From Columbia Rock, 1,100 feet above Yosemite Valley, the crown jewel of America's beloved national parks spreads out below you.
The stunning north face of the 8,800-foot Half Dome towers rises to the east. The silky green ribbon of the Merced River meanders across the valley floor, surprisingly lush during the spring thaw. Even the cars in the parking lots look fabulous, their roofs and windshields shining in the golden sun like little gems.
And then you realize those gems are everywhere, as far as the eye can see, because every parking space in the valley is full.
On the way down from that vantage point, the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail, which was virtually empty at 9 a.m., had become a human conveyor belt by 11 a.m. Hundreds of people trudged up the steep curves in single file.
People walk the Upper Yosemite Falls trail in Yosemite National Park on Saturday.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
That's what's giving park enthusiasts heartburn this spring.
Even before the summer rush, which begins in earnest in just a few days with Memorial Day weekend, California's most visited national park is seeing huge crowds. There have been more than 836,000 visits so far in 2026, according to data from the National Park System, about 100,000 more than this time last year.
The reason, park advocates say, is the Trump administration's decision to abandon a reservation system implemented in 2020 to limit crowds during the COVID-19 pandemic. The system has been used intermittently since then to help control visitor numbers and preserve a sense of natural tranquility.
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There seemed to be an awkward balance on Saturday: The crowds were large but well managed, and some visitors were worried about the months ahead.
At the valley floor, as hundreds of people gathered to gaze in awe at Lower Yosemite Falls, Jeff Wilson of Folsom said he was having flashbacks to 2023, the last time the park allowed entry without permits.
“There was absolute traffic all the way around the loop. There was no parking, cars were driving around all day and people were stopping in random places,” Wilson said. “It was an absolute disaster.”
People walk to the bottom of Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park on Saturday.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
On Saturday there were echoes of that everywhere. The parking lots filled up quickly (the parking lot at Curry Village was full at 8 a.m.) and cars were hidden in every flat, unmarked spot their owners thought they could get away with.
Once people found a place to leave their cars, they didn't dare move them. Most relied on the free shuttle service that runs along the valley floor. The big white buses were packed at midday, as were the bus stops, where people often had to wait for several ferries to pass before one with space arrived.
Still, the lines were reasonable to get into the park and pay the fee: $35 per car for U.S. residents and President Trump's new $100-per-person surcharge for foreigners. That means a family of four from abroad would have to pay $435.
People who arrived very early breezed through the toll booths, and even those who arrived after 9 a.m. said they waited only 15 to 30 minutes. That was a dramatic improvement from recent weekends, when social media lit up with complaints of hour-and-a-half-long ordeals.
Traffic flowed slowly but smoothly on the main paved roads that circle the valley floor. There was the occasional outburst as angry drivers honked their horns loudly, filling the quiet meadow with a sudden explosion of urban unrest, but overall, things remained calm.
“We thought it would be more crowded,” said Laura Yuen of the Bay Area. “But it's actually manageable. We ride our bikes and people make space and are polite.”
Arriving early and storing the car was key for Yuen and his companion.
“A couple of places were packed; those were the really touristy places. But other than that, it's been beautiful,” he said. “This is a great time of year to come.”
The question is whether the good times will last once the busy season begins.
People board a ferry in Yosemite National Park on Saturday.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
Since Trump returned to office in 2025 and unleashed Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency on the federal workforce, the National Park System has lost nearly a quarter of its employees to layoffs and acquisitions, according to the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association.
And the Trump administration has proposed about 3,000 more job cuts (about another 25%) over the next year. Trump has also proposed cutting nearly $800 million from the parks system's roughly $3 billion operating budget.
All of which risks tipping the delicate balance toward chaos and stagnation, critics warn.
At 2 p.m., a flashing sign at the entrance to Curry Village warned that the parking lot was full and ordered people to try their luck elsewhere.
Still, dozens of drivers shuffled through the parking lot, hoping to jump out if someone pulled out. It seemed like an especially depressing way to spend an afternoon surrounded by some of the most famous natural wonders on Earth.
Kunal Khandwala, of San Jose, was among those looking for a spot until he gave up and stopped, blocking a few cars but ready to move if their owners returned and needed to leave.
His friends jumped in and joined the line at Curry Village Pizza Deck, waiting to grab some food and go find a quiet place to have a picnic, away from town.
The situation was “a test,” Khandwala said, but it was not intolerable if one relaxed and was patient.
And anything was better than submitting to the shuttle, he joked.
People raft down the Merced River with Yosemite Falls in the background in Yosemite National Park on Saturday.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
“The waits are crazy,” he said, commiserating with people who only had one day in the park and expected to get to all the highlights by bus. “There's no way. You're not going to see everything you want if you rely on the shuttle.”
Parks officials could not provide the number of visitors who arrived Saturday or compare it to crowds on recent weekends.
But with Memorial Day approaching, this weekend felt like the calm before the storm.
That's why Wilson, the frequent Folsom visitor, said he's “very, very in favor of reservations. It's a hassle, you have to plan ahead, but it just makes it a better experience for everyone.”
He had also brought his bicycle, which seemed to be the best way to avoid the masses.
“This is my favorite place in the world, no matter what the crowd is like,” he said before pedaling off. “As long as you can get in, come, have a good time, you'll love it.”
