Photos capture Yosemite backcountry landmarks buried by winter 2017

"Look closer and you'll see the Tioga Pass Entrance Station office's chimney," park officials wrote on Facebook. "Look closer and you'll see the Tioga Pass Entrance Station office's chimney," park officials wrote on Facebook. Photo: National Parks Service Photo: National Parks Service Image 1 of / 68 Caption Close Photos capture Yosemite backcountry landmarks buried by winter 2017 1 / 68 Back to Gallery

Wednesday's snow survey confirmed massive snowfall totals in the Sierra this winter, but rangers at Yosemite National Park didn't need any measuring tools to figure that out. They just had to look at tops of Tuolumne Meadows buildings barely peeking out above the powder.

"How much snow is in the Tuolumne Meadows area? Let these buildings tell you," read a post on the park's Facebook account Tuesday.

We've added the photos to the slideshow above, along with photos from previous years to use as a reference. In some locations only the pitch of a roof or partially-submerged chimney is all that is visible.

Between February 1st and February 22nd, rangers measured 128 inches of snow and 13 inches of water in Tuolumne Meadows, according to a National Parks Service blog post.

"To put that in perspective, the historical averages for this site are 63 inches of snow and 4.39 inches of water equivalent for February," park officials wrote.

Wednesday's official state snowpack measurement at Phillips Station, south of Lake Tahoe in El Dorado County, found 179 percent of average accumulation for the date. The reading was another sign that California is on the path to emerging from five years of drought. Snowmelt accounts for about one third of the state's water supply.