Yosemite Announces New Reservation Plans for Summer 2025
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Yosemite National Park will reintroduce a reservation system this summer during some of its busiest periods, the National Park Service (NPS) announced Tuesday. The move, set to begin Memorial Day weekend, is aimed at reducing congestion in the park during peak hours.
Why It Matters
Before Yosemite implemented its first trial reservation system five years ago, the park regularly recorded more than 4 million annual visitors. This high volume led to severe congestion, including hour-long delays at park entrances, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Landscape image of El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite National Park with the rocky shore of the Merced River in the foreground.
Landscape image of El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite National Park with the rocky shore of the Merced River in the foreground.
PaulWhat To Know
The summer reservation requirement will apply to visitors entering the park between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. on select days between May 24 and September 1, 2025. The decision follows months of uncertainty after a permanent plan was temporarily paused for review by incoming officials from the Trump administration, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Reservations will be required between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. during these specific windows:
May 24–26 (Memorial Day weekend)
June 15–August 15 (daily)
August 30–September 1 (Labor Day weekend)
Visitors entering the park outside of those hours do not need a reservation, but early arrivals before 2 p.m. without one risk being cited if they block roads. The system also applies to drivers simply passing through Yosemite during those times.
Reservations open on Recreation.gov on May 6 at 8 a.m. PDT, and cost $2, excluding the standard $35-per-car entrance fee. Additional reservations will be available seven days before each date. Each user may book up to two reservations per three-day period.
Holders of permits for in-park lodging or camping, Half Dome hikes, wilderness trips, or those using YARTS transit or authorized tours are exempt from the new day-use requirement.
What People Are Saying
The National Park Service said in a statement: "This system ensures all visitors, whether they plan in advance or decide last minute, can experience the park each day. It also spreads visitation across the day so that visitors have a better experience."
The NPS added: "In response to public and gateway community feedback, we temporarily shortened the period the entrance fee is valid during the reservation periods in 2021, 2022, and 2024 to increase the number of reservations available, ultimately providing more opportunities for people to visit. This change was successful, so we are temporarily applying this timeframe again during the reservation season."
What Happens Next
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, it has not yet been determined whether this year's plan will be continued in future years.
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