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FatFlatlander
There was one statement in the Yosemite re-opening which confused me a little. From the reopening FAQ, under the question "Are any areas of the park closed?":
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Open with modifications:
Backpackers campgrounds are not open to people arriving in the park by bus (wilderness permit holders arriving by bus can stay in backpackers campgrounds)
I thought you always had to have a wilderness permit to stay in the backpacker campground. Did some exception exist pre-COVID where people arriving by bus could stay in the backpacking campground without a wilderness permit?
The rule has been there for quite some time. I remember seeing some earlier official NPS web pages mentioning it, but it was mentioned inconsistently. It's in the current description of the Backpackers Campgrounds.
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https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bpcamp.htm
Visitors arriving to Yosemite by bus, bicycle, or foot may also spend one night in each backpackers campground.
There's someone official about this in the Superintentent's Compendium of Regulations.
https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/management/upload/yosecompendium.pdfHowever, this is really confusing because the statement says that the Backpackers Campgrounds won't be open to people arriving by bus but then says they will be allowed in parentheses.
I think what they meant to say was that "wilderness permit holders arriving by bus can NORMALLY stay in backpackers campgrounds". This sounds like a rule meant to discourage crowding in the Backpackers Campgrounds. I've stayed there before, and it wasn't too crowded. However, I understand there are no real limits. They have designated campsites, but people pay per camper and can basically just crowd into the campsites when space is needed for more people. I can't really imagine a lot of people take advantage of the bus/bicycle/foot method.Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/09/2020 05:32PM by y_p_w.