Yosemite reservation rules, fees updated

Yosemite National Park will not require vehicle reservations in 2026, dropping the timed-entry system it used during recent peak seasons. (nps.gov) The National Park Service announced the change on February 18, 2026, after reviewing 2025 traffic patterns, parking availability and visitor-use data. Superintendent Ray McPadden said the park found that most weekdays stayed within operational capacity. (nps.gov) The entrance fee did not disappear with the reservation rule. Yosemite says a private vehicle still costs $35 for seven consecutive days, and the America the Beautiful annual pass covers entrance fees across federal recreation sites for $80. (nps.gov) The main change is that visitors no longer need a separate booking just to drive in. Yosemite’s trip-planning page now says plainly that “a reservation is not required to enter Yosemite in 2026,” while still urging reservations for lodging, camping and backpacking. (nps.gov) That marks a break from 2025, when 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 a peak-hours reservation. (nps.gov) Instead of a season-wide reservation system, the park said it will lean on real-time traffic monitoring, active parking management in Yosemite Valley, extra staffing at key intersections and road-condition alerts. (nps.gov) Yosemite is also steering visitors toward weekday trips and destinations outside Yosemite Valley, including Tuolumne Meadows, Wawona and Hetch Hetchy. The park says millions of people visit between April and October, and advises arriving before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. to avoid the worst congestion. (nps.gov)