Merced River May Limit Park Access

Yosemite National Park officials are looking to the local community and the millions of people who visit annually to come up with a public plan for both protecting Yosemite's natural wonders and ensuring access to its most valued activities. The problem is that Yosemite National Park has more visitors each year than it is able to accommodate without risking the natural integrity of the park. For example, over 8,000 cars pass through the park on a daily basis during the summer months, but the entire park is equipped with only 1,100 parking spaces. Over the last 15 years Yosemite has lost 400 campsites, 500 lodging rooms, and 300 employee cabins as a result of rock fall risks and flooding in the Merced River. The ebb and flow of the Merced River requires that these Yosemite lodging sites not be rebuilt so that the river can flow as nature intended. Unfortunately, this means that there are less places to stay in the park. Yosemite Lodging Limitations Even people who find Yosemite lodging outside of the park are discovering that they have less access to their favorite Yosemite sites than they did in years past. Limitations are being placed on access to certain areas of the park including the legendary Half Dome hike, treks through the park's lush forests, and rides down the Merced River in order to protect the park and its wildlife from excessive wear. While such measures help Yosemite National Park remain beautiful and undisturbed for generations to come, they also limit the number of people that can enjoy the park’s untouched beauty. Attempts in the past to help preserve the park while serving the interests of visitors have failed miserably. Four park superintendents and $65 million have gone into trying to make the Yosemite both accessible and well protected, but little has been accomplished to this end. In hopes of finding a more useful solution, park officials have turned to the public to help them determine what might be best. A series of meetings have been set up to allow the public to comment on what their favorite Yosemite activities are and what measures they think might be effective in protecting the park. The idea is to find out what people love most about Yosemite so that access to those activities and sights can be given primary focus when planning new parking spaces, bathroom facilities, campsites, etc. In the past, activities within the park have been protected equally, and as a result pizza parlors have been given the same weight as picnic areas within Yosemite’s forests. The new public plan hopes to do away with this improper balance. Once the series of meetings is completed, the comments will be collected and used to shape an environmental report that should be released by June 2013. Whatever the results of the meetings, it is likely that access to Yosemite Valley, Merced River, and the park in general will be reduced. Plan Your Yosemite Vacation with Scenic Wonders to Avoid Hassles The best way to ensure that you get to see all the best parts of the park is by planning your visit well in advance and making your Yosemite reservations with Scenic Wonders. Scenic Wonders has cabin and home rentals available within the gates of the park, so even when you're done enjoying hikes and adventures throughout Yosemite Valley, you'll be able to remain immersed in the beauty of the park throughout the night. Our Yosemite lodging puts you just minutes away from your favorite activities. Call today at 1-888-YOSEMITE (1-888-967-3648) to reserve your favorite Scenic Wonders cabin. Yosemite News Blog Our Yosemite news blog gives you updates on the latest important happenings in Yosemite National Park and is updated regularly. Photo credit: niiicedave