‘Parks are wild by nature’: Yosemite visitors undeterred by raging forest fires

Picnics, treks, camping and swimming continue despite hazardous air quality and ash in national park

Yosemite national park's dramatic vistas were shrouded by a thick grey haze on Monday afternoon, as smoke from the fiercely burning Oak fire hung over its granite peaks. Along the road winding toward the valley, skeletal trees told the story of the Washburn fire that tore through just weeks earlier.

The blazes - the two largest to ignite in California so far this year - have besieged Yosemite during one of its busiest months, causing entrance closures, cancellations, and cloaking the landmark in hazardous air.