If you want to visit Yosemite National Park for its most amazing event, you will need a reservation
Officials are trying to control the large crowds brought by the annual show.
Yosemite National Park is a popular destination for outdoor lovers one day given of the year. The emblematic natural site attract visitors around the world seeking to admire the natural beauty of its larger than life forests, unique fauna And breathtaking rock formations. But from time to time, Mother Nature likes to make a show that brings crowds so large that civil servants have no choice but to limit their size. And if you plan to visit Yosemite for its most amazing event of the year, you will need a reservation to participate. Read the rest to see which dates will require a little planning in advance for the guests.
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The US Park Service has experienced different ways to control overcrowding.
With 423 sites, the American national park system offers many opportunities to embark on well -preserved pieces and experience them closely. But even the great outdoors cannot adapt Too many visitors Descending on it at the same time. According to data from the US National Park Service (NPS), 44 of the most popular parks beat their annual attendance files In 2021, including six sites that had just broken them the previous year. It also showed that these figures did not spread evenly, with only 25 of the parks receiving more than half of the 297.1 million guests from the system recorded last year. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB
But the park managers did not content themselves with not having inflated the visitors of visitors. Many popular sites have started to implement reservation systems to help clarify crowds and relieve the congestion they cause. Rules require customers Reserve in advance If they want to drive or hike specific sites during peak seasons, which generally extend from May to September or October in places such as Rocky Mountain National Park, National Park Glacier, Arches National Park, Acadia National Park and Yosemite, United States today reported.
However, even if the officials said that new systems have managed to reduce traffic and overcrowding, Yosemite officials announced on November 15 that it would not restore booking rules for the park next year. They explained that the temporary system had only been in place while "many key attractions of visitors were closed for critical repairs on infrastructure" and that a new program was in preparation that could replace it.
"Yosemite is struggling with congestion - even a blockage - for decades," wrote officials. "We want to build from the lessons learned from the last three summers of managed access. Look for an ad in December, when we start to seek your help to design an approach that offers excellent visitor experience while protecting natural resources and cultural of Yosemite. "But despite the changes, you will always have to book in advance to see one of the most emblematic shows on the site.
Customers will have to reserve a reservation to see the most amazing event of the year in Yosemite.
Each February, visitors mark their calendars to get to Yosemite to have an overview of the annual "fire fall". The dazzling phenomenon occurs during sunset in the fall of the park daycare, which falls on the face of the emblematic formation of vertical rock El Capitan. In the right conditions, the lighting means that water in cascade becomes a brilliant orange, which pretends to shine like the magma flowing in a show which has become a must for travelers, especially for photographers who seek to immortalize the moment on the film.
But if you plan to go through this spectacular event on your list of buckets, you will have to make some preparations in advance . On December 9, park officials announced that they would demand that reservations occur in Yosemite during certain "Fire Fall" dates to help reduce overcrowding throughout the site.
"This single lighting effect only occurs on evenings with a clear sky when the waterfall flows and when the sun is at the right corner in February at the end of February," wrote NPS officials in an opinion audience. "This event attracts many visitors to a small area, causing traffic congestion, parking problems, safety problems and impacts on natural and cultural resources."
The agency's opinion specifies that reservations will be necessary for all visitors during weekends from February 10 to 12, from February 17 to 19 and from February 24 to 26, 2023 - even if they do not plan to visit Horse Fall.
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Increasing crowds have caused serious problems in the past.
The move marks the second consecutive year that the Crowd control measures have been in place, Los Angeles Times reports. Managers say that if the natural event was once little known, revolutionary messages on social networks have transformed the "fall of fire" into an increasingly overcrowded experience. The park began to consider restrictions after seasons like 2019 when 2,433 visitors descendant to the site In areas without sufficient parking space and caused significant damage.
"While the banks were filling up, visitors moved into the Merced river, trampling up the sensitive vegetation and exposing to dangerous conditions," wrote the park on its website. "Some unlikely areas have become strewn with waste, and the lack of toilet has led to unsanitary conditions."
Here's how you can secure your entry to Yosemite to see the spectacular event.
If you plan to catch "Firefall" this year, it is not too late to obtain the reservations necessary for the entrance to Yosemite. The NPS indicates that it will open 50% of all the slots for the coveted weekend slots on January 13 at 8 am PST for $ 2 each on Its reservation website , Recreation.gov. The remaining reserves will be published two days before their valid entry date for the rest of the month. Just make sure you are ready to leave: NPS warns that "reservations are taken almost immediately" and that you should create an account in advance to make sure you don't miss.
But even if you have the chance to mark one of the coveted spots, it is still not guaranteed You can see the dazzling natural spectacle. Conditions such as clouds or snow can block the light necessary to create the effect, reports local San Francisco News. If you are looking for the best chances of catching an overview, it is best to present yourself at least 15 minutes before sunset, which is between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. end of February.