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Yosemite just unveiled a new and different reservation system for the summer. Here are the details

By Kurtis Alexander, ReporterUpdated April 29, 2025 7:43 p.m.

After months of uncertainty, Yosemite National Park announced Tuesday that it will require reservations to enter the park this year, starting Memorial Day weekend, in an effort to reduce congestion at one of the park service’s premier destinations.

Yosemite officials had planned to introduce a permanent day-use reservation system this spring, after experimenting with on-again, off-again reservations since 2020 in light of heavy traffic at popular waterfalls, mountain vistas and river overlooks. But the plan was put on hold so that the incoming Trump administration could review it.

The new iteration, which does not appear to be a permanent policy, scales back the reservation window used in the past to only the busiest periods and times for this year.

Yosemite just unveiled a new and different reservation system for the summer. Here are the details

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