Washington, DC — California’s two U.S. senators are raising concerns about reports of overcrowding in Yosemite National Park this summer season.
Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla are raising concerns with the Department of the Interior about the recent decision to end the reservation system during the peak summer season. The letter sent to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Acting Director of the National Park Service Jessica Bowron states that the increased visitation, combined with staff reductions over the past year, leaves them deeply concerned about visitor safety and the ability to protect park resources.
It states, “According to widespread reporting and testimony from our constituents, the Park has seen bumper-to-bumper traffic around the valley floor, hiking trails backed up with people, and parking lots full in the early mornings, causing visitors to illegally park off-road on vegetation and in meadows.”
The letter argues that Yosemite is the “crown jewel of the national park system,” but overcrowding, vehicle congestion, and limited parking diminish what should be a world-class experience.
The two Senators are requesting a thorough review of the impacts at the end of the summer season.
We reported earlier that Mother Lode Republican Congressman Tom McClintock has a competing view and recently pushed back against criticism about ending Yosemite’s reservation system.
