Yosemite will revive its 2025 reservation system

Yosemite National Park has a timing admission reservation system this summer.

The news comes after weeks of uncertainty about whether the popular California Park, which regularly hosts over half a million people a month during the summer, should make its visitors get a much-needed booking for the peak season. It will also be a few days after the national parks have started accepting summer camp reservations. This was Limbo due to staffing concerns following a massive layoff of more than 1,000 National Park Service employees nationwide on February 14th.

“We have updated our booking system this summer to ensure that all visitors plan ahead or make last minute decisions. There is an opportunity to experience the park.” “We aim to reduce the long waits at the entrance station, difficulty finding parking, and busy trails, and make visitors spend more time exploring and enjoying everything the park has to offer.”

The new system is similar to the previous timing entry system. However, the timed entry window has been reduced by several hours each day, reducing the time slots that require reservations compared to last summer. This is not a permanent booking system that was expected to start in 2025.

Here are some things you need to know about Yosemite’s entry and campsite reservation system in 2025, and what to expect when traveling within the park.

Yosemite National Park’s revised immigration reservation system

In the summer of 2025, reservations will be required at all park entrances except Hechhatchy. Hetchhatchy will be managed on a first come first served basis (as in 2024) basis (as in 2024) on the weekends from June 16th to August 15th to August 15th, May 24th to June 15th and August 16th to August 31st.

Previously, daily reservations were required from 5am to 4pm on weekends from April 13th to October 27th, and from June 16th to August 15th.

Reservations are valid for three consecutive days and will be on sale on April 17th at Recreation.gov. Those without a reservation can enter the park at any time after 6am or after 3pm by the Yosemite Area Regional Transport System shuttle bus service.

Just like in the past few years, visitors who participate in car park accommodation and camping reservations, commercial tours and other paid programs will not require additional bookings (but have to pay the park admission fee).

The booking system, first implemented in response to the number of visitors rising during the Covid-19 pandemic, has helped to reduce overcrowding while protecting the park’s delicate ecosystems by limiting daily vehicle entrances during summer months and busy holiday weekends. However, the system helped to curb overcrowding in some areas, but caused frustration among potential visitors who were trapped or unable to plan to visit at the last minute due to high demand. Still, Yosemite officials previously said that the park’s more limited time entry reservation system will be permanent in 2025.

According to a press release, the park will assess the success of the new system by looking at the number of cars at the gate, waiting times and available parking spaces and “improve strategies to improve the future visitor experience.”

Camping in Yosemite National Park in 2025

The park has also begun accepting summer camp reservations at some of the most popular campsites, including the Upper Pines, Wawona and Hodjdon Meadow. The site was sold at Recreation.gov at 7am on Monday, March 31st. Other Yosemite campsites, including Lower Pine and North Pine, will remain closed until further notice.

In February, all campsite reservations were indefinitely delayed. At the time, Yosemite shared on its Facebook page that it had postponed campsite reservations from at least June 15th to July 14th.

“Our goal is to release these campsite nights as soon as possible, and we will provide at least seven days of advance notice before reservations are sold,” the post said. At the time of publication, the post generated over 5,000 comments and was shared over 3,000 times to navigate the latest status of bookings for 2025.

Why was Yosemite’s reservation delayed this year?

Yosemite is not the only national park facing challenges due to recent staffing reductions and scaled services.

On February 14, the Trump administration fired about 1,000 Park Service employees (a total of 13,000) after withdrawing job offers to an estimated 8,000 seasonal recruits. The administration then retreated after widespread public protests, allowing up to 7,700 seasonal employees to recover work, and a recent court order allowed previously terminated probation employees in the National Park to be resurrected (by a Trump administration ruling, sought the Supreme Court for a halt). Still, former Yosemite Principal Don Neubacher previously said that some of these developments could be “too late” for the upcoming busy season, taking into account the three-month time frame required to hire and load seasonal workers.

Similarly, Teresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Park Conservation Association, said in a press release that previous applicants may have found a different job or may have opposed working for the federal government during periods of uncertainty.

“When these park staff lost their jobs, many people lost their homes and communities too,” Pierno said. “Now, there is uncertainty about whether or when the next cut will come, so it is unclear how many will return.

Amid all staffing issues, Yosemite paused its reservation system and posted it on its schedule page, which she expected to share details about this year’s booking system in the beginning of 2025. These details have now finally been announced.

However, in other parks, additional cuts include stop tours, reduced opening hours and limited services implemented in some parks. Colorado’s Florisant Fossil Bed National Monument and California’s John Muir National Historic Site have announced they will be closing two days a week due to a lack of personnel. Denali National Park has cancelled everything This summer, Denali Discovery Camp and Denali Backcountry Adventure. Campgrounds at Black Canyon and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gunnison National Park will be closed until notification.

Park rangers, conservators and some U.S. senators warn that indifferent parks could lead to neglected maintenance and cleanliness, delayed time for emergency responses, reduced protection of wildlife and cultural sites, increasing the likelihood of damage, illegal activity and habitat decomposition.

This story was originally published in March 2025 and updated on March 31, 2025, and contains current information.