Yosemite Day Use Reservation Required This Summer

[LMBSGV]

A reservation will be required to drive into Yosemite National Park from May 20 through September 30, 2022, for those driving into the park between 6 am and 4 pm.

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/reservations.htm

Unlike last year, there is no Tioga Road pass-through for all of us going to the east side trailheads and campgrounds. Since it is a peak hours reservation, there may be more traffic than usual before 6:00 am and especially after 4:00 pm.

Since I have three trips to the East Side this year and there's the 3 day limit on reservations, that means I either make a reservation for 6 different days or on the way home drive through the park after 4:00 pm. I don't like taking a reservation away from other people visiting the park when I am simply driving through, but that seems to be the way it will be unless one does Sonora Pass.

Here's the FAQ.

Do I need a reservation to visit Yosemite?

Yes, if you are driving a vehicle into Yosemite National Park between 6 am and 4 pm (peak hours), you must have one of the following with matching photo ID:

Peak-hours reservation (valid for three consecutive days for unlimited re-entries)
A reservation for a campground in Yosemite National Park: Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines, Camp 4, Wawona, Hodgdon Meadow, Tamarack Flat, White Wolf, or Yosemite Creek
(Reservations for campgrounds outside the park do not provide access to Yosemite during peak hours.)
A reservation for Curry Village, Housekeeping Camp, Yosemite Valley Lodge, The Ahwahnee, White Wolf Lodge, Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, or Wawona Hotel
A reservation for private lodging or vacation rental in Wawona, Yosemite West, or Foresta
(Reservations for lodging or vacation rentals outside the park and in communities other than these three do not provide access to Yosemite during peak hours.)
A reservation for a Yosemite wilderness permit
Half Dome permit
Commercial use authorization
Special use permit

Driving through the park without stopping requires a reservation if entering the park between 6 am and 4 pm.

The vehicle entrance fee, which is valid for three days, still applies. For those with an overnight reservation, the fee is valid for three days or the duration of the overnight reservation (whichever is longer). Credit cards are the only form of payment accepted for entrance fees.If you enter the park via YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System) buses, bicycle, on foot, or on horseback, or if you visit Hetch Hetchy, you do not need a peak-hours reservation to enter the park. Park entrance fees still apply.
Do I need a reservation to drive into the park during non-peak hours (before 6 am or after 4 pm)?

No. If you enter Yosemite before 6 am or after 4 pm, you do not need a reservation. You can remain in the park during peak hours if you arrive during these non-peak hours.The $35/car entrance fee applies and is valid for three consecutive days for visiting Hetch Hetchy during open hours and driving into the park only during non-peak hours. Paying the entrance fee does not allow entry during peak hours without a reservation.Camping or sleeping in a vehicle is only allowed in a campsite you have reserved via Recreation.gov.
If I arrive without a reservation and pay the entrance fee to enter the park during non-peak hours, can I arrive during peak hours on the same or following days?

No. The $35-per-car entrance fee is valid for three consecutive days for visiting Hetch Hetchy and driving into the park only during non-peak hours. Paying the entrance fee does not allow entry during peak hours (6 am to 4 pm) if you don’t have a valid reservation.
I want to drive through the park without stopping. Do I need a peak-hours reservation? How can you limit access to a state highway?

Yes, you still need a peak-hours reservation to drive into the park between 6 am and 4 pm, even if you’re just passing through. If you enter the park before 6 am or after 4 pm, you can continue driving through the park (or stay and recreate) during peak hours on the day you enter the park.Tioga Road, which connects with Highway 120 at the park boundaries near Big Oak Flat and Tioga Pass, is not and has never been a state highway. Originally a private mining road, private citizens purchased the road and donated it to the National Park Service, which has improved and maintained the road ever since. The National Park Service is solely responsible for providing road maintenance, as well as law enforcement and emergency services, along all roads within Yosemite National Park.
I have an annual or lifetime pass that gives me free entrance. Do I need a reservation to drive in during peak hours?

Yes. These passes cover the park entrance fee. A $2 non-refundable reservation fee still applies to peak-hours reservations.
Do I need a reservation to drive into the park if I have a reservation for a campground or lodging accommodation located outside of Yosemite National Park?

Yes. You must have a peak-hours reservation to drive a vehicle into the park unless you arrive before 6 am or after 4 pm.

[balzaccom]

Or use Sonora Pass...

[LMBSGV]

I said “that seems to be the way it will be unless one does Sonora Pass.”

