Yosemite’s new reservation system now in effect. Yosemite Valley traffic is different
Online reservations are now needed for almost all visitors to enter Yosemite National Park. The new system went into effect Friday.
The $2 Yosemite day-use entry passes, needed in addition to normal park entrance fees, must be purchased online via recreation.gov. A ticketed entry is required to get into Yosemite for anyone without an overnight reservation in the park; a bus ticket in; wilderness, Half Dome, or climbing permit; or who just want to recreate in Hetch Hetchy or drive through Yosemite to a destination on the other side.
Yosemite’s Tioga Road, which crosses over the Sierra Nevada to the Eastern Sierra, is expected to open at 8 a.m. May 27.
Yosemite officials said people can drive through the park to reach a destination on the other side without a reservation, but normal park entrance fees still apply. An entrance station ranger will provide a time-stamped permit valid for the needed drive time.
Violating park rules can result in a fine of up to $5,000 and/or six months in jail, park officials said.
The new reservation system will be in place at least through Sept. 30, “or until local health conditions improve” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
How busy will it be in Yosemite this year?
Day-use reservations are now available for all dates through September, with limited reservations available seven days before an arrival date. Those additional passes will be released daily at 8 a.m., seven days in advance of a desired arrival date, Yosemite spokesperson Jamie Richards said.
“For dates that are currently sold out, please check recreation.gov again seven days prior to your desired arrival date to check availability,” Richards said. “An additional 1,000 passes will be released Sunday-Wednesday and an additional 650 passes will be released Thursday-Saturday, for a total approximate target of approximately 5,000 vehicles in the park each day.”
That’s more than last year, when the park planned about 3,600 vehicles a day in Yosemite – about half of daily vehicles in the park in June 2019.
Park officials said in April that vehicles in Yosemite this year might increase to as many as 6,480 park-wide each day, about 90% of vehicles in the park in 2019. Yosemite had more than 4.5 million visitors in 2019.
Like last year, free park shuttle buses aren’t running in 2021, which means more people will likely be driving around Yosemite. It’s is one of many changes in Yosemite this year because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Yosemite Valley driving and traffic is different in 2021
Park officials said they are working to alleviate traffic congestion in busy Yosemite Valley with a new pilot program that will be in effect until at least August.
Yosemite Valley traffic changes include:
Opening bus lanes along Southside and Northside drives for use by all vehicles.
- Converting the eastbound lane from Yosemite Falls parking (west of Yosemite Valley Lodge) to Yosemite Village to westbound, so there are two westbound lanes of one-way traffic to exit Yosemite Valley.
- Changing the four-way intersection near Curry Village to a three-way intersection without stop signs.
- Switching the direction of traffic on Sentinel Drive so vehicles drive on the opposite side of the road.
- Removing stop signs and reconfiguring the two Sentinel Drive intersections at Northside and Southside drives.
Not permitting vehicles longer than 30 feet to drive on Sentinel Drive.
To avoid traffic congestion in Yosemite Valley, officials advise visitors to:
- Arrive and depart earlier or later than the most popular travel times. That means avoiding driving in Yosemite Valley between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m, and between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
- Once parked, walk or bike to get around instead of trying to drive closer to each destination.
This story was originally published May 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
