Avoiding the crowds in Yosemite
Let me start by saying, you can never really ‘avoid crowds’ in Yosemite.
For the last two years (2020 - 2022) Yosemite had an entrance reservation requirement. These reservations were $2, valid for one vehicle, and were required for entering the park between 6AM and 4PM.
The reservation system started in COVID to ensure it was possible to social distance. Reservations were then kept through 2022 because multiple main attractions were under construction causing parking to be limited.
This year, in 2023, Yosemite rolled back the reservations. Some people were overjoyed — I less so. While it was annoying to deal with reservations and the chance you didn’t get one when you wanted to go was always a an annoying potential, the reservation system meant that when you did go, the amount of people was more manageable. Well, now that there is no reservation system, Yosemite is back to being overcrowded and unmanageable; I’m here to share how to make the most of your experience anyway!
Most of these suggestions are aimed for visiting the valley given Tioga pass and access to Tuolumne has still not opened for visitors!
We got to the parking area at 6:30AM and were feeling pretty alive so made a delicious breakfast with quite a view!
Get there early
- On weekends (just random weekends, not even holidays), parking areas are filling up by 8:30A / 9:00A so be prepared to get there early. I recommend getting to where you plan to set up camp by 6:30AM if possible. Usually when I get to the parking lot early, I will crawl into the back seat and just nap until I’m feeling more awake!
- I was camping right outside of the Mariposa Grove entrance and thought it would be okay to leave around 7:30 since it wasn’t a holiday weekend and weather wasn’t that great. Even with that in mind, it took us ~45 minutes to get to the entrance when it usually would only take ~5 minutes
Long line in Yosemite! Photo from NPS (I never wait in this traffic because I abide by my rules!)
Find one central spot and don’t move once you park
- Unless you are leaving Yosemite for good, I recommend not moving once you find a parking spot—even if you want to go check out a different part of the park. Even you want to move around within the park, I recommend taking YARTS (Yosemite Area Transportation Service) — it will be PACKED — or biking / walking
- If you leave to move your car, you will find yourself driving around in circles for a while looking for parking again. Even the loop can be congested taking twice to three times as long to go around as usual
A nice calm walk around West Valley Loop Trail (photo courtesy of The Eddy)
Hike less known trails or hike early
- Classic hikes like the mist trail, JMT, and Yosemite Falls will be really crowded so starting early will be your friend if you want so peace (and getting the parking lot early will help in doing this!)
- If hiking early isn’t your jazz, consider doing other hikes that are less popular / well known. A few great suggestions (near and around the valley) include West Valley Loop Trail, Sentinel Dome / Taft Point Loop, and Merced Grove Trail
