Yosemite National Park has a lot going on this summer! It can be confusing and overwhelming to keep up with all that’s happening in the Park, so here is a cheat sheet to help you learn what is planned – and how it may affect a visit this summer:
1. Construction
The Tioga Road Rehabilitation project will include paving and other work along the stretch of road that extends from Olmsted Point east toward Tioga Pass. Sunday through Friday you can expect delays of up to 60 minutes. From Friday at 4:30 pm to Sunday at 11:00 pm, there will be no delays due to construction.
In Yosemite Valley, the Park will be building a new Welcome Center; there will be a closure of up to 600 parking spaces in that area to separate visitors from the safety risks of the construction work.
Closure of the Bridalveil Fall Trail for the Bridalveil Fall Rehabilitation Project is scheduled to end in the fall this year. But all summer the Bridalveil Fall site will be closed to vehicle parking, and pedestrian access in the area will be limited.
2. Glacier Point Closure:
Glacier Point Road will be closed to all traffic (vehicles and bikes) from spring through fall 2022 in order for the Park to rehabilitate and improve the road. Due to the magnitude of the project, you can expect 30-minute delays in 2023.
The Four-Mile Trail, Pohono Trail, and Panorama Trail will remain open in 2022 and 2023. Through-hikers must stay outside of work zones. Trailheads along Glacier Point Road will be closed in 2022, and hikers must access trails from connecting trails and trailheads outside the Glacier Point Road corridor. For more info: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/gproadfaq.htm
3. Campground Closures:
Three of Yosemite’s main campgrounds — Tuolumne Meadows, Bridalveil Creek, and Crane Flat — will be closed as they undergo extensive renovations. There will be no camping available at any of the three sites during the closures.
The Tuolumne Meadows Campground will remain closed until 2024 or even 2025 due to the scale or reconstruction work needed. The two other campgrounds — Bridalveil Creek and Crane Flat — will be closed until 2023.
Open Campgrounds this year include:
- In Yosemite Valley: Camp 4, Lower Pines, North Pines, and Upper Pines
- At Wawona: Wawona Campground
- Near the Big Oak Flat Entrance: Hodgdon Meadow Campground
4. North Pines Campground Lottery
Unlike the other campgrounds (where you can reserve your site ahead of time) or the Camp 4 campground (where campsites are available on a first-come first-served basis), North Pines campsites will be available for reservations by lottery for the dates of July 21, 2022 through September 14, 2022. With this new lottery system, the Park is looking to increase equitable access, reduce confusion and frustration in the reservation process, and create a more fair way for Park visitors to reserve a spot at this high-demand location.
Even though the lottery application period has already ended (January 18 through February 2), opportunities to stay at North Pines are still available. After lottery applicants select their reservation dates, any remaining reservations the public will be available at recreation.gov during the following dates: March 15, 2022 (July 15 through August 14, 2022 arrivals) and April 15, 2022 (August 15 through September 14, 2022 arrivals).
5. Wilderness Permit Lottery
The way to get your Wilderness Permit reservation has changed! Wilderness permit reservations become available by lottery 24 weeks in advance at recreation.gov.
For 2022, from April 29th through October 23rd, the remaining 40% of trailhead quotas will be released on a first-come, first-served basis at recreation.gov seven days in advance at 7 am PDT.
6. Day-use Reservations Will Be Required to Enter Yosemite Park
A day-use reservation will be required to get into Yosemite from May 20 through September 30, 2022 for anyone driving into the park between 6 am and 4 pm. Simply driving through the Park will also require a day-use reservation if entering between 6 am and 4 pm. Anyone who has an overnight reservation will not need a day-use reservation.
Entrance reservations can be purchased at recreation.gov starting at 8 am on March 23rd. The cost to obtain a reservation is $2 in addition to the park entrance fee of $35. People without computer access can make a reservation by calling 877-444-6777.
While the dates have passed to apply for the North Pines Campground lottery and for some of the Wilderness Permit lottery dates, these are pilot programs that may continue to occur in the future. This article can hopefully help you prepare for future lotteries and can provide insight on how you can still obtain permits once the lottery days have passed.