Yosemite may limit visitors this summer

The good news is that Congress approved a major spending bill that funds years of neglected maintenance work in our national parks. The bad news is that the work will impact visitors, Here's a story from the Mercury News that addresses the issue:

Yosemite National Park may limit visitors this summer due to major construction projects

Multiple road, trail, campground projects could cause gridlock, park officials worry.

By PAUL ROGERS | progers@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group

January 20, 2022 at 4:57 p.m.

Concerned about nightmarish traffic jams at Yosemite National Park from more than half a dozen major new construction projects, park leaders are drawing up plans that could limit the number of visitors this summer by requiring reservations for day visits.

“This summer is going to be a crazy construction season in Yosemite like you have never seen before,” Yosemite Superintendent Cicely Muldoon told a group of local elected officials and tourism leaders at a meeting late last week. “Bring your hard hats.”

Many of the projects — major road repairs and extensive upgrades to aging campgrounds — have been on the park’s wish list for decades. But funding is available now because Congress passed a landmark law in 2020, the Great American Outdoors Act, providing billions for repairs and upgrades at America’s national parks.

Muldoon told the Yosemite Gateway Partnership that parks planners will know the details of a new reservation system in a few weeks.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/01/20/yosemite-considering-limiting-visits-this-summer-due-to-major-construction-projects/