Scattering Cremated Remains

The National Park Service normally grants permission to those wishing to scatter cremated remains within the borders of Yosemite National Park.

To receive permission, please send a letter to Attn: Cremated Remains Permits, National Park Service, PO Box 577, Yosemite National Park, CA 95389. Include in your letter your name, address, and daytime phone number. Also include the name of the deceased and his/her relationship to you (e.g., sister, husband, mother, friend, etc.).

With a letter of permission, you may scatter cremated remains with the following conditions:

• All such activity must be done out of sight of any public access, such as roads, trails, parking areas, etc.;
• All such activity must be at least 100 yards from any watercourse;
• Cremains must be spread over an area large enough that no single portion is accumulated in one place.

No markers of any kind may be left to commemorate the event. However, the Yosemite Chapel keeps a Book of Memories and the deceased's name could be entered in that book. Please call the chapel at 209/372-4831 for more information.

Yosemite National Park is under federal jurisdiction and is, therefore, sovereign in its lands and not subject to the limitations regarding land use by the State of California. Permission by the National Park Service to scatter cremated remains assumes that necessary permission from the state has been secured for the disposition of cremated remains.