Yosemite National Park Launches its Brand-New Reservation System
In an effort to alleviate congestion and enhance the visitor experience, Yosemite National Park has rolled out a pilot reservation system. This system, which commenced on Friday, offers guests planning to visit the park this year a unique opportunity to secure one of the limited reservations.
The National Park Service (NPS) introduced this pilot reservation system, known as “Peak Hours Plus,” as a means to manage the flow of visitors during peak hours. The new system mandates that visitors obtain a reservation to drive a vehicle into Yosemite National Park between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays during specific periods. These timeframes include April 13 to June 30 and August 17 to October 27. Reservations will also be required for every day between July 1 and August 16.
The “Peak Hours Plus” system officially went live at 8 a.m. on Friday. At this juncture, there were still available vehicle reservation slots for all the designated dates, affording visitors the chance to secure their spot.
It’s important to note that reservations are not mandatory for park entry after 4 p.m. Additionally, visitors holding reservations for lodging within Yosemite Valley, Wawona, Yosemite West, Foresta, White Wolf, or Tuolumne Meadows, as well as those with reservations for any campground within the park or for a wilderness or Half Dome permit, will not be required to obtain an additional vehicle reservation.
Furthermore, visitors arriving via bus tours will also be exempt from the reservation requirement.
To obtain further information and make reservations for Yosemite National Park, interested parties can visit go.nps.gov/reserve. Detailed information on the Yosemite Visitor Access Management Plan is available at go.nps.gov/vamp.
