Yosemite drops day reservations

Yosemite National Park has dropped its day-use vehicle reservation system for all of 2026. (nps.gov) The National Park Service announced the change on February 18, 2026, after reviewing traffic, parking, and visitor-use data from 2025. Park officials said most weekdays still had parking available, stable traffic flow, and visitation within operating capacity. (nps.gov) Visitors can now enter without an advance day-use pass during peak summer months and during the February-March Horsetail Fall viewing period, which Yosemite had previously managed with reservations. Entrance fees still apply, and reservations are still needed for things like campgrounds, lodging, wilderness permits, and Half Dome hikes. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) Yosemite is making the shift after one of its busiest years. National Park Service data show the park logged more than 4.2 million recreation visits in 2025, part of a systemwide total of 323 million visits across the National Park System. (nps.gov) (outsideonline.com) The reservation debate has been running for years because Yosemite’s crowds are concentrated in Yosemite Valley and along a few marquee routes, not spread evenly across the park’s 1,100-plus square miles. The park said a season-long reservation rule was not the most effective tool for 2026 and will instead use temporary traffic diversions and other real-time controls when parking fills up. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) That approach has drawn competing reactions. Superintendent Ray McPadden said the park will keep “active traffic management strategies” to protect access, safety, and resources, while Senator Alex Padilla said the administration had already scaled back Yosemite’s 2025 reservation plan after delays and warned weaker reservation systems can make crowd management harder. (nps.gov) (padilla.senate.gov) Yosemite Conservancy said travelers should expect simpler trip planning on paper but not necessarily easier conditions on the ground, especially if the National Park Service cannot fully staff campgrounds, visitor centers, bathrooms, and traffic operations. The group tied that warning to a White House budget proposal for fiscal year 2027 that would cut National Park Service operations by $736 million. (yosemite.org) (uniondemocrat.com) For visitors, the practical advice has shifted from “book a timed entry” to “arrive early or late.” Yosemite now says the busiest stretch runs from April through October and recommends entering before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. to avoid the worst backups. (nps.gov) So the gate is more open in 2026, but Yosemite is still asking people to plan around congestion, parking limits, and a park that remains one of the busiest in the country. (nps.gov)