Visitors to Yosemite often experienced severe traffic jams, full parking lots, damage to sensitive meadows and long waits at restrooms and visitor centers, until reservation systems were piloted beginning in 2020.
Mariposa, California–The widely popular seasonal reservation system at Yosemite National Park was eliminated at the direction of new park superintendent Ray McPadden, prioritizing profit for hotel operators over protection of national park resources. The action was immediately decried by the National Parks Conservation Association, which has long-supported Yosemite’s day use reservation system as a successful way to address overcrowding in the park that has worsened with the explosive growth in lodging developments surrounding the park.
Overcrowding and the need for reservation systems is not a new issue at Yosemite, and many other parks across the country, including sought-after places like Glacier, Zion, Arches and Mount Rainier.
Between 2000 and 2019, park visitation to Yosemite soared by over 30%, representing an increase of one million additional annual visitors. Visitors to Yosemite often experienced severe traffic jams, full parking lots, damage to sensitive meadows and long waits at restrooms and visitor centers, until reservation systems were piloted beginning in 2020.
In 2024, Yosemite National Park’s reservation system welcomed more than four million visitors, while successfully reducing gridlock and congestion by spreading visitation throughout the day, week, and year.
Superintendent McPadden’s decision, made without any public process or justification, is a sharp reversal of decades of Park Service efforts to defend Yosemite from exploitation. As far back as 1994, Yosemite’s then superintendent wrote a letter to nearby communities foreshadowing the need for reservations and warning against outsized growth by the hotel industry, noting the park will be managed to protect resources, not to help make hotel business plans work. However, since 1994, gateway communities have continued to approve hotels and other tourism developments, resulting in more than 5,000 short-term rentals outside the park and well over 1,000 new lodging units.
Statement by Mark Rose, Senior Sierra Nevada Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association
“Eliminating Yosemite’s seasonal reservation system will undoubtedly lead to hours-long traffic jams, damage to park resources, strain on remaining park staff, and ruined experiences for visitors.
"Superintendent McPadden’s decision subverts decades of planning by park experts including Yosemite’s own staff and ignores the explosive growth in visitation to the park. This new management agenda rewards hotel operators seeking to profit off of Yosemite, not the American people who own this park.
“On top of the debilitating 25% forced cuts to park staff across the country, today’s action removes another proven tool for park managers. All of which creates the perfect storm heading into one of the busiest times for the park with massive overcrowding and iconic park resources at risk.”
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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.9 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.
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General
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- Park:
- Yosemite National Park
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- NPCA Region:
- Pacific
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