Bad for business Highway 120 lodging operators seek alternatives to Yosemite day use reservations
The day use reservation system imposed this past spring and summer in Yosemite National Park is scheduled to end a week from today, next Thursday, Sept. 30. “The park will return to normal operations for visitors entering the park,” Scott Gediman with Yosemite National Park public affairs said Wednesday.
That’s good news for visitors who don’t want to mess with the reservation system, and for business owners who cater to Yosemite visitors, especially hotel owners in gateway communities like Groveland.
But everyone knows overcrowding and traffic jams were serious issues in Yosemite Valley long before the COVID-19 emerged early last year. There are concerns another reservation system to limit visitors could be imposed next spring and summer, regardless of whether the pandemic is still here.
Farther east up off Highway 120, people who speak for Rush Creek Lodge & Spa and Evergreen Lodge at Yosemite are seeking alternatives to the current reservation system.
To underscore what’s at stake for Tuolumne County, a spokeswoman for the two lodges told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that occupancy was down 9.5% from June to September this year compared to the same summer period in 2019.
The drop in business ultimately cost Tuolumne County more than $100,000 in transient occupancy tax revenues this summer, Teri Marshall with Rush Creek and Evergreen said. Marshall is director of marketing and communications for both Rush Creek Lodge & Spa and Evergreen Lodge at Yosemite, and she is a volunteer board member with Visit Tuolumne County and the Tuolumne County Lodging Association.
Marshall talked to the Board of Supervisors during a public comment period, to share perspective on how the Yosemite day use reservation system has impacted businesses and what that means for Tuolumne County.
“Overall we saw 9.5 percent lower occupancy in this summer period compared to a normal year like 2019,” Marshall said Tuesday. “And we did some quick math and the result is over a hundred thousand dollars less in TOT to Tuolumne County.
“I thought that would get your attention, and you might want to know two things we’re looking for help advocating on, any chance you get to communicate with the superintendent or any other planners at the park. The first thing is getting day use tickets available for gateway lodging businesses.”
Aramark, the primary park concessioner, as part of their concessions contract is exempt from the reservation system, Marshall said, whereas guests at all gateway community lodging businesses have to apply for day use reservations.
“There are a variety of reasons why that hasn’t worked out to get us that last mile of occupancy that we need to generate the TOT that we’re missing,” Marshall said.
“The second really big thing is that they’re setting the capacity limits based on crowding in Yosemite Valley. We’ve been asking for them to look at Yosemite Valley separate from the rest of the park’s attractions, the high country, Glacier Point, Mariposa, Tuolumne, and Merced groves of giant sequoias are going largely unused,” Marshall said. “So we’re turning people away and really putting unfair limits on the entire park when really the crush is in Yosemite Valley.”
People in the private sector have looked into resources to be able to assist the park, because the park says they don’t have resources to manage visitors, crowds, and traffic that way. There are plenty of businesses willing to pony up to help the National Park Service monitor Yosemite Valley traffic, keeping the valley separate from the rest of the park, Marshall said.
“All I’m asking is that you be aware, know that there are financial consequences to the ticketing system, so we’ve got skin in the game, and you do have private sector businesses and lodging that are here to support better solutions for next year,” Marshall said.
Brian Anderluh, coowner of Rush Creek and Evergreen with Lee Zimmerman, said Wednesday the Park Service has not yet said the current day use reservation system will return next year.
“We’re huge supporters of it not coming back because of the impacts on our business and other businesses in Tuolumne County,” Anderluh said. “There’s two real ways it’s harmful to us. People coming toyosemite, especially those coming internationally, those who are planning their visits in advance, when they get here they find the reservations are booked up.”
While they plan their trips they try to get passes and they can’t get them, Anderluh said. When people want to come to Yosemite and they can’t get passes, they won’t book a ticket to get around the world without the certainty that they can get into the park. Without the day use system they know they can get into the park.
“The second way it hurts is the way hotels like ours, rooms become available at the last minute,” Anderluh said. “People come from San Francisco at the last moment, but if there’s no certainty of getting into the park, that changes people ‘s minds about making last-minute decisions to book hotel rooms. We saw that for sure this summer. The last 5 to 10 percent of our rooms that would sell normally, they didn’t sell this past summer.”
Between Rush Creek and Evergreen, the two lodges have about 250 rooms and cabins altogether, Anderluh said. Anderluh and Zimmerman are members with Yosemite Gateway Partners, a group that advocates for communities and businesses close to Yosemite National Park.
“We’re trying to be creative and help the Park Service achieve their goals and at the same time keep our businesses sustainable,” Anderluh said. “Ideally there would be no reservation system. But if there is going to be one, we prefer a valley parking pass or valley day pass alternative. We know the Park Service is doing the best they can. We’re just rying to help.”
In November 2020, Tuolumne County voters approved Measure U, increasing the Transient Occupancy Tax rate from 10% to 12% and extending the tax to RV parks and campgrounds, effective July 1, 2021.
Jennifer Lopez, marketing manager for Visit Tuolumne County, said county TOTS totaled just over $5 million for 2018 $5.23 million for 2019. Totals for 2020 and 2021 were not available.
Visit Tuolumne County has discussions about the day use reservation system and its impact on lodging with other Yosemite Gateway destination marketing organizations in Madera, Mariposa, and Mono counties on a regular basis, Lopez said Wednesday.
The Tuolumne County Lodging Association is the group involved with advocacy when it comes to issues such as these that impact the lodging industry, Lopez said. The President is Jeff Michels, owner of The Sonora Inn and Hotel Lumberjack. Visit Tuolumne County is a member of Yosemite Gateway Partners, and Lopez is on its board of directors.
“There are always differing perspectives on a topic as complex as how to manage visitor use in Yosemite Park,” John Buckley with the Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center in Twain Harte said Wednesday. “Park officials long before COVID openly shared that traffic jams and crowding was resulting in strong complaints from park visitors and that there was a need to plan to better manage park visitation.”
Buckley said CSERC has been urging that over time the park and all interests collaboratively work for testing a process “to reduce excessive visitor use during the peak season and better shift some of that use to shoulder seasons.”
CSERC does not advocate for opening up the park overall to whatever level of visitor use that may result, Buckley said. It would be extremely difficult to block non-approved visitors to Yosemite Valley from sneaking in there unless there was a stop-andcheck system set up that would almost certainly result in traffic jams.
“There may be many different logical approaches to visitor use that can limit overcrowding and reduce potential for undesirable traffic jams without significantly constraining lodging profits and operations,” Buckley said. “The truth is, however, there are currently three major lodging development projects planned just on the Highway 120 corridor — all of which will create even more crowding pressure on the park.
“We can’t have our national treasure and a legacy for future generations managed to simply profit lodging businesses or tour operators or others who are taking advantage of Yosemite,” Buckley said. “It is not appropriate to harm the goose that lays the golden eggs of tourist benefits, but that also provides for iconic spiritual, recreational, and wildlife focused experiences for those who love the park.”
Buckley said CSERC hopes the National Park Service will begin a thoughtful, strategic process to work toward a longterm day use reservation system like one that works well in Denali National Park in Alaska, so that commercial interests can profit, and the resources and visitor experience for those coming to Yosemite are not degraded by too much use, too many cars, and too much crowding.