Yosemite National Park ends its reservation system for 2026

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK (KFSN) — Yosemite National Park announced Wednesday it will no longer use its reservation system in 2026.

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Rangers say an analysis found most weekdays maintained available parking, stable traffic flow and visitation levels within the park’s capacity.

This led the park to determine that the season-wide reservation system was “not the most effective approach for 2026.”

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Yosemite will instead use strategies learned in 2025, such as real-time traffic monitoring, active parking management and additional staffing at key intersections during peak periods.

“Our goal is to help every visitor have a safe and enjoyable trip,” YosemiteSuperintendent McPadden said in a news release. “Targeted management gives us the flexibility to address the busiest days while preserving open access on days the park is operating well within capacity.”

Yosemite did not require reservations throughout most of 2025, besides the summer peak period.

In early 2025, the reservation system was on hold as park rangers waited for guidance from the federal government.