You can now visit Yosemite National Park without needing a reservation for the remainder of 2024
Yosemite National Park has concluded its reservation period early, letting visitors drive through the park without a reservation for the remainder of 2024. As for 2025, that decision is still undecided.
The early end of the reservation season at Yosemite National Park means visitors can now freely drive through the beautiful California park without needing a reservation for the remainder of the year.
The Yosemite National Park Service announced this change on Thursday, noting through a social media update that the 2024 reservation season will conclude after the weekend of October 13. Henceforth, visitors will no longer need to book an online reservation to access the park.
The online reservation system was implemented to help manage the park’s visitor numbers and alleviate traffic congestion created by millions of guests from around the world each year.
“Yosemite has faced congestion issues, even gridlock, for many years. We aim to utilize insights gained from the managed access over the past three summers,” the park stated.
The reservation system has been a contentious topic at Yosemite and other national parks. Critics argue that parks should permanently remain open to the public, asserting that the reservations hinder spontaneous visits and may be challenging for those less familiar with technology. Conversely, advocates of the reservation system believe that limiting visitor numbers helps keep the parks cleaner and less crowded, creating a more enjoyable experience.
Following an analysis of “visitor patterns and impacts” from the reservation system, Yosemite opted to conclude the requirement earlier than anticipated. Originally, they had planned to maintain reservations until October 27.
‘No reservation needed’ at Yosemite National Park for 2024
Even though visitors no longer require a reservation to drive through Yosemite, they are still expected to pay a park entrance fee of $35 per vehicle.
It remains unclear if Yosemite will continue the “peak-hours” reservation system into the next year. More information about visitor access management for February 2025 and summer 2025 will be announced by the end of the year, according to the National Park Service website.
Visitors who held peak-hours reservations valid after October 13 were automatically refunded, according to the recent social media update.
As of now, the National Park Service has not provided further comments in response to inquiries from YSL News.
