After record crowds and some very long lines in 2023, the National Park Service is implementing a reservations system again in 2024.
Visitation to Hetch Hetchy, like all of Yosemite, is increasing – especially in late spring when the waterfalls are booming.
These requirements, however, include some nuance – see summary below or the NPS website for more detail.
Many people will be able to plan their trips to Yosemite by making a reservation or by avoiding weekends and the peak summer season. Visitors with reservations to camp or stay in lodging will be permitted to enter the park as well.
It will not be possible, however, to wake up on a gorgeous Saturday and decide on the spur of the moment to go to Yosemite Valley.
The reservations system does not apply to the Hetch Hetchy entrance, where visitor use in 2023 reached the highest level in more than 30 years. Restore Hetch Hetchy welcomes visitors and is actively encouraging the National Park Service to improve the experience of those who come to Hetch Hetchy by allowing camping, creating additional trails and allowing nonpolluting boating. We are grateful that the NPS has extended the hours when the Hetch Hetchy area is open but still believe those hours should be extended further.
Since parking at Hetch Hetchy is limited, we believe public transportation should be available as it is for Yosemite’s other four entrances.
We don’t want Hetch Hetchy to be overrun, of course. But we do believe it is necessary for more people to experience Hetch Hetchy’s extraordinary landscape as we build support for relocating the reservoir and returning the valley to its natural splendor.
