Yosemite National Park officials say visitors will not need to make reservations to drive into the park for the rest of the year.
Park officials made the announcement in a Facebook post last week, saying they originally planned to extend the requirement until Oct. 27 but ended it about a week early after monitoring “visitor usage patterns.”
“We will automatically issue refunds to anyone who has a holiday booking that was valid after October 13,” Facebook posts read.
National Park Service data show that an average of about 3 million to 4 million people visit Yosemite each year, including hikers, climbers, campers and mountain bikers. In August, the national park had logged almost 3 million visitors.
For years, Yosemite National Park officials have been grappling with congestion and experimenting with a booking system as part of its plane to improve the visitor experience by reducing overcrowding in the park, particularly in popular Yosemite Valley.
Park officials took similar action last summer when they removed reservation requirements. Thousands of visitors descended on the popular park, resulting in stationary traffic which made some visitors feel like they were on one of LA’s congested freeways.
Although the park is open year-round, nearly 75% of visitors come from May through October, according to the national park’s website.
Park officials said in their social media post that they would announce plans to manage visitor access in the summer of 2025 by the end of this year.