08/15/2024
If anyone has input to contribute, check out the meeting from the NPS.
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Yosemite’s Visitor Access Management Plan and Environmental Assessment (EA) is now open for comment. We are seeking your input on this plan to improve visitors’ access to and experience in the park during its peak season. The public comment period ends September 30. This comment period is the third and final opportunity to provide input on the plan.
The plan includes three approaches, called alternatives, for proactively managing visitor access to help meet long-term resource protection, visitor experience, and park operational management goals. The park’s preferred alternative is to implement a parkwide daily reservation system during peak hours.
The plan was prepared to provide analysis and an opportunity for public comment to support informed decision-making. The draft plan and environmental assessment, as well as other plan information, are available on the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website at https://go.nps.gov/YosemiteVisitorAccess. Click “Open for Comment” to submit a response.
A virtual public meeting will be held on Thursday, August 22 at 4 pm PDT and additional public meetings will be held in gateway communities the week of September 9. National Park Service staff will be on-hand to answer questions and share information. For more information, click on “Meeting Notices” in the project website.
During the first two rounds of public engagement for this plan during the winter of 2022/2023 and summer 2023, the park received around 6,000 letters. The comments helped inform the development of management concepts, refine issue statements, strategies, and concepts under consideration.
From 2014 to 2019, the park piloted different management strategies including restricting access to East Yosemite Valley when parking lots reached capacity and actively managing parking at other popular locations. From 2020 to 2022 and again in 2024, the park piloted day-use reservation systems for the entire park. Data gathered during these periods helped inform a range of alternatives to alleviate the chronic congestion that has affected Yosemite for more than 50 years and to provide quality visitor access in the future.
