If you're heading to Yosemite National Park this weekend, expect to see crowds and perhaps catch a glimpse of President Obama and his family.
The president is scheduled to arrive Friday and stay through Sunday. As a result, park officials anticipate an extremely busy weekend, as record visitation continues. The White House announced last week that the President and First Family will celebrate Father’s Day weekend with a family trip to Carlsbad Caverns and Yosemite national parks.
“We are honored to host the President and First Family and we remain committed, as always, to serving every visitor to Yosemite,” said Yosemite Superintendent Don Neubacher. “We want to give all visitors advance notice that heavy traffic congestion, full parking lots and several short-term area closures are anticipated throughout the weekend, particularly in Yosemite Valley.” Yosemite staff will be implementing mitigation measures to ensure that visitor impacts are minimized.
President John F. Kennedy, with California Governor Pat Brown, was the last sitting president to visit Yosemite National Park, in 1962.
Superintendent Neubacher hopes visitors will appreciate the historic nature of this opportunity. “We encourage patience and understanding as the park staff manages any temporary visitor impacts," he said.
So far this calendar year, visitation to the park has increased by over 20 percent from 2015’s record visitation. Both last year and so far this spring, the park has seen traffic congestion, delays of up to two hours and full parking lots on weekends and holidays.
To reduce travel frustration and optimize sightseeing and recreational opportunities, the park will provide visitors with travel advisories before and during the President's visit. Those advisories will be posted on the park's website and shared through the park's social media presence on Facebook and Twitter.
As is typical on June weekends, visitors should expect extensive traffic delays and several temporary short-term area closures. Detailed information about these closures is still being developed and will be released as soon as possible. The park and the White House are working actively to minimize closures in the park during the President's visit, while ensuring the safety and security of the First Family.
Visitors are urged to enter the park before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. to avoid traffic congestion and difficulty finding parking. Entering between these times will add to congestion and will likely lead to traffic delays of two or more hours.
Visitors are urged to use Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) buses that serve the park from several gateway communities and help reduce travel delays and congestion.
Local and regional visitors may wish to reschedule their trip for another weekend or during the weekdays. Visitors are also urged to enjoy neighboring gateway communities and other Sierra public lands and sites this weekend. Nearby areas such as Groveland, Eastern Sierra/Mammoth (Mono County), Oakhurst, Mariposa, and other public lands provide outstanding scenic and recreational opportunities and are likely to be less crowded this weekend.
All climbing routes from and including Church Bowl east to Washington Column (Washington Column itself remains open) will be closed from Thursday sunset through Sunday afternoon. This includes Bishops Terrace, Royal Arches, Serenity Crack, Son’s of Yesterday.
All campgrounds within Yosemite National Park on the reservation system are sold out through the weekend. There are a very limited number of first-come, first-served campsites within the park and those are expected to fill early. For 24 hour road and weather information, call 209-372-0200.
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Comments
These all good pints Kurt, however, Yosemite is, in one sense, the birthplace of of our public lands, some argue Hot Springs, some Yellowstone, but the concept had much of its start in Yosemite. It is a world iconic park, I do not know for sure Kurt, but what happens in Yosemite has much influence over the rest of the NPS. This is true of Yellowstone and Grand Canyon also. Yes there are threats to other areas, Big Cypress a real concern, but the poster child's still remain. Yosemite also was the birthplace, in a national sense, of the environmental movement with John Muir and the Sierra Club. Al Runte may want to weigh in here. The Sierra Club is still the oldest and largest of the nations environmental organizations, that is an important consideration. Also a visit to Yosemite/Yellowstone/Grand Canyon insures much media and public attention. That President Obama is in the last 6 moths of his presidency, yes, but I think we will hear much more about him in the future, especially true if his party prevails in this election. He is an historic figure and will be influential for years to come, no matter those who oppose him.
Ron, this guy has been in office for 7 1/2 years and hasn't done diddly for the parks. You think once he is out of office he will care more? The only influence this guy is going to have in the long term annals of history will be to move Jimmy Carter one notch down on the list of worst Presidents.
I'm married to a park employee who has been very grateful over the past 7 1/2 years to have a leader as sane and inspirational. And that's about as far as I want to go in critiquing Presidents or possible Presidents in this forum.
Add to the commentary above about why he should or should not go here, we should all just file away that this is where a dad decided he wants to take his kids this summer. I think he has that right.
I'm fine with that. Just don't follow it up with a ban on some bicyclers that wanted to go to a park for the summer with a far less disruptive effect.
i think of all the poor travelers, many of which may be visiting Yosemite and Carlsbad Caverns for their first and only time. Often, these visits must be planned months in advance. Many visitors will have theit Father's Day plans ruined, so a sitting president can have a wonderful weekend frolic. I don't think sitting presidents ever take in to consideration the mass inconvenience they create for others when they decide to have these frolics.
It's disappointing that he waited this long to visit parks. Might things have been different if our parks had attracted him six years ago. But maybe even that wouldn't have made any difference because, as Kurt says, his budgets and virtually everything else he might have done for our country has been DO A in Congress as they worked to make him fail.
But there's still hope for Bears Ears.
This is not the first National Park that President Obama has visited. He and his family visited Yellowstone in 2009 and Acadia in 2010. He visited Kenai Fjords last summer, without his family.