News Release

Yosemite National Park seeks public input for visitor access planning

Date: December 9, 2022

YOSEMITE VALLEY, Calif. – Yosemite National Park is initiating a public comment period for a Visitor Access Management Plan today. The park will seek input on how visitors can plan future visits to one of the most popular sites in the National Park System.

A series of public meetings, both virtual and in-person, will begin in January 2023. The 8-week public comment period will last through Feb. 3, 2023. 

"Yosemite's primary focus is to ensure visitors are not only fully welcomed into the park, but they get a world-class experience," said Yosemite National Park Superintendent Cicely Muldoon. "This is a bustling park and providing for and managing visitation has become increasingly complex due to growth in day-use visitation and changes in how visitors enjoy the park." 

Muldoon said planning for and managing visitation and resource preservation is at the heart of the NPS mission. She hopes the public will weigh in, virtually and in-person, to provide input on how the park can improve visitor experiences, reduce impacts to park resources and protect wildlife and other valuable natural resources.

Yosemite National Park has piloted reservation systems for the last three summers. In 2020 and 2021, the park piloted a reservation system due to the pandemic. Earlier this year, the park implemented a “peak hours” reservation system due to extensive construction that was going on throughout the park. 

Data gathered during this three-year period will help inform park management on a range of alternatives to provide for the highest quality visitor access in the future. 

"Now is the time to address the park's future, and we are looking forward to beginning the process," Muldoon added. “We want to conduct a fully transparent planning process where the public will have an opportunity to contribute every step of the way.”  

As was announced in November, Yosemite will not implement a reservation system for the summer of 2023. However, the park will require reservations for the last three weekends of February 2023. 

During that time of year, thousands of visitors visit Horsetail Fall, a waterfall that creates the illusion that the water is on fire. The surge in visitation has led to full parking lots, parking overflowing into traffic lanes, pedestrian-vehicle conflicts causing safety issues, and damage to natural and cultural resources. Reservations will go on sale for that event at Recreation.gov on Jan. 13, 2023. Each reservation will be valid for seven days. 

Public meetings for the planning process will begin in January. Dates and times for these meetings will be posted on the project website. Specific details about these gatherings can be viewed on the project website.

The meetings will provide information on the planning process. Attendees will work with park management and planners to brainstorm and discuss concrete ideas. Comments gathered during this period will help the park identify issues important to managing Yosemite visitor access in the future.

Current information about the public comment period for the Visitor Access Management Plan and the Horsetail Fall event can be found on the park's website and social media channels.