Yosemite peak‑season permits start soon

Anyone planning a Yosemite road trip this summer should check the rules again: the park said on February 18, 2026, that it will not require timed entry reservations this year. (nps.gov) The National Park Service said the change followed a review of 2025 traffic, parking and visitor-use data that found most weekdays stayed within the park’s operating capacity. Superintendent Ray McPadden said Yosemite will keep using active traffic management instead of a season-long reservation system. (nps.gov) Visitors still have to pay the entrance fee: $35 per private vehicle, valid for seven consecutive days, unless they use an annual or interagency pass. The park’s fees page also says entrance fees and reservation requirements are separate rules, so a pass would not have replaced a timed-entry booking when one existed. (nps.gov) That makes 2026 different from recent peak seasons, when Yosemite used reservations on selected high-demand dates to manage congestion. The park’s archived 2025 guidance said 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 were likely to need one. (nps.gov) Spring remains one of the busiest times to visit because Yosemite’s waterfalls are usually strongest during snowmelt. The Park Service says peak runoff typically arrives in May or June, and some falls can shrink to a trickle or dry up by August. (nps.gov) As of last week, Yosemite said Yosemite Falls, Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall and Bridalveil Fall were all flowing high. The same conditions update said snowpack on April 1 measured 22% of average in the Tuolumne River basin and 27% in the Merced River basin, while warning visitors to use extreme caution near rivers and creeks. (nps.gov) The practical bottleneck now is less about entry permits and more about timing, parking and road access. Yosemite’s visitor guide says millions of people come between April and October and advises drivers to arrive before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. to avoid the worst delays. (nps.gov) Some marquee areas are still limited by seasonal closures. Yosemite’s road status page says Tioga Road, Glacier Point Road and Mariposa Grove Road were closed for the season due to snow as of this week, which can narrow first-time itineraries even when the gate is open. (nps.gov) Overnight trips still require advance planning even without a park-entry reservation. Yosemite’s official pages route camping and activity bookings through Recreation.gov, and separate permits are still required for things like Half Dome day hikes and overnight wilderness travel. (recreation.gov) (nps.gov) So the 2026 Yosemite message is simpler than the one many travelers remember: pay the entrance fee, watch road and waterfall conditions, and get there early if you want the valley before the traffic does. (nps.gov)