Yosemite reopens trails and campgrounds

Yosemite National Park said on May 13 that it is reopening more trails, climbing areas and campground capacity ahead of the summer season, with Tioga Road scheduled to open to vehicles on May 15. Superintendent Ray McPadden said the park was expanding access while continuing resource protection. The changes add high-country driving access, restore some routes that had been closed for safety monitoring and put all front-country campgrounds into the summer lineup. Glacier Point Road had already reopened on May 9, according to the National Park Service. ### Which roads are opening, and when can drivers use them? Tioga Road will open for the season to all traffic on Friday, May 15, at 8 a.m., according to Yosemite’s road update page. The road is the Highway 120 route across the park and provides vehicle access to Tuolumne Meadows and the eastern side of Yosemite. The park said limited services will be available along the road, with vault and portable toilets but no drinking water or other services. (nps.gov) Glacier Point Road opened to vehicles on Saturday, May 9, at 8 a.m., the same update said. National Parks Traveler, citing an NPS release, said the reopening restores access to high-elevation trailheads and overlooks above Yosemite Valley. ### What is reopening beyond the roads? Yosemite said a section of the Valley Loop Trail near Royal Arches is reopening, along with several climbing routes that had been closed for safety monitoring. (nps.gov) National Parks Traveler reported those changes on May 13 from NPS material. The park’s current-conditions page separately says climbing closures remain in effect on several routes each year from March 1 through July 15 to protect peregrine falcons, and other closures may occur during the year. The Ice Cut section of the John Muir Trail is expected to reopen in July after visitor-safety and trail improvements, National Parks Traveler reported. Yosemite’s wilderness conditions page says current trail closures are listed on the park’s conditions page and warns that open trails may still have hazards including rockfall, snow and ice. (nationalparkstraveler.org) ### What does the campground picture look like this summer? Yosemite has 13 campgrounds on a reservation system from April through October, according to the park’s campground reservation page. National Parks Traveler reported that all front-country campgrounds will be open this summer and available through Recreation.gov. The park’s general camping page says reservations are required for all campgrounds from about April through October and are usually difficult to get. (nationalparkstraveler.org) Upper Pines remains open year-round, but Yosemite’s Pines Campgrounds page says the campground will close from May 26 through June 8 for internal road construction. That page lists 236 total sites at Upper Pines and says reservations are required year-round. ### What should hikers know about Half Dome and permits? Half Dome will open on May 15, National Parks Traveler reported, and daily lottery permits opened on May 13. (nps.gov) The outlet said applications for the daily lottery are accepted two days before the desired hiking date. The National Park Service says a maximum of 300 hikers are allowed each day beyond the base of the subdome when the cables are up, including about 225 day hikers and 75 backpackers. (nps.gov) Yosemite’s permits page also says an entrance reservation is not required to enter the park in 2026, though separate permits or reservations are still required for activities such as camping, wilderness trips and Half Dome hikes. (nationalparkstraveler.org) ### What did the park say about the summer push? Ray McPadden said in the NPS material carried by National Parks Traveler that Yosemite was continuing to expand access while protecting the park’s resources. He said the park was “excited to welcome visitors to more areas of the park this summer” and urged people to plan ahead. (nps.gov) Recreation.gov remains the booking site for campground reservations and wilderness permits, according to Yosemite’s reservation pages. Tioga Road is scheduled to open at 8 a.m. on May 15, and the Ice Cut section of the John Muir Trail is expected to reopen in July after trail work, according to the park update and the NPS-based report. (nps.gov) (nationalparkstraveler.org)