YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK–Officials for Yosemite National Park (YNP) recently announced that reservations to enter the park during peak hours will not be required for 2023. Reservations were required in the summers of 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic as earlier reported here.
Summer 2022
Reservations were also required in the summer of 2022 when numerous key visitor attractions were closed for critical infrastructure repairs which we reported here.
During 2022 the park benefitted from multiple major Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) and other infrastructure improvement projects to repair roads, trails, campgrounds, visitor facilities, and utility systems. Peak hours reservations were required through September 30, 2022.
Summer 2023
Reservations will not be required to visit Yosemite National Park during the summer of 2023.
Travel Recommendations for visiting YNP in the summer are:
- Arrive early and stay late, and visit Yosemite during the week instead of on weekends. Congestion and delays are worse on weekends, with Saturdays and holiday weekends being particularly busy.
- Ride a YARTS bus to enter the park.
- If you drive, park your car for the duration of your stay. Driving from site to site increases traffic congestion and can cause frustration for you and your passengers.
- Ride free shuttles to enjoy Yosemite Valley, once parked.
- Bring plenty of food and water for potential delays and stop and use restrooms when they are available.
- Enjoy the entire Yosemite region—consider visiting gateway communities, such as Mariposa, Groveland, Lee Vining, and Oakhurst.
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. 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.
