires left the national park’s dramatic views shrouded in smoke over the summer, winter brought a series of historic storms that left the region inundated with snow. The deluge buried homes, cars and fire hydrants, chewed into stretches of winding mountain roads and downed trees along the park’s slopes.