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Sep 30, 2024:
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Visitor Access Management Plan
Yosemite National Park » Visitor Access Management Plan » Document List
Ensuring world class experiences, a welcoming environment for all visitors, and protection of nationally significant resources is Yosemite National Park's primary and daily focus. Due to rapid growth in day-use visitation during high use seasons and changing use patterns, providing for, and managing visitor use has been an increasingly complex issue that impacts both resources and the visitor experience.
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.
The visitor access management plan is needed to provide park managers with a comprehensive and long-term approach to manage day use visitor access to the park in a way that protects natural and cultural resources, maintains positive visitor experiences, promotes visitor and staff safety, and supports the ability of park staff to maintain facilities and perform daily operations. The plan is needed to allow park managers to maintain desired conditions throughout the park, including the 94% of the park area that is managed as wilderness, and manage day use visitation temporally and spatially.
This process has engaged the public and interested parties in a transparent civic and stakeholder engagement process to discuss issues and opportunities, and specific strategies and ideas. The park is also applying lessons learned during the reservation systems from 2020-2022, while considering a range of strategies to address crowding and congestion and improve the visitor experience and resource conditions within the park.
To learn more about project planning efforts:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/b2c8b66ef1d6416d85beee923b0d3613
The planning team reviewed comments received during the civic engagement period (December 2022 to February 2023) to develop preliminary ideas to address key issues and opportunities. The planning team reviewed comments from the second round of public engagement (July 2023 to September 2023) to develop preliminary management scenarios. To review public comment reports, see posted documents.
Those preliminary management scenarios have been refined and, along with other elements of the planning process have formed the basis of a draft plan and environmental assessment, which is available for review from August 14, 2024 - September 30, 2024.
Subscribe to receive project updates: https://t1.info.nps.gov/lp/PWR_YOSE_Planning_Sub
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.
The visitor access management plan is needed to provide park managers with a comprehensive and long-term approach to manage day use visitor access to the park in a way that protects natural and cultural resources, maintains positive visitor experiences, promotes visitor and staff safety, and supports the ability of park staff to maintain facilities and perform daily operations. The plan is needed to allow park managers to maintain desired conditions throughout the park, including the 94% of the park area that is managed as wilderness, and manage day use visitation temporally and spatially.
This process has engaged the public and interested parties in a transparent civic and stakeholder engagement process to discuss issues and opportunities, and specific strategies and ideas. The park is also applying lessons learned during the reservation systems from 2020-2022, while considering a range of strategies to address crowding and congestion and improve the visitor experience and resource conditions within the park.
To learn more about project planning efforts:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/b2c8b66ef1d6416d85beee923b0d3613
The planning team reviewed comments received during the civic engagement period (December 2022 to February 2023) to develop preliminary ideas to address key issues and opportunities. The planning team reviewed comments from the second round of public engagement (July 2023 to September 2023) to develop preliminary management scenarios. To review public comment reports, see posted documents.
Those preliminary management scenarios have been refined and, along with other elements of the planning process have formed the basis of a draft plan and environmental assessment, which is available for review from August 14, 2024 - September 30, 2024.
Subscribe to receive project updates: https://t1.info.nps.gov/lp/PWR_YOSE_Planning_Sub