by Park officials announced on Tuesday that the controversial crowd control policies introduced during the first two years of the pandemic and continued for a third year due to construction will not be in effect next year. The reservation requirement covered the park’s peak season, when Yosemite was historically one of the most visited sites in the National Park Service.
While the reservation system succeeded in limiting numbers in years when park staff and services went down due to the coronavirus, it became a pain point for last-minute travelers unable to access and gateway communities dependent on tourist traffic. Others liked the program because it took away much of Yosemite’s notorious congestion.
However, the repeal of the policy doesn’t necessarily mean reservations are gone for good.
Park officials say the suspension of the program provides an opportunity to see how the turnout is in the post-COVID world, take stock of the discontinued reservation system, survey the public and decide how to handle crowds in the future. are managed. Reservations had been discussed long before the coronavirus as a long-term means of dealing with queues at entrance stations, overcrowded parking lots and congested roads, especially in Yosemite Valley.
“We want to build on what we’ve learned over the past three summers about managed access,” said Yosemite spokesperson Scott Gediman. “Ultimately, our goal is to come up with a plan that supports an excellent visitor experience and protects park resources.”
The Denver Service Center of the National Park Service, the planning arm of the park service and other parks that has helped tackle overcrowding, is expected to lead the new planning efforts in Yosemite. A handful of parks, including Glacier in Montana, Rocky Mountain in Colorado and Zion in Utah, have opted to implement long-term reservation requirements for at least some of their properties during peak hours.
Yosemite’s temporary reservation system began in 2020, requiring visitors to pre-book admission for day use during the summer season. Park officials limited the number of people entering the park to about half of what it had been in recent years. Annual attendance at Yosemite over the past decade has often exceeded 4 million people, peaking at 5.2 million in 2016.
Even traveling through the park on Highway 120, which goes through the Sierra Nevada, necessitated a reservation. Those who booked overnight accommodations in Yosemite, whether at a hotel, campground, or backcountry, were not required to gain advance admission.
In 2021, park officials began easing reservation policies as both pandemic restrictions and staff shortages eased at the park. This year’s policy restricted access to about 70% of historic traffic, and it required advance reservations only between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m., meaning people could come early or late in the day without a reservation.
Hikers and tourists line up to board a packed shuttle bus that runs through Yosemite Valley in 2019.
Jessica Christian, Staff / The ChronicleGediman said the park could accommodate more visitors in 2023, with staff and services returning to near pre-COVID levels and a handful of construction projects no longer impeding traffic in the park last year. Some of the past work will even improve vehicle flow, such as the overhaul of the popular Glacier Point Road.
The ending of the reservation policy and the future development of a new plan to deal with overcrowding is welcomed by many in the region’s hospitality industry. Business in hotels, restaurants and gift shops in nearby communities such as Oakhurst and Mariposa has declined in recent years, largely due to fewer people visiting Yosemite.
Modesto resident Ed Willhide, who lives about an hour and a half away, was like many Californians who decided it was easier to just stay outside the park than deal with the booking process.
“We’re going to the coast instead: Monterey, Pacific Grove,” he said. “No lines, no rejections, no reservations needed.”
With many expecting travel to remain low amid high gas prices, inflation and economic uncertainty, businesses in the region said continuing the limit on visitor numbers would have put another drag on local trade.
“We’re glad to hear they’re going full throttle,” said Jonathan Farrington, executive director of the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau. “Visit will not be at a normal level next year. We don’t think (a reservation policy) will be necessary.”
Others had praised the park service for implementing a reservation system and preventing overcrowding and even potential damage to the natural landscape. Organizations such as the National Parks Conservation Association could be expected to advocate for quota restoration.
“We don’t want to return to the days when visitors were stuck in hours-long traffic lines before walking overcrowded trails,” Mark Rose, Sierra Nevada program manager for the park association, said in an email. “This sudden change to pause the reservation system for a summer sends mixed messages and will also create more uncertainty and confusion for visitors and nearby communities.”
Albany resident Georgia Hallinan agreed, saying her experience at Yosemite was much better under the reservation policy.
“We went (to the park) right in front of the system, and it was like Disneyland — no thanks,” she said. “We went after it and enjoyed the quiet beauty.”
Chronicle staff writer Michael Cabanatuan contributed to this report.
Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @kurtisalexander
