Yosemite National Park is facing heavy congestion at the start of its first summer without a timed reservation system. Visitors report long lines to enter, with waits of at least an hour and a half. Parking is limited, and by early morning the park is described as impossible to park in, forcing people to wait for shuttles and access popular viewpoints. Crowding is described as shoulder-to-shoulder with chaos and anger. Some visitors are also reported to park illegally, including pulling onto meadows, leaving pavement, and going off-road. The change follows a comprehensive evaluation, and park officials say they will continue active traffic management to support visitor access, safety, and resource protection.
"So far this year, Yosemite has recorded nearly 100,000 more visitors than at the same point last year, contributing to what many describe as chaotic conditions. The biggest issue was long wait times to get inside the park. "People were waiting for at least hour and a half," said visitor Andranik Arakelyan. The waiting didn't stop there, with visitors describing additional delays and crowding throughout the park."
""I would say by 7:30, the entire park, it was impossible to park there. There's nowhere to park for anybody," said visitor John Leerskov. Visitors waiting to find parking, board shuttles and access popular viewpoints. "It was a lot of shoulder to shoulder, a lot of chaos, a lot of angry people, a lot of oblivious people," Leerskov said. The congestion extended beyond entry lines into movement around the park."
"It looks like some grew impatient, with videos showing dozens of cars illegally parked. "People pulling onto meadows, pulling off pavement, going off-road. The lines to get even shuttles around the park, I mean, from the videos were just horrendous," said conservationist and author Beth Pratt. Illegal parking and long shuttle lines are presented as part of the worsening conditions."
"This is the first summer visitors can enter Yosemite without a reservation requirement, following what park officials described as a "comprehensive evaluation." "We are committed to visitor access, safety, and resource protection, and will continue active traffic management strategies to ensure a great visitor experience," said Yosemite Superintendent Ray McPadden back in February. "While reservation systems are one valuable management tool, our data demonstrates that a season-wide reservation requirement is not the most eff"
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