Yosemite License Plate Reader Cameras

Yosemite operates a traffic-monitoring system to measure vehicle counts and entrance station wait times. It uses roadside cameras with automated license plate recognition (LPR) to match a vehicle seen at one point on a road against the same vehicle seen at a second point, which yields a travel time between those two points. Plate text is used as a matching key for that purpose. The cameras are not connected to any law enforcement or DMV database. The cameras do not collect information about people. The traffic-monitoring system allows the park to provide information to park visitors, helping them make informed decisions about when to visit and what areas of the park are full or have parking available.

Camera Locations

There are seven sites currently active in the park, four of those sites measure wait times at entrance stations: Arch Rock Entrance, South Entrance, Big Oak Flat Entrance, and the park boundary at Highway 140. One site, at Chinquapin, measures the number of cars on Glacier Point Road. Two sites, in Yosemite Valley, measure the number of cars entering and exiting the East Valley.

Additional sites used during the 2025 summer season are currently inactive but may be used again in the future, including: Wawona, Crane Flat, Big Oak Flat Tunnel, Tuolumne Meadows, and Tioga Pass. The purpose of these sites is to measure the number of cars in those corridors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yosemite National Park operates traffic-monitoring cameras that detect license plates to provide live wait times for park entrance gates and to count vehicles in defined corridors. Live vehicle counts help determine parking availability, which can help visitors make informed decisions about which areas of the park they want to visit based on real-time conditions.

What is a License Plate Reader (LPR)?

A license plate reader (LPR) camera takes an image of a car passing by. The license plate alphanumeric ID is translated into text through a process called optical character recognition (OCR).

What information does LPR collect?

The traffic-monitoring cameras in Yosemite capture text (alphanumeric) contained in an image as a vehicle drives by, which may include the license plate number, car-branding labels (make and/or model), or other labels (shuttle bus, Park Ranger, etc).

Does Yosemite use LPR for law enforcement purposes?

The system is not for law enforcement purposes, and Yosemite LPR cameras are not connected to any law enforcement or DMV database. Yosemite releases LPR records to law enforcement for the following reasons:

• To support an ongoing investigation that is already based on an independent factual predicate, upon request of a law enforcement ranger. License plate reader information may not provide the factual basis to initiate an investigation.
• To locate a vehicle, either for a valid, active law enforcement purpose or to assist in a search for a missing or at-risk person
• To share vehicle information with other law enforcement agencies in response to a valid request or legal requirement

How long does Yosemite keep this information?

Image retention is 30 days except during system development. The associated text record is anonymized and kept indefinitely as a history of park visitation, much like traffic counts are kept today.

Who has access to the information LPRs collect?

Only a limited number of Yosemite staff who manage the program have access to video footage and the underlying information derived from the traffic-monitoring camera system. The public does not have access to that material. Yosemite staff generates more generic information, such as statistics and wait times to share more widely with park staff and the public.

Does Yosemite use Flock cameras?

No. Yosemite does not use Flock LPRs, cameras, or software.