Reservations will not be needed to visit Yosemite National Park in 2023/NPS file
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.”
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Comments
Amen.
So the reserveration system was thrown out for commercial interests? What a waste. It seemed like an effective way to manage visitation.
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.
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!
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.
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