Re: July 4th Holiday Traffic

I'm getting horror stories from people that visited: line of cars, backed up 5 miles from the entrances early afternoons. Once inside the park, additional 2-3 hour waits for parking. No one around to direct traffic. Same bottleneck crap at Bridalveil (not just cars, but hour + long waits to use the putrid, horrid restroom facilities). Third world stuff IMO.

Millions of people are involved, it's no longer natural folks. Time has come to consider biting the bullet and modernize a bit. Doesn't have to be inside the park, build outside of it. Implement a good shuttle system. Maybe even a lottery system for just visiting.

Discuss, flame.

For me, yes and no. The shuttle system at Zion, which services the main canyon during the busiest months, seems to be over-whelmed at times as there are way more people then buses to carry them into the park. Only visitors staying at the Zion Lodge are permitted to drive into the canyon. Yosemite could try and do the same thing but where would you park hundreds of cars so that visitors could take a shuttle? I like the thought of less cars in the valley but I also don't like the thought of having to take an over-crowded shuttle into the park. Not sure what the answer is.

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ERICG
For me, yes and no. The shuttle system at Zion, which services the main canyon during the busiest months, seems to be over-whelmed at times as there are way more people then buses to carry them into the park. Only visitors staying at the Zion Lodge are permitted to drive into the canyon. Yosemite could try and do the same thing but where would you park hundreds of cars so that visitors could take a shuttle? I like the thought of less cars in the valley but I also don't like the thought of having to take an over-crowded shuttle into the park. Not sure what the answer is.

I agree with you - yes and no for a system like Zion. I have been on those horrible crowed Zion shuttles many times and there is no AC. As you know, the shuttle system works well in Zion because there are not as many visitors as Yosemite, the park is small and most people stay in Springdale right next to the park. With all of it entrances, people not always using the same entrance entering and exiting Yosemite, it's size and distance from the Valley from all of the entrances except Arch Rock, the Zion system would not work as well in Yosemite.

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ERICG
For me, yes and no. The shuttle system at Zion, which services the main canyon during the busiest months, seems to be over-whelmed at times as there are way more people then buses to carry them into the park. Only visitors staying at the Zion Lodge are permitted to drive into the canyon. Yosemite could try and do the same thing but where would you park hundreds of cars so that visitors could take a shuttle? I like the thought of less cars in the valley but I also don't like the thought of having to take an over-crowded shuttle into the park. Not sure what the answer is.

Of course you know what it is. Time to clear space, build some structures (maybe underground), create spaces to park. Millions of people, thousands of cars. Stop pretending it's natural.

book in advance for campsites: book in advance for wilderness permits: book in advance for hotels, but book in advance for car parking?? that would limit the numbers visiting the valley...and number of dollars that slosh around Yosemite. it'll never, ever happen. its as heretical as suggesting that Y's campsites should have hot water*&^%$. which is never, ever going to happen, after all, where would all the solar panels go?

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pines
book in advance for campsites: book in advance for wilderness permits: book in advance for hotels, but book in advance for car parking?? that would limit the numbers visiting the valley...and number of dollars that slosh around Yosemite. it'll never, ever happen. its as heretical as suggesting that Y's campsites should have hot water*&^%$. which is never, ever going to happen, after all, where would all the solar panels go?

Combination of garage(s), and/or open lots (think parking areas for amphitheatre venues) plus shuttle system. There's no funding for any real change, anyhow. But still worthy of discussion.

I dislike advanced parking permits as well. What about metered parking in certain zones (only on certain peak days)? Something has to be done. What happens when the park reaches 10 million visitors annually? We've entered 5 million territory, no?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2017 09:57PM by Ohnivy-Drak.

There's a lot money available for Yosemite. Don't know about now, but five years ago (in 2012) they still hadn't spent most of the money that Congress allocated to Yosemite to recover from the 2017 flood. The Park Service right now is working on plans to modernize the Bridalveil Facilities. We also should wait until the Merced River Plan items are fully implemented.

In regards to the lines at the Entrance pay stations, those lines can be more easily reduced by better staffing (so all entrance booths are open to peak hours), the use of express lanes (for those who have already purchases a park pass, and maybe purchasing some land down below in El Portal to relocated the pay stations down there where they could have four entrances booths instead of only two.

A lot of park visitors come from the Bay Area and Los Angeles region, maybe thought to to created a FasTrak lane at the Hwy 120 and Hwy 41 entrances for those who have FasTrak transponders install in their vehicles that will automatically deduct the entrance fee with passing through the pay station.

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Leave No Trace

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pines
book in advance for campsites: book in advance for wilderness permits: book in advance for hotels, but book in advance for car parking?? that would limit the numbers visiting the valley...and number of dollars that slosh around Yosemite. it'll never, ever happen. its as heretical as suggesting that Y's campsites should have hot water*&^%$. which is never, ever going to happen, after all, where would all the solar panels go?

They are already trying out reserving parking in the new lot near Yosemite Lodge.

In wonder how the Yosemite Village traffic circle is holding up. For those have visited Yosemite recently, it it working as intended? Is there some confusion? Or are the backups from Curry Village just as bad as before?

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Leave No Trace

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plawrence
In wonder how the Yosemite Village traffic circle is holding up. For those have visited Yosemite recently, it it working as intended? Is there some confusion? Or are the backups from Curry Village just as bad as before?

When we were there at the end of May, people were having issues understanding what they were supposed to do at the circle and would not yield or would stop when they were not supposed to stop. Also, pedestrians were still walking in the road and not using the new path to the village. they also the entrances to the parking lot blocked off and there were still empty parking places and there was no traffic control to be seen anywhere near the parking lot which made exiting later a mess.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/2017 08:39PM by parklover.

Asked a long-time Valley shuttle bus driver the same question.
'Sometimes a clusterfock, other times worse."
She went on to say that the evening exit times at that corner are about the same - still horrendous.

And here's another thing that NPS could do to reduce congestion with the valley: have the free shuttle service operate throughout the valley (not just the east valley) with regular service to Tunnel View and Bridalveil Fall.

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Leave No Trace

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plawrence
And here's another thing that NPS could do to reduce congestion with the valley: have the free shuttle service operate throughout the valley (not just the east valley) with regular service to Tunnel View and Bridalveil Fall.

I've been wanting them to do that for a while. And while they are at it, how about extending some bike trails all the way to the west end of the park too?

As for the overall congestion, I guess I'm fortunate enough to be able to just visit the other 3 seasons of the year. I love having the park almost to myself. :-)

I think people should have to pass an entrance exam duiring crowded times.

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eeek
I think people should have to pass an entrance exam duiring crowded times.

I think people should have to pass exams anytime, not just the crowded times.

Modesto Bee article

http://www.modbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article160640879.html