Director’s Report – September 2024

     Yosemite National Park is a national treasure, and the only way to protect it is to prevent gridlock. That inevitably requires a reservation system during the busiest months. Yet a proposed National Park Service plan to provide that essential protection is being aggressively opposed by business interests that want as many tourists as possible. That simply isn’t in the park’s interest. 

     Yosemite has long wrestled with managing the automobile. More than 30 years ago, park officials began acknowledging that private vehicles were degrading the iconic setting of Yosemite Valley. As many as 5 million people have visited Yosemite in a single year.

     Since then, numerous Yosemite superintendents have stated that unlimited vehicles often exceed the capacity of the Park and result in a negative visitor experience. As a result, the Park Service has spent the past two years working with the public to develop a “Visitor Access Management Plan.”

     The proposal is a modified version of its existing system that manages visitation through a reservation system for the busiest times of the year, from April through October. From June through August, all visitors would need to secure an on-line reservation to enter the park between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. In the shoulder months (April through May and September through October), reservations would be required for weekends only.

     This modest inconvenience of securing a reservation is far better for the visitor experience than doing nothing, which has led to traffic chaos.

     Prior to reservations, a typical result of unmanaged visitation was shared with our non-profit center by a mom who drove for hours to get to the Park with her two children. After a very long wait in line at the entrance station, she finally headed toward Yosemite Valley - only to get stuck in a traffic jam that lasted over two hours before she was finally diverted by Park employees at a turnaround point to head back out of the Park. Her family’s extreme frustration reflected many similar stories of too many vehicles resulting in gridlock. 

     Yosemite began with reservation systems during the COVID pandemic, initially to promote social distancing. The existing “peak hours” day-use reservation system currently in place in Yosemite this year is to manage traffic. The long-term proposal aims to limit vehicles entering Yosemite to levels low enough so that resources aren’t harmed and to ensure an enjoyable visit in one of nature’s greatest cathedrals.

     Profit-motivated business and tourism interests, however, are pushing back against the Park Service plan. They have launched strong opposition to any limits on vehicles entering the Park. They’ve pressured Yosemite officials and enlisted the local congressman and local county supervisors to lobby against the visitation management proposal. They’re pressing for delaying any action, even though action has been repeatedly postponed for over 20 years. They adamantly insist that limits on vehicles aren’t desirable. 

     It is understandable that those making high profits from Yosemite visitors will oppose vehicle limits. But everyone, including their customers, wants a stress-free experience without crowding and without harm to resources. Environmental interests (such as our Center) would prefer an even stricter vehicle limit approach to best protect wildlife and water resources, but we are supporting the Park Service’s middle-ground preferred proposal. 

     This is a moment in Yosemite’s history for the public’s voice to be heard. The Park Service is seeking public comments on its proposal through Sept. 30. Defending Yosemite against gridlock is essential to preserve this natural resource.

     Yosemite belongs to all Americans. The National Park Service is on the right track. This park’s natural beauty must take priority over the private profit motive.