Reservations Won't Be Needed to Enter Yosemite in 2023

HALF DOME DAYS, moonbow nights, campfire crackles, and peaceful times spent communing with a majestic waterfall: Yosemite National Park is the ultimate place of unwind-a-tude, a spectacularly sylvan slice of earthly perfection. But reaching such ethereal expanses can take some effort and planning, and when it came to entering Yosemite over the last few summers? That planning involved making a much-coveted reservation in advance. The system arose as a way to manage attendance during the pandemic in both 2020 and 2021, and in 2022? Reservations remained in place from May 20 through Sept. 30 "when numerous key visitor attractions were closed for critical infrastructure repairs." There were a few exceptions for entering Yosemite during the warmer months, such as waivers for those visitors with lodging reservations within the park, but for the most part? If you didn't make an advance reservation to experience the glorious granite getaway, it could truly change your summer vacation.

2023 WILL BE DIFFERENT, the park team revealed on Nov. 15, meaning simply this: No reservations will be required to sail through the entrance gates, not even during the busiest times of summer. This doesn't mean that Yosemite staffers aren't considering what they've seen over the last few years in terms of visitor flow; they have, and more details will emerge in December 2022. "Yosemite has been grappling with congestion — even gridlock — for decades," reveals a statement on the NPS site. "We want to build from the lessons learned from the last three summer of managed access.  Look for an announcement in December, when we'll start seeking your help to design an approach that provides a great visitor experience while protecting Yosemite's natural and cultural resources." For more on what to expect in 2023, and those lessons learned from the trio of reservation-centered summers, follow the updates on the official Yosemite National Park site.