There’s hardly ever a day with out some type of shenanigans taking place within the nationwide parks of the USA that will get caught on digital camera and shared on social media. Solely days in the past, visitors in Yellowstone finally got their “happy ending” after a tourist got handcuffed for breaking the park’s bison guidelines. That occasion, the video of which has since gone considerably viral on-line, got here after one other video showed the bleak reality of trying to get into Yellowstone on a Tuesday of all days. Nevertheless, one other main U.S. nationwide park has gained consideration on Instagram over the previous few days for the very same motive.
A video snippet is serving up a actuality verify for these interested by heading to California’s prime nationwide park throughout the busiest time of the yr: a sunny summer time’s day in Yosemite. Certainly, the clip might nicely be sufficient to make some individuals rethink the time of yr to go to Yosemite.
A New Video Reveals What Yosemite Nationwide Park Is Really Like On A Peak Summer season Day
A video clip was shared by the favored Instagram web page, Tourons of Nationwide Parks, which often posts video content material of nationwide park guests behaving badly, partaking in usually inconsiderate habits, flouting the principles, and, in some extra excessive instances, breaking the regulation—just like the Yellowstone National Park visitor who was jailed recently for flying a drone close to an osprey’s nest. Nevertheless, this time, the footage, seen beneath, would not present anyone misbehaving; as a substitute, it exposes the sheer quantity of crowds in Yosemite Nationwide Park on a summer time’s day within the peak vacationer season.
The footage exhibits an enormous mob of individuals crowding a few of Yosemite’s hottest areas, together with back-to-back vacationers on the enduring Mist Path to Vernal and Nevada Falls. Initially posted by one other Instagram account referred to as Uncover California, the video’s textual content overlay sarcastically reads “I really like the peace and serenity of Yosemite,” whereas the not too long ago viral “Jet 2 vacation” meme serves as a tongue-in-cheek background soundtrack.
Granted, the surroundings of Yosemite itself appears as gorgeous as at all times, however the clip exhibits the grim actuality of visiting the park throughout the day amid the height summer time season—certainly, not so ideally suited for many who do not significantly take pleasure in sharing its views and points of interest with hundreds of others on the identical time.
People who find themselves aware of how tranquil and scenic Yosemite’s world-famous scenes normally look in images, journey movies, and influencer photographs are getting a style of what the park is actually like throughout the busiest time of the yr with this eye-opening piece of footage—however nationwide park veterans who know the place to go to keep away from the ruckus (plus when to move to the park to keep away from everybody else) chimed in on the publish to supply their two cents.
“Anybody who is aware of methods to nationwide park is aware of to get into the parks by 6/7 a.m,” one Instagram person wrote within the video’s feedback part.
One other particular person suggested others to maintain to much less crowded areas of the park, writing, “There are thousands and thousands of acres that don’t have a single soul in Yosemite. Persons are lazy and keep within the valley.”
Reactions to the massive crowds apart, is the current video really an correct portrayal of Yosemite on a busy summer time’s day? Plus, is the park at all times like this all year long? Because it seems, the nationwide park’s customer knowledge is sort of telling.
Is Yosemite Actually As Crowded As The Video Reveals? This is What The Knowledge Says
Positive, the current video on Instagram depicts California’s prime nationwide park within the daytime in peak season. However how crowded is Yosemite, precisely? Surprisingly, it isn’t really essentially the most crowded nationwide park; actually, it isn’t even within the prime 5. Yosemite is the sixth hottest in america, with Nice Smoky Mountains (12.2 million visits in 2024) and Grand Canyon Nationwide Parks (nearly five million visits in 2024) continuously taking first and second place yr after yr, respectively.
Nonetheless, that is to not say it is not crowded—it is, and its visitation knowledge from the Nationwide Park Service (NPS) proves it. On common, over 4 million individuals go to Yosemite yearly. Furthermore, the variety of visits has elevated within the final 5 years, based on data organized by Statista, outlined beneath.
- 2024: 4.12 million guests
- 2023: 3.9 million guests
- 2022: 3.67 million guests
- 2021: 3.29 million guests
- 2020: 2.27 million guests
Yosemite’s highest-ever yr for visitation was 2016; that yr, the park welcomed a report 5.03 million guests.
Nevertheless, whereas Yosemite receives thousands and thousands of tourists per yr, some months appeal to extra individuals to the park than others. In response to the NPS, nearly 75% of tourists come to Yosemite throughout the busiest six months (Might by means of October). Under is the common visitation per thirty days in Yosemite utilizing 2001 to 2016 data from the NPS.
Yosemite Nationwide Park’s Common Visitation Per Month (2001 to 2016)
|
Month |
% of Annual Guests |
# of Month-to-month Guests |
|
January |
3% |
108,026 |
|
February |
3% |
112,897 |
|
March |
4% |
153,289 |
|
April |
6% |
224,276 |
|
Might |
10% |
353,062 |
|
June |
13% |
488,594 |
|
July |
16% |
592,990 |
|
August |
16% |
600,349 |
|
September |
13% |
465,231 |
|
October |
9% |
327,667 |
|
November |
4% |
158,278 |
|
December |
3% |
118,889 |
These customer figures present Yosemite is a persistently crowded place, however the low tourism season exhibits visitation eases. With that nuance in thoughts, the video above shared by Tourons Of Nationwide Parks is sensible; the footage showcases how crowded Yosemite is on a busy summer time’s day, forgetting that late fall, winter, and early spring ship a reprieve from crowds (that mentioned, federal funding cuts and hiring freezes in 2025 have made dealing with any variety of guests more difficult, particularly for Yosemite’s employees, who voted to unionize recently in gentle working situations).
On that be aware, a few of the feedback on the Instagram publish from guests who’ve been to Yosemite exterior the height months agreed it would not normally look as hectic because it’s portrayed within the video.
“Fall was possibly 5 individuals on that path the entire time, it was nice!” one person wrote within the video’s feedback.
Extra customers spoke up within the feedback, too, equally advising individuals to stay to Yosemite within the low season, not the summer time. “The one cheap time to go to these locations is low season,” one person wrote. One other particular person added, “Yeah, by no means do Nationwide Parks in the summertime! Spring and fall are one of the best occasions.” One other commenter wrote, “Yeah like…. do not go on a Saturday, at midday, in the summertime,” earlier than including, “Rise up earlier and go on a weekday.”
Nonetheless, though Yosemite will get round 4 million guests a yr (and is within the prime ten most visited national parks in the U.S.), it isn’t unattainable to flee its grim summertime actuality and the hordes of vacationers. NPS recommends arriving earlier than 8 a.m., significantly on the weekends—the busiest time of the week.
Final however not least, the company additionally suggests guests go away their automobile in the identical parking spot all day and plan to stroll to every space of the park or make the most of its public transit, since discovering one other place to park, particularly in peak season, is unlikely (a frustrating pain point that another one of America’s top national parks has been forced to deal with over the summer time).
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