Yosemite blueprint outlines future of iconic park

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2013 file photo, the Merced river winds through Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, Calif. The National Park Service released a final plan on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014 for Yosemite National Park that's aimed at protecting the Merced River while ensuring visitor access.(AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian, File) less FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2013 file photo, the Merced river winds through Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, Calif. The National Park Service released a final plan on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014 for Yosemite ... more Photo: Gary Kazanjian, Associated Press Photo: Gary Kazanjian, Associated Press Image 1 of / 22 Caption Close Yosemite blueprint outlines future of iconic park 1 / 22 Back to Gallery

Mass indignation over a scheme to rid Yosemite Valley of swimming pools, an ice-skating rink, and bicycle and horse rentals forced the reinstatement of those activities in a blueprint released Friday by the National Park Service, outlining the future of the tourist playground.

The goal of the project, hashed out after more than a decade of courtroom brawling, is to restore native habitat along the Merced River and re-emphasize nature in the often overcrowded, car-choked valley.

The final version of the Merced Wild and Scenic River Plan would remove riverside development over the next 15 years, restore 189 acres of meadow and riparian habitat and eliminate roadway bottlenecks. It would keep historic stone bridges and build a pedestrian tunnel and roundabout to ease congestion.

It would also add 174 drive-in, walk-in and recreational-vehicle sites to the 466 camping spots that now exist in the valley. Those include 40 campsites in El Portal, which would be next to a new, 300-car parking lot serviced by a free shuttle that would bring people into the park. The total price is estimated at $210 million.

The biggest concern among the more than 30,000 people who commented on the draft version of the plan were proposals to eliminate recreational opportunities - and on those, planners backtracked.

"We spent a good solid five years developing this plan using the best available science and the very passionate input of the public," said Kathleen Morse, Yosemite's chief of planning. "The preferred alternative was modified to accommodate many of the changes requested during the public review."

Unless a lawsuit blocks the project, work will begin in March.

Saved from oblivion in the final version are the swimming pools at Yosemite Lodge, the Ahwahnee Hotel and Curry Village. Bicycle and raft rental shops also survive, though they'll be moved 100 feet outside the Merced River corridor.

The Curry Village ice-skating rink will be moved to the settlement's parking lot, where it was originally located in the 1920s.

Experienced rafters and kayakers will now be able to float 8 miles down the Merced, including a challenging stretch of rapids, instead of the 2.4 miles of calm water they were stuck with in the past. Commercial horseback-riding operations will be consolidated in Wawona.

The Merced River, which wends 81 miles through the park, was designated a national wild and scenic river in 1987. The process that led to the Merced River plan began in 1997 when a flood ripped up roads, washed out bridges, knocked down trees and swamped campgrounds.

Park officials were compelled by the national Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to draw up a plan to protect the river ecosystem. The first plan was completed in 2000, but environmental groups sued on grounds that officials were trying to commercialize the park.

The plan was tied up in the legal system until 2009, when the Park Service, smarting from a federal court ruling stating that development next to the river was inappropriate, agreed to start over.

"Yosemite is a world treasure," Morse said. "The Yosemite plan sets a powerful vision for protecting the valley for the inspiration and enjoyment of generations to come."