Yosemite day‑use reservations flagged
Advocates warned that a proposed federal cut of $736 million to the National Park Service would compound problems after the elimination of Yosemite day‑use reservations, potentially leaving visitation uncapped. (uniondemocrat.com) Local critics say removing day permits risks overwhelming shuttles and park infrastructure if visitor numbers aren’t limited. (uniondemocrat.com)
Yosemite will not require timed entry reservations in 2026, even as a White House budget proposal seeks to cut National Park Service operations by $736 million. (nps.gov) (whitehouse.gov) Yosemite National Park said on February 18 that it dropped the season-wide reservation system after reviewing 2025 traffic, parking and visitor-use data. Superintendent Ray McPadden said weekdays generally had available parking and traffic stayed within the park’s operating capacity. (nps.gov) The park said it will rely instead on real-time traffic monitoring, active parking management in Yosemite Valley, extra staffing at key intersections, and alerts about congestion and road conditions. It also said it will push visitors toward weekdays and destinations outside Yosemite Valley, including Tuolumne Meadows, Wawona and Hetch Hetchy. (nps.gov) That marks a shift from 2025, when Yosemite required reservations for 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. The park had used timed or peak-hours entry limits in recent years to manage crowding during the busiest periods. (nps.gov) The new concern is staffing. The White House’s fiscal year 2027 budget documents put the National Park Service request at about $2.2 billion, and Interior budget papers say the agency projects 13,119 full-time equivalent positions in 2027. (doi.gov) (whitehouse.gov) The National Parks Conservation Association said the proposal would cut park operations by $736 million, and local advocates told the Union Democrat that fewer workers could leave Yosemite trying to manage peak-season traffic without a cap on day visitors. The same report said critics fear overloaded shuttles, packed parking areas and added strain on roads and other visitor infrastructure. (npca.org) (uniondemocrat.com) The administration’s budget case is different. Interior’s fiscal 2027 budget papers say the request prioritizes “core operations” such as law enforcement, safety, visitor services and facility operations while cutting programs outside what it calls the National Park System’s core mission. (doi.gov) Congress, not the White House, will decide final spending levels for fiscal year 2027. Until then, Yosemite is heading into its first reservation-free peak season since it adopted pandemic-era entry controls, with traffic management plans intact and the funding fight unresolved. (whitehouse.gov) (nps.gov)
