Reservations Open Soon To Visit Yosemite In Peak Season

Yosemite National Park sees millions of visitors every year, including 3.3 million in 2021 alone. Due to this fact, like other major US national parks, Yosemite has to find ways to manage the crowds. With peak season coming soon, the park is about to open reservations for anyone who wishes to visit from May 20 to September 30.

Yosemite is taking reservations for peak season

In order to protect the park and handle too many park visitors, Yosemite National Park is running its business through online reservations. Naturally, the most popular time to visit the park is between May 20 and September 30. For this reason, reservations open at 8 am PT (11 am ET) Wednesday, March 30 for visitors to secure their entry during peak season.

The way things will work is that during peak season, from May 20 to September 30, all park visitors must have a reservation to enter between 6 am and 4 pm. Meanwhile, this applies to weekdays, as well as ever-popular weekends. This covers anyone who wishes to visit the park, including annual and lifetime pass holders. Anyone wishing to make a reservation can do so on the official Yosemite National Park website.

However, Yosemite advises people to be ready to move fast. Potential visitors must have their Recreation.gov accounts already established. Once that is done, they must be “be logged in and ready to get a reservation promptly at 8 am Pacific daylight time.”

Visitors will be charged a non-refundable reservation fee of $2, which is additional to the $35-a-car park entrance fee. However, anyone who has already reserved in-park camping, wilderness permits, or lodging won’t need to make an additional entry reservation. More details are available on the website, where the park has a list of the most frequently asked questions.

Early planning for national parks

If visiting any of the major national parks, early planning is required. In fact, anyone wishing to visit a popular national park this summer should start planning now. 2022 will see extra fees, special passes and caps on visitor numbers to protect the aspects of the parks that people love from being damaged by overcrowding.

One aspect to note is the fact that national parks that used to be free are now starting to charge entry fees. One of these is Indiana Dunes National Park which will start charging an entry fee for the first time, starting March 31. Meanwhile, Arches National Park in Utah is bringing in a timed entry program from April 3 to October 3.

Parks suggest that anyone who can’t get into Yosemite, Yellowstone, or Glacier should consider one of the less-visited options. Among these is Great Basin National Park in Nevada which features the 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak, as well as sage-covered foothills and the darkness of night skies.

Meanwhile, according to its management, Congaree National Park in South Carolina features the “latest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the Southeast.” Reportedly, there is no other park that is quite like it.

Heading to Texas, Guadalupe Mountains National Park lies around 110 miles east of El Paso. This park hosts the four tallest mountains in Texas, as well as desert landscapes, canyons and dunes. Meanwhile, Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska offers incredible scenery, as well as brown bear sightings. Reportedly, these are only two highlights of what the park can offer to its visitors.

Can’t get a reservation in Yosemite this season? Consider one of these lesser-known, but equally stunning parks.