Yosemite National Park No Longer Requires Entry Reservations—Here's What to Know

Travelers headed to Yosemite National Park this spring are encountering something the park had largely managed to avoid since the pandemic days: unrestricted peak-season traffic. After five years of enforcing various reservation systems designed to regulate vehicle access during the park’s busiest months, Yosemite has nixed its entry requirements for 2026—a decision that's already led to instances of overcrowding at the popular park. According to a statement released by the NPS earlier this year, the move was data-driven: “The decision follows a comprehensive evaluation of traffic patterns, parking availability, and visitor use during the 2025 season," the NPS said. "Park analysis found that most weekdays maintained available parking, stable traffic flow, and visitation levels within the park's operational capacity.” Additional major US national parks, like Glacier, Arches, and Mount Rainer, have similarly dropped their reservation requirements for 2026. With the peak summer travel season just around the corner, the parks are now being put to the test. Here's what to know. Over the first weekend of May, Yosemite park officials and visitors reported entrance station backups