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San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Here are Yosemite's busiest entrances
Summer visitors flocking to Yosemite National Park can expect to hit the longest lines at the park's southern gate, acting superintendent Ray McPadden said Tuesday. Located two miles from the town of Fish Camp, that gate marks the park's only south-facing entrance, making it a hotspot for visitors from the Los Angeles area. Yosemite's second-busiest access point — the Big Oak Flat entrance, off Highway 120 — shares the load of Bay Area visitors with the Arch Rock Entrance, located down Highway 140. It's been almost three months since Yosemite began implementing a contentious new reservation system designed to keep the crowds of visitors at bay. Hourlong waits at popular entrance stations were common before the park launched its first trial reservation system five years ago. Now, McPadden said, Yosemite aims to keep wait times to a maximum of 10 minutes. 'Good news is, the vast majority of the days, you're going to wait less than 10 minutes,' McPadden told the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors this week. 'Bad news is, Saturday mornings, people are still very much piling up.' Wait times can jump up to almost an hour between 9 and 11 a.m. on Saturday mornings, McPadden said. Park leadership hopes to 'cycle people through faster' during these times, especially at the park's most popular entrances. They're piloting a public connectivity program at the Big Oak Flat entrance, he added — granting visitors internet access so they can pull up information about their reservation and lodgings on their cellphones while they wait in line. Yosemite's system requires reservations for visitors who enter the park between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Memorial Day weekend, between June 15 and Aug. 15, and over Labor Day weekend. It's a more relaxed version of the permanent day-use requirements that the park had planned to introduce this year, but put on an indefinite hold to give the Trump administration time to review the changes. The first Memorial Day under the reservation requirements went smoothly in spite of initial concerns that they would sow confusion at the gates. And McPadden portrayed the 'visitor-friendly' pilot system as an overall success. 'What we're generally seeing is people are getting to go where they want to go,' McPadden said. 'Traffic is free-flowing in the park. We're not seeing crazy lines. We're not seeing our ambulances failing to get to emergencies or any other emergency service disruptions. So this is all good.' The park is projected to hit 4.5 million visitors by the end of 2025, he added, which could make it the park's second or third busiest year on record. Yosemite set its visitation record when it welcomed more than 5 million visitors in 2016, the centennial year of the National Park system. Although McPadden did not say whether the pilot reservation system would be here to stay, he expressed optimism that the park would soon move toward a consistent 'new normal.'
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Travel + Leisure
30-07-2025
- Travel + Leisure
One of the Largest National Park Campgrounds in the U.S. Just Reopened After a Major Renovation—With New Hike-in Camp Sites and an Amphitheater
One of the largest campgrounds in the national parks system will reopen next month after a three year renovation. Yosemite National Park's famed Tuolumne Meadows Campground, which can accommodate as many as 2,200 visitors, will reopen on Aug. 1, according to the National Park Service (NPS). The opening follows a $26 million renovation that first began in 2022. Visitors to the California park's campground will enjoy brand-new and upgraded restrooms (including a new winter camping vault toilet), new picnic tables, fire pits, and even food lockers to safely keep wildlife away. In addition, there are 29 new hike-in camping sites, and upgrades to the infrastructure, including replacing the water distribution system. The campsite is also home to the Dana Campfire Circle amphitheater, which is used for ranger-led evening programs and has similarly been renovated with new accessible routes and companion seating. 'Tuolumne Meadows is a treasured destination for families, backpackers, equestrians, and nature lovers from around the world,' Yosemite's Acting Superintendent Ray McPadden said in a statement, adding the NPS has "been able to revitalize this beloved campground in a way that honors its past, protects its environment, and prepares it for future generations of visitors.' Reservations for the campground are required and can be made on Base reservations cost $36 per night. As of the time of publication, reservations were completely sold out through Aug. 5. Popular among outdoor enthusiasts, the campsite offers access to hiking, rock climbing, backpacking, and fishing. Travelers should take caution due to the presence of bears, and keep in mind the campsite does not feature electric hook-ups. The campsite also sits at a higher elevation, which may cause breathing difficulties. Officials added travelers who do plan a visit to the campground should "be mindful of young plants and shrubs by keeping all wheels on parking pads and camping equipment within established campsites." Spanning about 140 acres, the Tuolumne Meadows Campgrounds is the largest in Yosemite. The campground is located 90 minutes from Yosemite Valley, but boasts a small store, grill, and post office nearby. In addition to Tuolumne Meadows Campgrounds, the NPS also opened two more sites in Yosemite earlier this month: the Porcupine Flat and the Bridalveil Creek campgrounds. The former is a "more primitive" option near Porcupine Creek (the only water source available), while the latter is located just 7 miles west of Glacier Point and features several hiking trails along Glacier Point Road.
