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Yosemite Experiences Heavy Crowds After Ending Reservation Requirement
Visitors to Yosemite National Park sat in traffic for more than 90 minutes over the weekend as massive crowds filled the valley and formed long lines to Half Dome. The Trump administration ended the park’s time-entry reservation system earlier this year following National Park Service staffing cuts.
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Visitors at Yosemite National Park sat in traffic for more than 90 minutes just to get into the park over the weekend as the site drew overwhelming crowds after the end of its reservation system. Social media posts showed massive crowds flooding Yosemite Valley with long lines leading to the summit of Half Dome. Richard Smekal posted photos showing a human traffic jam on the Half Dome cables.
“The line was a continuous stream of people, barely moving — at a standstill,” Smekal wrote. Lorena Calvillo wrote on Yosemite National Park’s official Facebook page: “Gridlock. Cars everywhere.
People everywhere. No parking. Rose serves as Sierra Nevada senior program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association. The Trump administration scrapped Yosemite’s time-entry reservation system earlier this year following cuts to the National Park Service staffing levels.
The scenes come as California’s national parks shattered visitation records in 2025. California had 12 million visitors to its national parks in 2025, with Yosemite accounting for more than a quarter of that total. The surge in visitors produced scenes that critics said recalled earlier overcrowding in Yosemite Valley during peak season.
Com reported the park ditched its reservation system quietly, leading directly to the weekend’s extended traffic delays and packed parking lots.
