Park Statistics

Yosemite National Park, in 2012, received 4 million visitors. (Yosemite first hit the 1 million mark in 1954; 2 million in 1967; 3 million in 1987; and 4 million in 1994.)

 

Administration

• Superintendent: Don Neubacher
  
• 2011 Operating Budget: $29 million
  
• 2010 NPS Employees at Yosemite: 1,123 summer and 743 winter
• 2010 DNC Parks & Resorts Employees at Yosemite: 1,800 summer and 1,100 winter

Size

• Land Mass: 747,956 acres (or 1,169 square miles) that’s about the size of Rhode Island
• Designated Wilderness: 704,624 acres (or 1,101 square miles) that’s more than 94% of the park

Wilderness Use (number represents permits issued plus an estimate of users without permits)

• Hikers: 53,139 in 2010; 52,610 in 2009; 45,907 in 2008; 43,401 in 2007; 40,804 in 2006 and 40,728 in 2005
• Permits: 18,632 in 2010; 18,777 in 2009; 15,156 in 2008; 15,125 in 2007; 14,141 in 2006; and 14,222 in 2005
• Overnight stays: 142,864 in 2010; 142,623 in 2009; 124,817 in 2008; 112,049 in 2007; 82,484 in 2006; and 81,870 in 2005

 

The Ahwahnee

Infrastructure

• Paved roads: 214 miles
• Graded roads: 68 miles
• Paved walks and bicycle paths: 20 miles
• Trails: 800 miles (more about Pacific Crest Trail and John Muir Trail)

Lodging (all overseen by DNC Parks & Resorts)

• The Ahwahnee: 123 units
• Yosemite Lodge: 245 units
• Curry Village: 498 units
• Housekeeping Camp: 264 units
• Wawona Hotel: 104 units
• Tuolumne Lodge: 69 units
• White Wolf: 28 units
• High Sierra Camps: 55 units

Campgrounds (1,504 total sites, with a maximum of 9,372 campers)

• Yosemite Valley Family Sites: 464 sites accommodating 2,784 people
• Tioga/Big Oak Flat/Hetch Hetchy: 871 sites for 5,226 people
• Glacier Point/Wawona: 203 sites for 1,218 people
• Group campsites: 16 group campsites (for 463 people); and 9 horse campsites (54 people)
• Leave No Trace: NPS helps campers take only pictures and leave only footprints through a 9.5-minute video. Learn more about LNT at Yosemite or at www.LNT.org.

Yosemite structures (1,133 total)

• NPS buildings: 747
  
• Concession buildings: 386
  

Bridges

• Vehicle bridges: 30
• Trail bridges: 97
• Road tunnels: 4

Visitor Use

• Park visitors: 3,996,017 in 2012; 4,098,648 in 2011; 4 million in 2010; 3.88 million in 2009; 3.6 million in 2008; 3.6 million in 2007; 3.4 million in 2006; and 3.4 million in 2005 (Visitation to the park peaked in 1996 with 4,190,557 visitors.)
• Search and rescue operations: 245 in 2010--including 62 helicopter rescues, 242 in 2009; 248 in 2008; 238 in 2007; 219 in 2006; and 216 in 2005
• Motor vehicle accidents: 670 in 2010; 557 in 2009; 576 in 2008; 420 in 2007; 441 in 2006; and 405 in 2005
• Citations by park rangers (infractions like $250 for disturbing wildlife and $150 for taking pets into wilderness): 2,469 in 2010; 2,886 in 2009; 2,935 in 2008; 3,101 in 2007; 3,337 in 2006; and 4,140 in 2005
• Warnings by park rangers: 11,223 in 2010; 20,529 in 2009; 18,700 in 2008; 14,636 in 2007; 14,086 in 2006; and 14,868 in 2005

Visitor Study
Yosemite National Park conducted a winter survey for one week in February 2008. There was a 60% response rate. The entire survey and results can be viewed at the Yosemite National Park Visitor Study: Winter 2008 [638 kb PDF].

• 91% of visitors were U.S. residents; 89% of those were from California.
• 9% of visitors were international visitors. With 9% each from Germany, Korea, Taiwan, United Kindgom.
• 20% of respondents had visited Yosemite National Park at least twice in the past 12 months.
• 26% of respondents were visiting Yosemite National Park for the first time.
• 29% of respondents identified themselves as Asian, Hispanic, American Indian and/or African American.
• 84% of respondents listed "sightseeing or taking a scenic drive" as their primary activity, 73% taking photographs/painting/drawing and 35% listed "hiking".

Yosemite National Park had a comprehensive survey conducted for one week in July 2009. In it, 1,326 visitor groups were systematically selected from all five park entrance stations. There was a 65% response rate. The entire survey and results can be viewed at Yosemite National Park Visitor Study: Summer 2009 [1.5 MB PDF].

• 75% of visitors were U.S. residents; and 62% of those were from California.
• 25% of visitors were international visitors. Of those, 14% were from the United Kingdom, 13% from Germany, and small proportions from 31 other countries.
• 87% of respondents had visited Yosemite National Park at least once in the past 12 months.
• 57% of respondents were visiting Yosemite National Park for the first time.
• 11% of the respondents identified themselves as Hispanic, and 11% as Asian. Of those Asian visitors, the most well-represented races were Chinese (24%) and Japanese (22%).
• 93% of respondents listed "viewing scenery" as their primary activity.
  
• The average length of stay for overnight visitors in the park was 57 hours (2.4 days) and the average length of stay in the areas was 83 hours (3.5 days).
• The median group expenditure in the park and the surrounding 50-mile area was $490.
  

Learn more about visitor use and park's management strategies.

More Park Statistics

• View the park's natural resource statistics at a glance.