What Do You Want at Hetch Hetchy? Tell the Park Service.
The National Park Service is holding a second round of public comment on its Visitor Access Management Plan for Yosemite. This is a good opportunity to weigh in on the park as a whole and Hetch Hetchy in particular.
Submit your comments below by September 6th.
To date, the Visitor Access Management Plan has published a preliminary list of solutions, without mentioning Hetch Hetchy. The NPS does, however, suggest that improving access in underutilized areas is an option to help manage crowds – exactly what we are advocating for the Hetch Hetchy area. Hetch Hetchy has a lot to offer, but it is overlooked by most visitors due to its currently limited recreational opportunities.
Image: NPS. Traffic lines the Yosemite Valley floor, an issue that has been particularly challenging this summer.
Send Your Comments to the National Park Service
We are asking supporters to tell the National Park Service that improved access to Hetch Hetchy would provide visitors with exciting new opportunities as well as help with overall crowding in Yosemite. We’ve provided some sample comments below – feel free to copy, modify or write your own.
You can find the form to submit a comment by clicking here.
Comments will be accepted through September 6th, 2023.
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Improving the visitor experience at Hetch Hetchy would offer an alternative to park visitors, effectively dispersing crowds to another area of the park that is currently rarely visited. Access to Hetch Hetchy can be improved in several different ways that would relieve stress from Yosemite Valley. Firstly, opening the campground to all visitors rather than just backpackers – campgrounds in Yosemite Valley are simply unable to meet visitor demand. With some improvement, the Hetch Hetchy campground would become a great alternative for visitors who want to experience camping in Yosemite. Additionally, improving and expanding the recreational opportunities in Hetch Hetchy will help to disperse crowds throughout the area. Offering new and improved trails will offer reprieve to crowded trails in Yosemite Valley. Allowing non-polluting boating on the reservoir would also offer a new experience to visitors, drawing crowds from other areas of the park. Offering public transportation to Hetch Hetchy would alleviate any increased crowding to the area that may come with improved access, encouraging visitors to leave their cars behind and finally open up access to Hetch Hetchy for those who already visit Yosemite via public transportation. Overall, Hetch Hetchy is underutilized and offers solutions to the crowding in Yosemite Valley. Please consider addressing the visitor experience in Hetch Hetchy, as it would have a positive impact on the park as a whole. |
Restore Hetch Hetchy continues to work with the National Park Service in our shared goal of improving the visitor experience at Yosemite. In our most recent meeting earlier this summer, a staff member working on the Visitor Access Management Plan mentioned they had received a number of comments asking for improved visitor access to Hetch Hetchy in the last round.
With your support, we’re making an impact for Hetch Hetchy – the entrance gate hours were expanded this summer, and while we still don’t have 24-hour access to Hetch Hetchy, it’s clear with this change that the Park Service is listening.
We anticipate another meeting with the National Park Service in the fall to further discuss recreational access at Hetch Hetchy. This is also around the time when the second round of public comment will be analyzed, and a plan will be made to move forward with new solutions to address the crowding in Yosemite. If the Park Service continues to hear from the public about improving access to Hetch Hetchy, it will make a difference. Please join us in advocating for Hetch Hetchy, and send your comment in by September 6th.