Reservations won't be needed to enter Yosemite National Park at "peak hours" in 2023, though the park staff continues to search for a way to reduce congestion in the park.
The reservations were put in place back in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic and in 2022 due to construction projects.
"Yosemite has been grappling with congestion—even gridlock—for decades. We want to build from the lessons learned from the last three summers of managed access," the park said Tuesday in a series of Twitter messages. "Look for an announcement in December, when we'll start seeking your help to design an approach that provides a great visitor experience while protecting Yosemite's natural and cultural resources."
Officials at the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau hailed the news.
“This decision will help our visitors, especially those from other states & countries who tend to plan their once-in-a-lifetime vacations to Yosemite about a year in advance,” said Jonathan Farrington, the organization's CEO and executive director. “For our friends who live closer to the region, this allows them to be more spontaneous with their plans to visit.”
The suspension of the reservation system in 2023 will allow NPS to conduct a full environmental assessment on managing visitation in the coming year that will include public input. YMCTB and the Mariposa County Lodging Association members look forward to participating and engaging with the National Park Service and providing business-based data and experience in those conversations, the groups said in a release.
The suspension of the reservation system is expected to help the recovery of Mariposa County’s lodging businesses, which have struggled with occupancy during peak season over the past three years, the release added. Local economic growth has been slowed by sluggish worldwide economies, with poor international exchange rates for the Euro and Pound vs. the strong U.S. Dollar, inflation, and rising travel costs. Mariposa County relies on strong domestic and international visitation during the peak summer months to support its businesses and workforce.
YMCTB does recommend that visitors make a detailed travel plan for visiting, no matter how long or short their vacation will be. The organization offers some helpful tips for visitation:
- Arrive early to avoid queues at Yosemite’s entrance gates.
- Use public transportation or commercial tours, such as YARTS and the Yosemite Valley Shuttle System or several of the regions tour companies.
- Consider spending full days exploring regions in and out of the park instead of trying to see the nearly 1,200 square mile park in a single day.
- Avoid peak traffic times between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at park gates on holiday weekendsVisit during fall, winter and spring for a more serene experience in Yosemite.
“Yosemite Mariposa County is a four-season destination, and each season is spectacular and worth experiencing,” Farrington said. “If you’ve visited in summer, you’ll love the beauty and cooler temperatures of fall, tranquility of winter and the waterfalls and wildflowers of spring.”
Stories about:
Story Categories:
A copy of National Parks Traveler's financial statements may be obtained by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: National Parks Traveler, P.O. Box 980452, Park City, Utah 84098. National Parks Traveler was formed in the state of Utah for the purpose of informing and educating about national parks and protected areas.
Residents of the following states may obtain a copy of our financial and additional information as stated below:
- Florida: A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR NATIONAL PARKS TRAVELER, (REGISTRATION NO. CH 51659), MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING 800-435-7352 OR VISITING THEIR WEBSITE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
- Georgia: A full and fair description of the programs and financial statement summary of National Parks Traveler is available upon request at the office and phone number indicated above.
- Maryland: Documents and information submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies, from the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401 (410-974-5534).
- North Carolina: Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 888-830-4989 or 919-807-2214. The license is not an endorsement by the State.
- Pennsylvania: The official registration and financial information of National Parks Traveler may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling 800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
- Virginia: Financial statements are available from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 102 Governor Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219.
- Washington: National Parks Traveler is registered with Washington State’s Charities Program as required by law and additional information is available by calling 800-332-4483 or visiting www.sos.wa.gov/charities, or on file at Charities Division, Office of the Secretary of State, State of Washington, Olympia, WA 98504.
INN Member
The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.
Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.
Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.
You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.
Comments
Amen.
So the reserveration system was thrown out for commercial interests? What a waste. It seemed like an effective way to manage visitation.
Nearly every national park requires "commerical interests" to survive. Think about it.
In any case, the YNP reservation system itself was a "commercial" enterprise!
$2 rez "fee" x 10000 per day x 100 days of summer (in 2021) = $2,000,000 in rez fees. Not bad for a "free" YNP entrance rez!
Beyond time. If "managing visatation" means a financial litmus test must be passed than such a system goes against the NPS function. The parks are here to preserve and protect OUR land so that we the people may visit and live among our public lands.
