Visitor Access Management Draft Plan and EA

Yosemite National Park is seeking the public's input on a plan to improve visitors' access to and experience in the busy park during its peak season.

The visitor access management plan and environmental assessment (EA) includes three approaches, called alternatives, for proactively managing visitor access to help meet long-term resource protection, visitor experience, and park operational management goals. The park's preferred alternative is to implement a parkwide daily reservation system during peak hours.

The purpose of the visitor access management plan is to reduce overcrowding and traffic congestion, expand tools to better pace vehicle volume into the park, and provide equitable visitor access to inspirational experiences while ensuring operational sustainability and protection of Yosemite National Park's exemplary natural and cultural resources. 

During the first two rounds of public engagement for this plan during the winter of 2022/2023 and summer 2023, the park received around 6,000 letters. The comments helped inform the development of management concepts, refine issue statements, strategies, and concepts under consideration.

Data gathered during these periods helped inform a range of alternatives to alleviate the chronic congestion that has affected Yosemite for more than 50 years and to provide quality visitor access in the future.

To be most helpful, your comments should address: 1) the purpose and need for action; 2) the environmental issues/impact topics analyzed; 3) your opinions on the alternatives, including mitigation measures which could reduce potentially harmful effects; and 4) the information used to describe the affected environment and environmental consequences.

Comments which are not helpful include those which: 1) vote for or against a potential management strategy or alternative without giving reasons why; 2) agree or disagree with laws, regulation, or NPS policy; 3) discuss other projects or other areas that are not related to the draft plan; and 4) contain vague language or open-ended questions or statements.

Document Content:

YOSE VAMP EA_508_2024-0816.pdf   (9.7 MB, PDF file) YOSE VAMP_FAQs_2024August.pdf   (80.2 KB, PDF file) Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.