Yosemite drops entry reservations

Yosemite is dropping the gatekeeping part of a Yosemite trip in 2026: if you want to drive in, you will not need the timed entry reservation that covered parts of recent summers and the Horsetail Fall rush. The park announced the change on February 18, 2026, after reviewing how traffic and parking worked in 2025. (nps.gov) That does not mean Yosemite is turning into a free-for-all with no controls at all. The National Park Service says the entrance fee still applies, and separate reservations still matter for things like lodging, campgrounds, wilderness permits, and Half Dome permits. (nps.gov) The park’s explanation is pretty specific. Yosemite says most weekdays in the 2025 season still had available parking, stable traffic flow, and visitation levels that stayed within what the park could handle, so a season-long reservation rule no longer looked like the best tool. (nps.gov) Yosemite has been bouncing between different access systems for years because one valley floor has to absorb millions of visitors. The park’s own trip-planning page warns that millions of people visit between April and October, and that Yosemite Valley is where most of them want to go. (nps.gov) That crowding is why reservations existed in the first place. In 2025, drivers needed a reservation between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Memorial Day weekend, every day from June 15 through August 15, and Labor Day weekend, with separate February controls for Horsetail Fall. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) Horsetail Fall is the best example of why Yosemite keeps tinkering with access rules. For a short window in February, the setting sun can light the waterfall on El Capitan so it glows orange, and that one photo opportunity draws thousands of people into the same stretch of Yosemite Valley. (nps.gov) In 2026, even that famous bottleneck will not require a vehicle reservation. Yosemite says no reservation is required during the projected February 10 to February 26 viewing period, but visitors will be routed into a managed parking-and-walking plan instead of being allowed to scatter cars wherever they fit. (nps.gov) The practical advice from the park sounds less like “come anytime” and more like “come smart.” Yosemite is telling people to arrive before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. from spring through fall, and for Horsetail Fall it is pushing carpooling, shuttles, and a 1.5-mile walk each way from the viewing access point. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) So the 2026 change removes one planning hurdle, but it does not remove the math problem. Yosemite says it will lean on real-time traffic measures, temporary diversions when parking fills, and extra seasonal staff, which is what parks do when demand is still high but the reservation gate is gone. (nps.gov) If you are thinking about a 2026 Yosemite trip, the new rule is simple: you can decide later, but you probably still need to arrive earlier. The park’s own language is blunt that parking pressure, congestion, and long waits are still part of the Yosemite equation even without the old reservation screen. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2)