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Yosemite National Park Holding Second Public Comment Period On How To Improve Access

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By Compiled From N... - July 7th, 2023

A second comment period is underway to seek suggestions on how to relieve congestion in Yosemite National Park and improve the visitor experience/NPS file

After receiving nearly 7,000 comments during the first public comment period on ways to improve access and the visitor experience at Yosemite National Park in California, the National Park Service is staging another comment period to gather more input.

Yosemite has piloted reservation systems for the last three summers. In 2020 and 2021, the park piloted a reservation system due to the pandemic. Last year the park implemented a “peak hours” reservation system due to extensive construction that was going on throughout the park. There is currently no entry reservation system in place, allowing the project team to observe what issues persist after the implementation of parking lot and roadway configuration changes made last year.

While the park in recent years hasn't come close to seeing 5 million visitors, as it did in 2016 during the National Park Service Centennial, it remains one of the country's more popular parks. Last year more than 3.6 million visitors came to Yosemite. But most come to the Yosemite Valley, which can be greatly congested during much of the year. 

Against that backdrop, the park has been studying ways to relieve that congestion and heighten the visitor experience during the peak season. The park is seeking input on several key concepts to address improving visitors’ access to and experience of the park’s most significant resources and features while ensuring that those resources are protected.

Comments received during the first period helped inform the development of management concepts and refine issue statements. Comments gathered during the current period will help the park refine preliminary ideas, strategies, and concepts and will inform the development of future management alternatives.

The initial comment period ran from December 2022 through February 3, 2023. This second round, which opened Thursday, runs through September 6.

"The plan will address the intense congestion visitors are experiencing this summer and will serve as a guide to protecting Yosemite's resources and ensuring a high quality visitor experience," said Yosemite Superintendent Cicely Muldoon. "This is the opportunity to help shape Yosemite's future."

You can learn more about the issues, and leave your comments, at this page.

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