No reservations
Permits for entry won’t be needed at Yosemite National Park after Nov. 1
Visitors to Yosemite National Park will no longer need to reserve a spot ahead of time to spend a day at the world-famous attraction beginning Nov. 1, the National Park Service announced this week.
The agency will be ending the day-use reservation system that’s been in place since the park reopened in June from an 83-day shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was done to limit the amount of visitors that could access the park.
“We would like to extend our gratitude to all park visitors and our local communities for their support of our modified operations this summer,” Acting Park Superintendent Cicely Muldoon stated in a news release. “With the health and safety of park visitors and employees guiding our decisions, we were thrilled to welcome thousands of visitors to Yosemite this summer.”
A maximum of 3,600 vehicles have been allowed to enter the park each day since the June reopening, which is roughly half of the normal amount during the peak season for visitation.
Ending the reservation system also means there will be no limit on the amount of visitors to the park each day, though Acting Tuolumne County Health Officer Dr. Eric Sergienko said that shouldn’t be a concern for people who live in gateway communities.
Sergienko, who is also Mariposa County’s fulltime health officer, said the average number of vehicle entries to the park in November is about the same as half that during the busiest day in July, which is what has been allowed under the reservation system.
“They’re coming off the shoulder season, so I’m actually pretty comfortable with it,” he said. “We’re expecting the same amount of people with a permit.”
The ending of the reservation system will also eliminate the bureaucrat
ic challenges for people to get a permit, said Sergienko, who sent a letter to Muldoon in March recommending the full closure of the park.
Sergienko said people can typically secure a permit 24 hours in advance of the day they want to enter the park during the week and on Sundays, but it sometimes took weeks to get one for a Saturday during the summer.
Since March, the park has been part of the Yosemite Gateway Area Coordination Team that’s led by Sergienko and includes public health, public safety, and elected officials from Madera, Tuolumne, Mariposa and Mono counties.
Other federal agencies represented in the group include the U.S. Public Health Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service.
The purpose of the group is to collaborate on public health and safety issues affecting the region around Yosemite National Park, which the National Park Service said has resulted in the park being able to reopen in June and stay open throughout the busy summer season.
Yosemite officials also announced revisions to fire restrictions that went into effect last week to improve unhealthy air quality caused by smoke from wildfires burning throughout the state.
No wood fires are currently allowed throughout the park under the restrictions, including in campgrounds, picnic areas, outdoor residential areas, and wilderness areas.
Smoking is also not allowed under the restrictions except in an enclosed vehicle or inside a building where smoking is allowed, designated campgrounds, designated picnic areas, paved developed areas, and designated smoking areas.