A long line of cars stretches from the South Gate Entrance from Highway 41. Photo by Sarah Boughman
It was a Memorial Day weekend with large crowds and long entry lines for Yosemite National Park, and for the first time since 2023, no vehicle reservations were required during the unofficial start to summer in the park.
Early Saturday morning, traffic at the Arch Rock Entrance was reportedly backed up nearly four miles to El Portal.
By 8:40 a.m. Sunday, parking in the Yosemite Valley was full and traffic was soon being diverted at El Capitan to other areas of the park.
But by 10:20 a.m., Glacier Point and Hetch Hetchy had also reached capacity at the same time. Parking did open up in the valley by late afternoon.
Social media feeds over the weekend were filled with images of cars parking illegally in the park. There were also headlines in national news sites about the crowded conditions in the park.
Yosemite National Park Superintendent Ray McPadden recommended the park forgo a vehicle reservation system this summer, saying the crowds are mostly limited to busy Saturdays. He said the high volume can be dealt with by diverting traffic to other areas of the park.
McPadden said visitor satisfaction surveys are planned for this summer to accurately gage visitor reactions to the park without a vehicle reservation system.
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