Yosemite visits rise after park drops reservation system

By Staff Report

Yosemite National Park recorded 654,356 recreation visits in July 2026, up 6.1 percent from 616,551 visits in July 2025, when a peak-hours reservation system was in place, according to visitation figures released by the park.

The increase comes in the first summer since the National Park Service ended Yosemite’s timed-entry reservation requirement for 2026. Park officials announced in February that the system would not return after a review of 2025 traffic patterns, parking availability and visitor use found that most weekdays had available parking, stable traffic flow and visitation levels within operational capacity.

So far this year, Yosemite has hosted 2,657,602 recreation visits, an 8 percent increase from 2,460,675 visits at the same point in 2025. Park officials said much of the summer increase has occurred on Thursdays and Fridays, when parking has generally remained available.

The park used various reservation systems in recent years to manage congestion, including peak-hours reservations in 2025. For 2026, Yosemite shifted to open visitation, relying instead on real-time traffic monitoring, active parking management in Yosemite Valley, additional staffing at key intersections and expanded visitor alerts.

Despite higher visitation, park officials said traffic conditions have improved in several areas. Yosemite reported only two days of significant traffic delays so far this year, compared with more than 120 days of gridlock in previous years. Officials credited one-way traffic patterns and proactive management for keeping traffic moving through Yosemite Valley, including on many weekends.

Parking has been available Sunday through Friday in all areas of the park, officials said. On summer Saturdays and holidays, parking in Yosemite Valley has typically filled by 10 to 11 a.m., but spaces have remained available elsewhere in the park. Officials said all parking in Yosemite has not filled on any day this year.

Entrance lines have also moved more quickly than in past years, with waits under 15 minutes most of the time, officials said. Saturday mornings have averaged about 30 minutes, with maximum waits around one hour, compared with waits of more than three hours in prior years. Shuttle service in Yosemite Valley has generally allowed most visitors to board the first arriving shuttle, though longer waits remain possible throughout the day and on Saturdays.