Yosemite drops day‑use reservations

Yosemite National Park will not require advance vehicle reservations in 2026, ending the timed-entry system it used during recent peak seasons. (nps.gov) The National Park Service announced the change on February 18, 2026, after reviewing 2025 traffic, parking and visitor-use data. Park officials said most weekdays stayed within operational capacity, with available parking and stable traffic flow. (nps.gov) In 2025, Yosemite required reservations for drivers entering between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Memorial Day weekend, daily from June 15 through August 15, and Labor Day weekend. The park also required reservations around the February firefall viewing period on Saturdays, Sundays and Washington’s Birthday. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) The new policy means day visitors can drive in without booking a slot first, but the entrance fee still applies in 2026. The park is still urging people to arrive before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m., when spring-through-fall traffic is lighter. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) Yosemite is making the shift after years of using reservations to control crowding in one of the busiest parks in the country. The National Park Service reported 323 million recreation visits across the system in 2025, and Yosemite remained one of its marquee destinations. (nps.gov) Instead of timed entry, Yosemite said it will lean on real-time traffic monitoring, active parking management in Yosemite Valley, extra staffing at key intersections and congestion alerts. The park also said it will steer visitors toward Tuolumne Meadows, Wawona, Hetch Hetchy and other areas outside Yosemite Valley. (nps.gov) Superintendent Ray McPadden said reservation systems remain “one valuable management tool,” but said a season-wide requirement was not the best fit for 2026. Acting Assistant Secretary Kevin Lilly said parks dropping timed entry this year can still use short-term traffic controls if roads or parking areas hit capacity. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) The broader federal policy changed the same day Yosemite did: the National Park Service said Arches, Glacier and Yosemite will not use timed-entry systems in 2026, while Rocky Mountain National Park will keep one from late May through mid-October. Yosemite’s version also covers the February-March Horsetail Fall period that had drawn its own reservation rules. (nps.gov) (nps.gov) For visitors, the practical change is simple: no reservation page, but no guarantee of an easy midday arrival. Yosemite said it will watch congestion closely and manage the busiest days on the ground instead of before people leave home. (nps.gov)