If you’re planning to visit Yosemite National Park this summer, you can expect to see larger crowds than usual now that the reservation system has come to an end. Previously, the National Park Service required reservations for vehicles to drive through the park during the heart of the summer vi sitation season, but the Department of the Interior removed that requirement in February. The move resulted in a 45% visitor increase between March 2025 and March 2026. April only saw a 2% bump in visitation compared to last year, but the peak months for crowds are yet to come. Scenes captured over Memorial Day weekend showed lengthy traffic backups, no parking and trails packed with hikers. “Unfortunately, there’s no way around the mess,” said Neal Desai, Senior Pacific Regional Director for the National Parks Conservation Association. “You just have to adjust your expectations as a visitor. Don’t expect to feel like you’re in a national park. It’s going to feel like Disneyland or attending a large concert. You’re going to expect hours of traffic, no guarantee of finding parking, long shuttle lines. On trails, you’ll be stopping and waiting in line rather than hiking because they’re just overcrowded. Yosemite is in a really troubling place right now.” Watch NBC Bay Area’s full conversation with Desai in the video player above. ...read more read less