New Yosemite Reservation system

billharr

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2009
Messages
2,829
Location
Stockton CA
Just got an email with new rules for reservations, some start tomorrow.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/parknews/recgovchanges.htm


Yosemite National Park Announces Changes to the Campground Reservation System

Date: June 7, 2011

New Policies Implemented to Ensure Equity and Fairness to Park Visitors

Yosemite National Park announces three changes to the way in which visitors make camping reservations for campgrounds operated by the National Park Service (NPS) in the park. These changes are being implemented in an effort to thwart and discourage misuse of the camping reservation system that all visitors currently use when making campground reservations within Yosemite National Park.

The first change will require all visitors checking into a campsite in the park to show identification upon arrival at the Campground Reservation Office. Currently, campers do not need to present any form of identification to secure their reserved campsite. However, this new identification policy is being implemented to make sure that the person who arrives at the campground office is the same person who made the campground reservation. This new procedure will commence for all check-ins beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, June 8, 2011.

Also starting tomorrow, campground reservation holders will no longer be able to change the name of the person on the campground reservation. Previously, the original name on the reservation could be changed online on the reservation contractor's website. This would not change any components of the existing reservation. However, this change precludes the ability to change the name on a reservation once the reservation is made. There is a $10 cancellation fee for any reservation that is cancelled. Further, the same reservation under a different name is not guaranteed.

The final change to the campground reservation system will be implemented later this summer. This alteration will change the way in which cancelled reservations are released back into the system. Currently, once a reservation is cancelled, the campsite is put back online to be purchased. However, under the newly implemented system, the campsites that become available can only be reserved by calling the campground reservation phone number. There is no date available for this change.

All campsites reserved in Yosemite National Park are reserved through a contractor, Active Works. The website is www.recreation.gov. They can also be reached at 1-877-444-6777. The park is implementing these changes to ensure equity and fairness for visitors wishing to make a campsite reservation within Yosemite National Park.
 
Thanks Bill. Items #1 and #2 make sense to me. I'm not sure I understand why canceled reservations shouldn't be release back into the system. Of course that's the way I got my impromptu spot so maybe I'm biased. ;)
 
^ Yes, tons of them. Resellers gobbling up as many sites as they could for all of the holiday and other choice weekends, flipping them on ebay, then just changing the name on the reservation. I've seen some holiday week valley spots get bid up over $1k. No kidding.

I've always been a big fan of the first come, first served campground style myself. Just something about the spontaniety of it all...
 
Next up are the permits to climb Half Dome. 400 permits per day ($1.50ea) and ALL the permits for May and June sold in 12 minutes! NFS is going to make a lot of scalpers unhappy and they should. The greed of some people is getting to much.

Bill
 
Items 1 and 2 make sense, that seems like a good thing to do. I don't get 3 either though? My only thought is maybe they want more campsites available for the last minute folks and the're getting way too many people camping/sleeping where they shouldn't be. Seems to me that that would be the individuals own fault.

Kevo
 

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