Will reservations return to Yosemite? How officials are dealing with summer crowds

Yosemite National Park belongs to the American people.

As such, people need to be able to see it, says park spokesperson Scott Gediman.

“There’s nothing like coming to Yosemite,” he says.

But accessing that experience — the beautiful vistas and trails and, this year, the waterfalls — can be difficult, especially during peak season, when hundreds of thousands of visitors converge on the national park in central California.

During the recent Fourth of July weekend, visitors were met with snarled traffic and parking lots filled to capacity. Pictures posted by the National Park Service show cars lined up bumper-to-bumper. A road sign reads “expect long delays.”

For the prior three years, Yosemite kept daily capacity in check with reservation requirements. Those requirements were put in place in 2020 to deal with the pandemic and then extended last year when several park attractions were closed for repairs.

The park service suspended the requirements for 2023, and Gediman says there are no plan to reinstate them, even during peak hours.

Instead, the park service is using the summer season — congestion and all — to launch a Visitor Access Management Plan. The plan will “identify strategies that will help improve visitor access and experiences while fulfilling the park’s mission to preserve and protect its natural and cultural resources,” according to the National Park Service website.

It will include input from the public. A public comment period is happening now through Sept. 6. The finalized plan is expected for late 2024 or early 2025, Gediman says.

Yosemite isn’t alone in dealing with crowds. Zion National Park in southwestern Utah saw record attendance in 2021 and has since starting issuing permits for Angels Landing, one of its most popular trails. Acadia National Park in Maine implemented a vehicle reservation system to deal with gridlock, visitor conflicts, crowding, safety issues, resource damage and delays in emergency response.

Yosemite has been dealing with overcrowding since at least 1980, Gediman says. That’s when the park hit 2 million visitors for the year. That number doubled to 4 million in 1996. At its peak in 2016, the park saw some 5 million people visit.

It’s hard to compare this year’s attendance historically, Gediman says, because Yosemite hasn’t seen a “normal” year since 2019, but “the park is still very very busy.”

Yosmite travel tip: Text “YNT traffic” to 333111

The park is being proactive.

It’s been working to make sure real-time traffic and other information is posted to its social media accounts and has instituted a text alert system. Visitors can text “YNT traffic” to 333111 and will be alerted with information such as when parking lots have filled up.

There are also a number of park projects coming online to help with congestion in the short term, Gediman says. For instance, a traffic circulation project is being implemented to improve the flow of cars throughout the park; and 100 parking spaces are being added at the Welcome Center.

Yosemite also has had restricted access this year due to the abundant snowpack from the winter closing some roads.

But Glacier Point Road opened this week, providing access to Bridalveil Creek Campground, Glacier Point and Badger Pass Ski Area, among other spots.

Tioga Road has been closed for the year, restricting access to the northern and eastern sections of the park. But the park service says that road will open Saturday, though facilities will be without water, store/food and fuel service.

Opening those two roads “will make a big difference,” Gediman says.

Do’s and don’ts when visiting Yosemite

There are also things visitors can do to improve their visits.

Don’t drive. Gediman suggested using public transportation or commerical tour services to get into the park when possible. The Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (or YARTS) has shuttles running daily on all major highways into the park and entry into Yosemite is included in the shuttle ticket price. Many hotels around the national park also offer shuttle service, he says.

Once you’re in the park, ditch the car and walk or bike. Bicycle rentals are available.

Avoid peak days. That means visiting during the week, if possible, instead of the weekend.

Be an early bird. The park tends to fill up as the day progress. Get to the park early before 10 a.m. to avoid lines at the gate.

And don’t get upset by the inconvenience of the crowds. Or, as Gediman likes to say, “pack your patience.”