Yosemite ends timed reservations 2026

Yosemite National Park entered the 2026 season without the timed-entry reservations it used in recent years, after park officials said a review of 2025 operations showed a season-long system was not the best fit. The National Park Service announced the change on February 18, saying weekdays generally had available parking, stable traffic flow and visitation within operational capacity. By late May, local television and syndicated reports were already describing heavier congestion on busy weekends. The change leaves Yosemite easier to visit on short notice, while shifting more of the crowd-management burden to arrival timing, parking turnover and traveler flexibility. ### When did Yosemite drop the reservation requirement? Yosemite National Park said on February 18 that it would “no longer use a timed reservation system in 2026,” according to a park news release. The agency said the decision followed an evaluation of traffic patterns, parking availability and visitor use during the 2025 season. The National Park Service said most weekdays in 2025 maintained available parking and stable traffic flow. Park officials said those findings indicated that a season-wide reservation requirement was “not the most effective approach” for 2026. ### What are visitors seeing at the gates and in Yosemite Valley? CBS Sacramento reported on May 22 that families were continuing to visit Yosemite under the new rules and adjust to the absence of timed reservations. A separate CBS Sacramento segment said the policy change was drawing mixed reviews from visitors. AOL reported on May 23 that recent weekends brought complaints of 90-minute entrance lines, overflowing parking lots and “human traffic jams” on hiking trails. The report said Yosemite Valley parking filled early, echoing other accounts that peak-period congestion is showing up quickly at the start of the high season. The National Park Service’s Yosemite trip-planning page now tells visitors to “pack your patience,” noting that millions of people visit from April through October. The same page says no reservation is required to enter Yosemite in 2026, but the park entrance fee still applies. ### Why did the park say it made the change? The National Park Service said the 2026 access plan was meant to expand public access while maintaining safety at high-visitation parks. In its February 18 national announcement, the agency said Yosemite’s approach was tailored to the park’s infrastructure, visitation demand and coordination with state and local partners. Kevin Lilly, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s acting assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, said in that announcement that national parks “belong to the American people” and that the priority was keeping them open and accessible. Yosemite’s park-specific release tied the decision to 2025 operating data rather than to a broader policy statement alone. ### Does “no reservation” mean no planning is needed? Yosemite’s official reservation page says a reservation is not required to enter the park in 2026, but other bookings and permits still apply. The park says visitors should still reserve lodging, camping and backpacking in advance where required. The park’s permits page also says Half Dome permits remain required when the cables are up. That means the end of timed entry affects vehicle access, not every part of a Yosemite trip. ### Are other parks making similar changes? Arches National Park said on February 18 that it also would not require advanced timed-entry reservations in 2026. The park told visitors to expect possible entrance lines and limited parking at popular destinations, especially on weekends and holidays. Glacier National Park said vehicle reservations will not be required anywhere in the park in 2026. Glacier said it will instead pilot a ticketed shuttle system to Logan Pass and begin three-hour limited parking there starting July 1, weather permitting. Yosemite’s current trip-planning and reservation details remain posted on National Park Service pages for 2026, including entrance rules, campground bookings and permit requirements.