Amidst the iconic beauty of Yosemite Park, two very different kinds of threats cause ongoing concern for Park lovers. One is high-severity wildfire, such as the giant Ferguson Fire. But a second threat to Yosemite (crowding and traffic congestion) was obvious again for much of the summer season prior to the fire.
Similar to most recent years, the extremely high number of visitors arriving in private vehicles frequently causes crowded entrance roads, traffic jams, and no available parking spaces in Yosemite Valley. In the week prior to the fire, the Park Service launched a new consultant-led outreach process that aims to look for actions that can reduce the crowding. Unfortunately, most easy steps have already been tried. CSERC provided input to the consultants, but we believe that now is the time for the Park Service to begin in earnest to design a strategy for day-use limits for private vehicles entering Yosemite Valley during the peak season.
In terms of Park planning, a decision to do major restoration work and to re-do parking at the Bridalveil Fall area was formally approved. At the northwest entrance to Yosemite, Park officials are proposing a new plan to reconstruct the Big Oak Flat entrance station and emergency services facility. And at the recently re-opened Mariposa Grove, throngs of enthusiastic visitors praised the years-long work done to restore that beloved Sequoia grove. Despite fires and congestion, Yosemite is still iconic and more popular than ever.