Yosemite National Park Ticketed Entry: Complete Guide

You may be wondering “Are reservations required for Yosemite this summer?”   

Yosemite National Park is one of the most-visited national parks in the United States.  Due to its close proximity to major urban centers (and the difficulty of getting accommodation reservations at peak times), it is visited by many people as a day trip.  Which means that the park gets very crowded in the summer, especially. 

** UPDATE: Reservations will NOT be required for 2023 *** I am leaving this post here in case it changes in the future, but you do NOT need a reservation to visit Yosemite National Park in 2023.

In order to manage the crowds in Yosemite, the National Park Service has introduced a ticketed system for day visitors, limiting the number of people who can enter the park for the day. 

The reservation system can be a little complicated.  I am a national parks expert and I have written this detailed guide to the Yosemite peak hours reservations system to make your planning easy and help ensure you can get to the park when you want to. 

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Type of entry tickets/ reservations 

Tickets will be required for access to the national park as a day visitor arriving at peak hours between 6:00am and 4:00pm. You will not to be able to enter Yosemite for the day between these times unless you have a reservation. 

If you enter outside these hours, you will be able to stay in the park without a reservation.

You need reservations even if you are just driving through. Reservations are valid for three consecutive days.

Period reservations are needed for 

The Yosemite ticketed entry system will be in place between May 22 and September 30, 2022. 

How to get entry tickets/ make reservations 

Yosemite peak hour tickets will be released in two different allotments: 

1) 70% of the tickets to Yosemite National Park will be available for purchase at 8:00 am Pacific Time on March 23, 2022 for the entire season.

2) 30% of tickets are released seven days before arrival on a rolling basis. e.g., make a reservation on September 23 for an arrival date of September 30.

Yosemite National Park permits for peak hour entry into the park are only available online at the NPS reservation system.  They will not be available at park entrance stations, visitor centers or park offices. 

You can only make one reservation for the three-day period once you’ve got one. For example, if you get a reservation for Friday – Sunday, you can’t get another reservation starting that Saturday or Sunday.

Cost of tickets/ reservations 

Tickets cost $2 per vehicle (and all its occupants) and are valid for three consecutive days starting on the day of your ticket.  You can validate the ticket on any day of your three-day reservation; it does not need to be the first day. However, if you enter on the second day of your three days, for example, then you will only have the remaining two days left.  Likewise, if you enter on the third day of your three days, then that is the only day you’ll be able to enter for.  

Note that this $2 is in addition to the park entrance fee (which is $35/ car), and is non-refundable.

When is it not necessary to make a reservation for Yosemite National Park this summer? 

Can you enter Yosemite without a reservation?  Yes.  The reservation (and fee) is not required in the following circumstances: 

1) If you enter before 6:00AM or after 4:00PM. You can stay in the park all day as long as you ENTER the park outside of the 6:00AM – 4:00PM window.

2) If you have a reservation for: 

• overnight accommodations in the park, including the communities of Wawona, Yosemite West and Foresta 
• one of the following services:
  • a regional bus or authorized commercial tour ticket 
  • a wilderness or Half Dome permit 

You will need to show proof of a reservation in lieu of your entry ticket. 

If you have overnight reservations, wilderness permits, etc., your permit is valid for the duration of your reservation or three days, whichever is longer. 

3) You hike, ride a bicycle or ride a horse into the park. The entry ticket is only required for automobiles; not bicycles, horses or on-foot entry.  

Read More: Closest airports to Yosemite National Park

Tips For Making Peak Period Reservations for Yosemite National Park 

Read my post about which national parks require reservations in 2022 for some insider tips on making reservations (and the low down on the other national parks that also require some form of reservations this summer). 

Good luck and enjoy Yosemite National Park!  

Do you have any other tips for getting tickets for Yosemite National Park?  I’d love to hear them.  Join my private Facebook group National Parks Collectors and comment and let me know.

If you found this post helpful, please share the love and Pin it to your Yosemite National Park board!  

If you are thinking about traveling to some other national parks, don’t miss my guides to: 

Which national parks require reservations
Angel’s Landing permits lottery system
Glacier National Park’s Going to The Sun Road in reservation system
Rocky Mountain National Park timed entry system
Acadia Cadillac Mountain reservation system
Arches National Park timed entry system

About the Author 

James Ian has dedicated his life to travel and has traveled to 82 countries and all 7 continents.  He’s visited all of the main national parks in the United States, as well as many national monuments and state parks.

As a national park expert, James has contributed to many publications, including Time Business News, Savoteur, and Wired. He also has several published detailed itineraries in addition to many free online guides.

James has rafted through the Grand Canyon; rappelled down slot canyons near Zion and Arches; hiked among the hoodoos in Bryce and the enormous trees in Sequoia; admired the waterfalls in Yosemite and the colored hot springs in Yellowstone; seen moose in Grand Tetons and seals in the Channel Islands, and much more.

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