I have no idea how much influence one actually can have over changing this policy and allowing a time limited pass-through permit on Tioga Road as they did last year. However, I did put my two cents in to Cicely Muldoon to allow pass-though permits. Otherwise, I expect to see a very, very long line of cars coming up from Lee Vining at 4:00 pm every day beginning Memorial Day weekend. I also expect a long line at the Big Oak Flat entrance of people heading to the East Side.

Perhaps if enough of us write Cicely Muldoon and tell her there will be a traffic nightmare every day between 4:00 and 6:00, she will change the policy to allow pass-through on Tioga Road.

[thegib]

this is awful. We need to push back on this kind of over-reach. Can we post the phone #'s and addresses of the 'representatives' that we should contact?

[thegib]

Sonora pass is nice - if no one is driving crazy slow in front of you. This no pass thru policy will jam Sonora pass. We could also call Iron Door Saloon and all businesses in Groveland and say 'see you next year' - maybe.

[Wandering Daisy]

When I drove out from a trip last Sept. the road was under some major construction- lots of shoulder work and re-paving. Tuolumne area is also supposed to have major construction this summer. I wonder if the rules this summer are aimed to reduce traffic during construction hours. Or is this something that is going to be permanent.

If you look at a map, Sonora Pass is a big "U" and much longer than Tioga Pass. I am lucky that I never use Tioga Pass to get to the east side since I take Hw50-Luther-Monitor to get to 395. It is a bit problem for those coming from farther south.

[c9h13no3]

If you look at a map, Sonora Pass is a big "U" and much longer than Tioga Pass.

When you count delays at the entrance stations to Yosemite, Sonora is faster unless you're driving through Tioga super early or late, even though it is 19 miles longer.

[Wandering Daisy]

Good article in the Sacramento Bee this morning. It said that this is a work in progress, data will be collected, and there will be a comment period before it becomes a policy for the future. Auto congestion mitigation methods are being experimentally used in many of the more popular National Parks- not just a Yosemite problem. I imagine that the impacted communities adjacent to Yosemite will have some serious concerns and their comments may have some weight. Not sure an individual user's comments will mean much.

Rather than the thru-drivers over Tioga Pass, the day-use reduction of half of what was allowed last year is more restricting.

As with all new regulations, there may be significant unintended consequences. I have driven back from Yosemite and observed lines of cars coming down from Sonora Pass Road, so I suspect there will be significant traffic problems. Also, Sonora Pass is not suitable for RV's and trailers. It will be interesting to see how it all works out.

[LMBSGV]

If you want to have the pass-through permit reinstated, as it was in 2021, one can write Cicely Muldoon. Her address is:

Superintendent Cicely Muldoon
Yosemite National Park
P.O. Box 577
Yosemite, California 95389

If snail mail strikes you as an anachronism, you can try the Yosemite email comment. Scroll down to "Email" and then "Ask a question or make a comment". I have no idea who actually reads any of the comments or whether what is said gets passed on to Cicely Muldoon.

https://www.nps.gov/yose/contacts.htm

Whether it's actually shorter, the same, or longer taking Sonora Pass, most people coming or going from destinations south of Lee Vining will take Tioga Road. This will lead to a massive traffic mess after 4:00 pm every day and especially on weekends. I don't think that's what Cicely Muldoon intended with the Peak Hours Reservation.

[grampy]

When you count delays at the entrance stations to Yosemite, Sonora is faster unless you're driving through Tioga super early or late, even though it is 19 miles longer.

+1 on this

And YES, I’m sure I will regret weighing in on this topic

Per Google maps : calculating travel time for “west side” points to Bishop, the time added by taking Sonora Pass (vs Tioga) ranges from +16 minutes (from Modesto) to +20 minutes (Sacramento) to +37 minutes (from Fresno). Perhaps annoying, but not horrible. If you are in the north part of the Bay Area (or north of Tracy in the SJ Valley), you might as well cross using CA-88 plus CA-89 or US-50 plus CA-89 (versus crossing at Tioga) anyway.

Surprisingly, drive times from Fresno to Bishop is about equal taking Tioga Pass versus heading there via Tehachapi Pass (!!); for destinations anywhere south of Bishop, the advantage shifts goes to Tehachapi. For anyone living along the I-580 corridor (Hayward to Livermore), the break-even destination shifts south to Lone Pine (any destination north of LP would be quicker to take Tioga).