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Changes to Yosemite's reservation system lead to 'chaos' in park over holiday weekend

By Dryden Quigley
Tuesday, May 26, 2026 7:07AM

{Video: Changes to Yosemite's reservation system lead to 'chaos' in park}

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (KGO) -- Yosemite National Park is seeing heavy congestion at the start of its first summer without a timed reservation system, with visitors reporting long lines, limited parking and crowded conditions throughout the park.

So far this year, Yosemite has recorded nearly 100,000 more visitors than at the same point last year, contributing to what many describe as chaotic conditions. … They said the biggest issue was long wait times to get inside the park. "People were waiting for at least hour and a half," said visitor Andranik Arakelyan.

The waiting didn't stop there. … "I would say by 7:30, the entire park, it was impossible to park there. There's nowhere to park for anybody," said visitor John Leerskov. … Visitors waiting to find parking, board shuttles and access popular viewpoints. … "It was a lot of shoulder to shoulder, a lot of chaos, a lot of angry people, a lot of oblivious people," Leerskov said.

It looks like some grew impatient, with videos showing dozens of cars illegally parked. … "People pulling onto meadows, pulling off pavement, going off-road. The lines to get even shuttles around the park, I mean, from the videos were just horrendous," said conservationist and author Beth Pratt. … This is the first summer visitors can enter Yosemite without a reservation requirement, following what park officials described as a "comprehensive evaluation."

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