A towering plume of smoke from the High Cascades Complex of fires was visible just west of Crater Lake National Park on Tuesday/NPS

Wildfires billowing thick, choking clouds of smoke, threatening historic structures, and impacting visitor access were burning in Crater Lake, Glacier, and Yosemite national parks on Wednesday, while a blaze just east of Mount Rainier National Park had prompted closure of part of that park.

The North Entrance to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon was closed Tuesday evening to give firefighters more freedom in battling the Spruce Lake Fire, which was sparked by lightning on August 13 and now was being managed as a component of the High Cascades Complex of 20 fires that covered more than 42,000 acres spread across the national park, the Rogue River/Siskiyou National Forest on the High Cascades Ranger District, the Umpqua National Forest, Tiller Ranger District, and the Fremont/Winema National Forest in the Sky Lakes Wilderness.

Additionally, the Pacific Crest Trail was also temporarily closed from Crater Lake's North Entrance Road to the park north boundary, and the Rim Trail was closed for the second time this summer. West Rim Drive continues to be closed from 9 p.m. Sunday evenings through 4 p.m. Friday afternoons.

In Montana, fire crews were working to keep the Sprague Fire, ignited by a lightning strike on August 10, from reaching the historic Lake McDonald Lodge. There was little change overnight in the size of the 13,300-acre fire that last week claimed the Sperry Chalet in the high country above the lake. While helicopters were dipping buckets into Lake McDonald for water to dump on the fire, crews at the lodge and its surrounding buildings had set up sprinklers, run fire hoses, and had a 7,000-gallon tanker on hand to protect the facilities.

The South Fork and Empire fires were the biggest blazes in Yosemite National Park on Wednesday/NPS

In Yosemite National Park in California, the 7,580-acre South Fork Fire continued to burn near Wawona in the park's southwestern corner, though nearly half of the perimeter had been contained by firefighters and most of the activity was on the eastern flanks, away from the community. Areas of the park closed to the public because of the fire included:

•The Swinging Bridge Trail on both the north and south sides of the South Fork of the Merced River.
•The Chilnualna Falls Trail from Wawona Trailhead to the top of Chilnualna Falls.
•The two mile connecting trail heading north from the top of Chilnualna Falls to the intersection of the Buena Vista Trail.
•The Chilnualna Creek Trail from the top of Chilnualna Falls east to the intersection of the Buena Vista and Buck Camp trails (Just east of Johnson Lake).
•Turner Meadow Trail
•Turner Meadow intersection east to Buena Vista trail
•Off-trail areas in the vicinity of the South Fork Fire Area, including the swimming holes north of Chilnualna Creek.
• All climbing routes on and around Wawona Dome are closed.

Thunderstorms were forecast for the area Wednesday afternoon, and could produce gusting, erractic winds that could be problematic for firefighters.

Meanwhile, there was no access to Yosemite via Hwy 41 from Fish Camp, Oakhurst, or Fresno, due to the 11,528-acre Railroad Fire burning outside the park in the Sierra National Forest.

Elsewhere in Yosemite, the Empire Fire located about a mile from the Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area (formerly Badger Pass Ski Area), was 55 percent contained and covered a bit less than 5,000 acres. Crews have been working to protect Bridalveil Campground, Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area, Yosemite West subdivision, Wawona Road (Highway 41), and Glacier Point Road. 

At Mount Rainier, officials had closed the White River and Sunrise areas of the park to visitors because of the Norse Peak Fire burning just to the east of the park. The park's White River Entrance was closed, and SR 410 east of Cayuse Pass also was closed. Campers at the White River Campground were advised to leave.

Across the West, 81 large fires have burned 1.4 million acres in nine states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. More than 27,000 firefighters and support personnel were fighting the blazes, it added.