A Mess in Yosemite right now--a cautionary

[John Kasaian]

There are no reservations required for entrance this year and the park is being overrun with crowds. Traffic at the gates have been backed up for miles according to park employees who are having a difficult time getting in to work. This weekend on 41, to the Sugar Pine Railroad on this side of Fish Camp, and on 140, almost to Midpines. Once in the valley, parking is near impossible, roads are often blocked by illegally parked vehicles sticking out into traffic and rangers are writing citations left and right. The local park admins want to reinstate the reservation system, but the higher ups won't allow it, so (I've been told) there is no plan to alleviate the problems but rather allow it to get worse, hoping irate visitors will make their complaints known to the higher ups.
If you want to transit the park, the best way to get in is before sunrise, before the gates are manned, this according to park employees I'm in contact with.
Good luck with that!

[Keith Pitman]

Covid ruined national parks. Go in winter and avoid the insane crowds.

[Tin Can]

No worries

I will never go west again

I have a wonderful park that never get's NUTS

A few come for this rock, some 1st responders train with ropes

I climbed it 53 years ago. My buddy froze and I had to climb down to talk him up

That is Brood on top, they walked up from the side holding for image

and has best and longest duration Total Solar Eclipse again, 8 years later

[paulbarden]

This sounds like something to be avoided. Such a shame.

[nolindan]

I remember visiting in 1972 - one hour wait in a traffic que to get in. No parking in the valley for love or money. We got out of there as soon as we made it in - "Just not worth it." Too young and arrogant to know to find a deserted high country part of the park - get 500ft from the road and things are much more civilized.

I think the solution will be large parking lots outside the park with busses bringing people in and out of the park.

I used to have a recurring nightmare that Disney bought the National Park System. At Glacier Going-to-the Sun road was replaced by a roller coaster. High rise condos rose from the Garden Wall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden...arden_Wall.jpg. I wonder how long ...

[Vaughn]

I have always appreciated Edward Abbey's concept of National Parks as sacrificial areas -- areas sacrificed to the almighty Tourist to distract them from the wilderness.

And Disney did try to turn a bit of the Sierras into a theme park of sorts (Mineral King in the 60s).

[BrianShaw]

I flew over it a few years ago and looked out the window. Good enough for me.

[faberryman]

I flew over it a few years ago and looked out the window. Good enough for me.

It is more impressive on the ground looking up.

[Drew Wiley]

Oakhurst was ruined a long time ago just like Sonora by too much development. The fact is, most people there have to commute to Fresno for jobs. And the south entrance on 41 is the slowest way into Yosemite Valley. But since my property was to the south of Yos, that's the route I took many many times to get over the top at Tioga Pass to backpack trips on the east side. I typically got up 4:00 in the morning, and easily beat all the traffic. Could even arrive at trailheads way up above Bishop by 10:00.

I'm just waiting till Tioga Pass is cleared so I can take a brief loop trip over Sonora Pass and then back over Tioga Pass on 120 to here, with a bit of hill country exploration as usual early in the day before it gets too hot, and a few days of high altitude camping to get me acclimated in case I have a backpacking opportunity in Sept. I already bagged and printed several classic shots of the Valley last month during the last serious snowstorm to add to my Portfolio. I never enter Yos Valley itself in the Summer.

Vaughn mentioned Mineral King. One of the logistical reasons Disney never got to spoil that was the long-term risk and sheer expense of widening and keeping the road open into there. Now it's been officially aborbed into Sequoia NP and adjacent designated Wilderness Areas. They might not be able to open the road at all this season due to rockslides, washouts, and potentially avalanche debris too. Hopefully, Mickey Mouse was crushed to death once for all in that too. I'm glad that I was able to do several memorable backpacking trips in that area when I was still in my 60's. No crowds there. But it's ringed by steep high passes, so you need a good set of lungs and legs once beyond the ample meadows themselves.

But yeah, Ed Abbey got it right, at least partially. But the real fact is, most of Yos NP is itself largely wilderness, with the NW and SE quadrants being especially quiet. Me and a companion spent two weeks in the SE part before the pandemic, and didn't see anyone else for an entire week of that. And the whole NP itself is sandwiched between Wilderness Areas both north and south. So really, all the herds collect mainly in Yos Valley per se and up around Tenaya Lk and Tuolumne Mdws in Summer - but even there you don't have to walk very far to find solitude, with the exception of grateful mosquitoes.

Yeah ... On numerous business and convention trips from here east I got to fly directly over Yos Valley, plus many places all over the West where I have backpacked over the years. I always selected a window seat so I could look down on the topography.

[BrianShaw]

It is more impressive on the ground looking up.

I’ll bet. I’ve become much more allergic to mob scenes as I grow older and, apparently, more intolerant. Perhaps the advise to go in winter is very appropriate for me!