How to Make a Day Reservation for Yosemite National Park
3 minute read | contains affiliate links
*GREAT NEWS! Effective January 2023, day-use reservations to enter Yosemite National Park will no longer be required. Standard park entry fees still apply.
Check out our other Yosemite related posts below to start planning your trip!
Back in March 2020 when the pandemic began to take hold, movie theaters, restaurants, and more began closing in an effort to slow the spread. Yosemite was no different.
A couple months later when officials deemed it safe to reopen, they did so with the caveat that all visitors must have a confirmed reservation. This way, park officials could control crowd levels.
This continued throughout the summer season and ended in September 2020. Due to the program’s success, park officials decided to renew the policy for the 2021 season.
In 2022, as of May 20th and through September 30th, you will either need a day use reservation or one of the various alternatives if you’re arriving between the hours of 6am - 4pm.
This year, the reservation system is more about the multiple construction projects going on throughout the park and less to do with covid-19.
If you’re certain you’ll be arriving between that ten hour timeframe and will need a reservation, the information we curated below will benefit you.
How To Make A Reservation
Day use reservations are made via Recreation.gov. Make sure to set up an account and you’re signed in before attempting to get a reservation.
They go quickly, so saving yourself these steps now could make all the difference.
If you’re using a mobile device, download the app as it tends to work better than the website. Follow the steps below to secure your reservation.
In the search bar type in, “Yosemite National Park ticketed entry” and then click/tap, “day use entry”.
Click/tap, “select date”. If reservations are available on the day you want, the box will be highlighted blue. If not, it’ll be gray. Select your day and hit, “select tickets”.
Then, you’ll select your ticket type. If you have one of the various passes that grants free entry, select “vehicle”, as later on in the process you’ll have the chance to select your pass.
From this point, you’ll have 15 minutes to complete the reservation.
On the next page you’ll verify your information and add your annual pass (if you have one). You’ll see a box that says, “add a pass”. Tap that, select your pass, and proceed to the next page.
Then, you’ll see your total. If you have or will purchase one of the annual passes, you’ll see the vehicle fee removed from your total with only the reservation fee remaining.
On the final page, you’ll pay the fees and receive your confirmation.
Yosemite Reservation Fees
The only fee associated with the reservations is the $2 processing fee but keep in mind that this is in ADDITION to the $35 entry fee. If you’re a holder of one of the various annual or lifetime passes, then your only cost will be the $2 fee.
Other Types of Reservations
The above will apply to most people visiting the park. However, there are a few other ways one could secure a reservation without needing one. They are as follows:
An Upper Pines Campground reservation
A Yosemite Valley Lodge or Ahwahnee room reservation
Private lodging or rental in Wawona, Foresta, or Yosemite West
A Yosemite wilderness permit
A commercial-use authorization
A Half Dome permit
Whether you have one of the above reservations or a traditional day-use, you will need to provide proof of such by presenting your confirmation and photo ID at the gate.
You’ll pay your entrance fee (if applicable) and be given a permit that’s valid for three (3) consecutive days with unlimited re-entries. You will NOT need a reservation for each day, just the arrival date.
Visiting Without a Reservation
If you weren’t able to get a reservation, the only other way is to visit the park by arriving on a YARTS bus (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System), on bicycle, on foot, or on horseback.
You can also make it a point to arrive before 6am or after 4pm. Just keep in mind that if you arrive between those hours, even by a few minutes, the reservation policy will be enforced.
How Dates Are Released
As of March 23rd, 2022, 70% of reservations will become available for purchase. The remaining 30% will be released seven days prior.
So for example; if you wanted to visit the park on June 7th and you weren’t able to get one ahead of time, more reservations will be released on June 1st.
If you’re still not able to secure one, keep looking. Cancellations do happen. If there’s still slots open, you could get one (theoretically) the day before.
Additional Tips
Keep an eye out for cancellations! Canceled dates are released the same day they become available. So if you haven’t been able to get the day you want, keep checking. A cancellation may pop up.
You must arrive on the day on your reservation. You’ll get a permit that’s valid for three consecutive days at the gate. However, you MUST arrive on the FIRST day listed on your confirmation. If you don’t, you’ll be denied entry.
Each vehicle MUST have its own reservation. It won’t matter if you’re the same party. If you arrive in two or more separate vehicles, an occupant in each vehicle will require their own reservation.
You have a specific window of time to arrive. Day use reservation holders must arrive after 5am on their arrival date and leave the park by 11pm. Other things to keep in mind; there will be NO same-day reservation options and reservations cannot be sold or transferred to another person.
A Quick Note…
We’re often asked about the equipment we use to capture the photos on our website. Below, we’ve added Amazon links to those products and others that we recommend.
If you decide to purchase, Amazon will pay us a small commission. This helps us keep Inked with Wanderlust running and doesn’t cost you anything extra.
“Understanding Exposure” by Bryan Peterson (This book is a great resource to anyone getting into photography).
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