SF Chronicle: California senators urge Yosemite to bring back reservations as crowds grow
By Aidin Vaziri
Two California senators are urging federal park leaders to consider restoring vehicle reservations at Yosemite National Park if peak-season crowds overwhelm roads, parking lots and staff.
In a letter this week to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron, Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff said they were “deeply concerned” about Yosemite’s ability to manage visitation after the park dropped its timed-entry system for 2026.
“The increased visitation we have seen without the reservation system, mixed with the reduction in staff and resources over the past year, leaves us deeply concerned about how the Park will be able to manage visitation safely and effectively protect park resources during the peak summer months,” the senators wrote.
Yosemite announced in February that it would not require vehicle reservations this year, saying a review of 2025 traffic, parking and visitor-use data showed that a season-wide requirement was not the most effective approach.
The National Park Service described the broader 2026 policy, which also affected other high-visitation parks, as an effort to expand public access while maintaining safety.
Padilla and Schiff said early-season conditions have already tested that approach.
Their letter cited National Park Service data showing March visitation rose 45% from the same month last year, along with reports of gridlock in Yosemite Valley, crowded trails, full parking lots and visitors parking off-road on vegetation and in meadows.
Staffing cuts have compounded those concerns.
A coalition of National Park Service advocacy groups said last July that the agency had lost about 4,000 employees since January 2025 through terminations, pressured buyouts, deferred resignations and early retirement buyouts. The groups said the losses amounted to a 24% decline in permanent staff, on top of a 20% drop since 2010, and had left parks shorthanded during peak visitation.
The Interior Department has disputed claims that staffing levels have harmed park operations, telling National Parks Traveler that staffing and operations were “on par with previous years.”
At Yosemite, the senators said those staffing pressures are colliding with the end of reservations. Their letter said science and safety staff have been “rerouted and stretched thin” to handle traffic monitoring and maintenance.
Their warning comes as park safety and transparency have drawn broader scrutiny.
In a June 26 letter, the Association of National Park Rangers said national parks were facing a summer “crisis,” citing recent visitor deaths and reports that Interior Department guidance restricted what park employees could publicly say about fatalities and serious injuries.
The Interior Department has disputed that characterization, saying the guidance was being misrepresented.
Recent incidents have highlighted the hazards facing visitors during the busy season. In Yosemite, a 22-year-old man died after being swept over Nevada Fall on June 20. In Sequoia National Park, a 17-year-old girl drowned after falling into a river, according to the Tulare County Coroner’s Office.
Yosemite used reservations during the summers of 2020 through 2022 and again in 2024. The senators said the system improved visitor experiences while allowing more than 4.1 million people to visit in 2024, the fifth-highest visitation year in the park’s history.
Yosemite’s own guidance warns travelers to expect delays, crowded trails and limited parking from spring through fall, especially in the valley.
The senators asked Burgum and Bowron to provide the scientific evaluations, public engagement records and underlying data used to justify ending the reservation system. They also asked whether the agency would bring back a system similar to the one used in 2024 if this year’s peak season becomes too burdensome.
Padilla and Schiff also raised safety and conservation concerns.
The senators said their offices had received reports that multiple bears had been hit by vehicles this summer. They asked how Yosemite leaders plan to reduce wildlife conflicts, manage congestion that can delay park employees, and monitor impacts to meadows, air quality and the Yosemite Valley ecosystem.
“Given peak summer visitation is rapidly approaching,” they wrote, “we look forward to hearing from you to understand your plans to balance visitor access without degrading natural resource conservation or hindering visitor experiences.”
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