Yosemite Ends Reservations, Leaving 7 Valley Shuttles Strained as Parking Lots Fill
Updated
Updated · KMPH Fox 26 · May 24
Yosemite Ends Reservations, Leaving 7 Valley Shuttles Strained as Parking Lots Fill
3 articles · Updated · KMPH Fox 26 · May 24
Full parking lots and heavy traffic hit Yosemite over the weekend after the park dropped its reservation requirement, with FOX26 reporting roadside parking scrambles and packed roads on May 23.
A YARTS trip from northwest Fresno took 4 hours instead of the usual 3, and signs showed every parking lot full when the shuttle arrived.
Only 7 free shuttles were running in Yosemite Valley, according to the driver, versus 17 in summer service, adding to congestion as visitation rises.
Park officials said they will manage crowds with real-time traffic monitoring, active parking management, extra staffing and alerts, while steering visitors toward weekdays and destinations outside Yosemite Valley.
Yosemite had already soft-launched those congestion measures in 2025 after concluding a season-long reservation system was not the most effective tool for 2026.
As Yosemite's ecosystem strains underfoot, how is the long-term environmental cost of this visitor surge being measured?
With funding declining, can America's national parks survive the new policy of prioritizing unlimited visitor access over preservation?
Amid staff dissent and record crowds, what data proved removing Yosemite's successful reservation system was the most effective approach?