I would personally like to see increased costs for non Americans be implemented. And the ONLY reason for this is the we the people pay to maintain and preerve our federal lands. Yes- tourists pay as well. But they are paying for the services the American people provide and work very hard to maintain.
I always find it interesting that whenever there is a post here relating to the number of visitors at a particular park there is always a comment from someone about how non-Americans should pay higher fees. Just how high would a fee on non-Americans need to be to noticeably reduce visitation though? These are people who can comfortably afford airline tickets, lodging, transportation, food, etc., etc. to spend more than a few days here in the US. How high then would fees for these people need to be at Yosemite to have any impact on visitation?
I also take it too that the peopole here making these comments about charging non-Americans more don't do much international travel themselves. Once we start charging higher fees for non-Americans to enjoy our parks I would not be suprised when some other countries start charging our tourists more to visit their parks.
Most countries do have different rates for non citizens. I question if you have ever been out of country if you think you pay the same rate as others in foreign lands. In fact I would guess one major surprise for people when they come to the US is that they pay the same price as locals for everything. Thats not the case in most countries. Even for a pepsi.
And having worked in state parks and talked with a far amount of foreign tourists who were camping, I can tell you many Europeans import their RV's as the cost to rent one in the US is too high for them. So that alone proves higher costs will reduce some forgin visitation. And having worked in two major national parks I can tell you it is sometimes shocking how many non Americans are in our parks compared to US citizens. Its not a bad thing- but why should they pay the same rate when they are not paying US taxes to support the NPS system? Higher rates for non citizens seem downright fair.
Chris - should we charge more for the 50% of Americans that don't pay federal taxes?
Importing an RV by no means proves that higher costs will reduce some foreign visitors. To state otherwise is completely absurd and I find it ridiculous that you think it proves your point. All it shows is that these individuals compareed price A to price B and chose the option that saved them money.
And where did I say anything about other countries not already charging non-citizens different prices? What I said was other countries might decide to increase what they currently charge. What they currently charge Americans obviously could be more than what their citizens presently pay. Please pay more attention to what you are reading.
well perhaps on their way to point B it will be some place other than a national park. Since the cost of an RV alters their plans it seems logical increased costs for the NPS imposed on forign tourists would also alter visitation patterns.
And other coutries already charge us more- what is there to lose? Perhaps you did not understand this
Should Booz Allen be paying corporate taxes when they are defined as a person by the supreme court? They do run recreation.gov and all.
Also- perhaps read up on what was proposed last year. My thoughts are pretty well in line with current NPS thinking and what is the worldwide norm.
https://www.eenews.net/articles/foreign-visitors-could-face-higher-entry...
Well chris, in my opinion corporations shouldn't pay taxes and in reality don't pay taxes. Nevertheless Booz Allen collected $267 million of its clients money and handed it over to the government in its Fiscal 2022 year. The point of my post was that whether someone pays taxes or not is not a valid criteria for deciding what to charge to enter a National Park. A far better approach is to eliminate the bus load discounts and bulk reservation purchases. Those buses packed with passangers are getting people in for under $10 per person.
I apologize for my terse writing. Its not my intent to be combative. I just like public lands and tend to have strong views.
Cheers to all
Chris - Sigh. I'll try this again since you just aren't understanding. My original comment was much like you did here, whenever there is a post about dealing with overcrowding in our parks someone always brings up charging foreign visitors more for admission. My point is that unless we are going to start charging foreigners some absurd amount for admission this is not a solution to overcrowding. Do you really think that multiplying the weekly RV admission fee at Yosemite by 10, for instance ($35 to $350), is going to meaningfully reduce visitation numbers - especially since according to you these same foreigners are paying to put their personal RV on a boat and paying to ship that to the US? So unless your solution is to charge foreigners some absurd amount this idea absolutely will not have a major impact on NPS visitation numbers.
Steve- Yes. It will reduce foriegn visation. Also- the reason Euro's import their RVs into the US is not because they have endless funds- its because its actually cheaper to do that than it is to rent an RV in America for an extended time.
Perhaps the disconnect here is you misunderstood what I had wrote about european travelers. Its not uncommon to see these Euro vans in the US. Ask them sometime why