San Francisco Chronicle
30-06-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Yosemite just announced when Tuolumne Meadows Campground will reopen
For the first time in three years, campers will be able to return to Tuolumne Meadows Campground on August 1 as Yosemite National Park completes a $26 million renovation funded by the Great American Outdoors Act. The project marked the most extensive overhaul of the high-country campground since its construction in the 1930s. Closed since 2022, Tuolumne Meadows serves as a vital basecamp for hikers, backpackers and equestrians exploring Yosemite's eastern wilderness. According to the National Park Service, the site typically welcomes more than 140,000 overnight guests each year. 'Thanks to the Great American Outdoors Act, we've been able to revitalize this beloved campground in a way that honors its past, protects its environment, and prepares it for future generations of visitors,' Acting Superintendent Ray McPadden said in a statement. The renovation addressed more than $11 million in deferred maintenance and introduced numerous upgrades, including 29 new hike-in campsites, 10 accessible restrooms, modernized picnic facilities, upgraded water and sewer systems, and improved access to the campground's popular amphitheater. Additionally, 21 campsites were removed from the sensitive buffer zone along the Tuolumne River to restore riparian habitat. Porcupine Flat and Bridalveil Creek campgrounds will reopen July 15, with reservations for all three high-country sites available starting July 1 on The park initially planned to close at least one site — the Yosemite Valley backpackers campground, a favorite among Half Dome hikers — due to staffing shortages linked to federal workforce cuts under the Trump administration. Instead, the park will expand its camping inventory by roughly 500 sites with additional openings, including White Wolf, Tamarack Flat, and Yosemite Creek, all located along Tioga Road near Tuolumne Meadows.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Yahoo
All of Yosemite's campgrounds will be open this summer for the first time since 2019
For the first time since 2019, all 13 of Yosemite's campgrounds will be open to visitors this summer, the National Parks Service announced. The additional openings will mean an extra 500 more campsites available than in recent years. The park is one of America's most visited, with more than 4 million visitors in 2024. "We're very excited to have these campgrounds open to the public as we enter the busy summer season," said Ray McPadden, acting superintendent at Yosemite National Park in a news release. "Camping in this park is truly a magical experience, and we want to provide the opportunity for as many visitors as possible." Maintenance and staffing challenges kept several campgrounds closed each year beginning in 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Summer is peak season at Yosemite, and many of the park's campgrounds will be opening within the next few weeks. White Wolf Campground will open on June 20, and Tamarack Flat Campground on June 23, the parks service said. Yosemite Creek Campground is set to open July 1. Opening dates for Bridalveil Creek, Porcupine Flat and Tuolumne Meadows campgrounds has not yet been announced. Reservations for Yosemite are available at But you better act fast. Finding a camping spot at the famed park is notoriously competitive, and they often fill up minutes after reservations open. Reservations are now available for both White Wolf and Tamarack Flat campgrounds, and reservations will open for Yosemite Creek on Tuesday morning. As of Monday at 3:30 p.m., campgrounds showed no Friday-Saturday availability for weekend campers through at least the end of August, although White Wolf had some Sundays available. Visitors can still access the park using day passes when campgrounds are unavailable. Yosemite's reservation system was introduced in 2020 amid the pandemic and was halted earlier this year pending a review by the Trump administration. Contemporaneous cuts to the National Park Service led to the layoffs of 10% of the agency's staff, raising questions about when the reservation system might reopen. The system ultimately came back online in late March. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
16-06-2025
- Los Angeles Times
All of Yosemite's campgrounds will be open this summer for the first time since 2019
For the first time since 2019, all 13 of Yosemite's campgrounds will be open to visitors this summer, the National Parks Service announced. The additional openings will mean an extra 500 more campsites available than in recent years. The park is one of America's most visited, with more than 4 million visitors in 2024. 'We're very excited to have these campgrounds open to the public as we enter the busy summer season,' said Ray McPadden, acting superintendent at Yosemite National Park in a news release. 'Camping in this park is truly a magical experience, and we want to provide the opportunity for as many visitors as possible.' Maintenance and staffing challenges kept several campgrounds closed each year beginning in 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Summer is peak season at Yosemite, and many of the park's campgrounds will be opening within the next few weeks. White Wolf Campground will open on June 20, and Tamarack Flat Campground on June 23, the parks service said. Yosemite Creek Campground is set to open July 1. Opening dates for Bridalveil Creek, Porcupine Flat and Tuolumne Meadows campgrounds has not yet been announced. Reservations for Yosemite are available at But you better act fast. Finding a camping spot at the famed park is notoriously competitive, and they often fill up minutes after reservations open. Reservations are now available for both White Wolf and Tamarack Flat campgrounds, and reservations will open for Yosemite Creek on Tuesday morning. As of Monday at 3:30 p.m., campgrounds showed no Friday-Saturday availability for weekend campers through at least the end of August, although White Wolf had some Sundays available. Visitors can still access the park using day passes when campgrounds are unavailable. Yosemite's reservation system was introduced in 2020 amid the pandemic and was halted earlier this year pending a review by the Trump administration. Contemporaneous cuts to the National Park Service led to the layoffs of 10% of the agency's staff, raising questions about when the reservation system might reopen. The system ultimately came back online in late March.
