Yosemite National Park Makes Big Summer Announcement After Uncertainty, Budget Cuts

The summer season is bringing a reason to celebrate—finally—at Yosemite National Park.
Following several years of challenges, beginning in 2020 with closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing through to record-low budget cuts that have caused massive staff shortages, California's most visited national park has some good news for visitors. For the first time in six years, all 13 of Yosemite's campgrounds will be open to the public this summer, adding approximately 500 additional campsites for overnight visitors.'We're very excited to have these campgrounds open to the public as we enter the busy summer season,' said Ray McPadden, Yosemite's Acting Superintendent, in a statement released on Wednesday. 'Camping in this park is truly a magical experience, and we want to provide the opportunity for as many visitors as possible.'
In order to secure a spot, reservations must be made online via Recreation.gov. The opening schedule will work as follows:
June 20: White Wolf Campground
June 23: Tamarack Flat Campground
July 1: Yosemite Creek Campground
Opening dates for the Bridalveil Creek, Porcupine Flat, and Tuolumne Meadows Campgrounds 'will be announced soon,' according to the NPS.
Park guests are advised to view the details of each campground, as drinking water is not available at several of them while others only offer portable toilets. In order to pack appropriately, and know what to expect, visit the Yosemite National Park website.
News of the campground reopenings comes amidst months of uncertainty, both at Yosemite and within the National Park Service in general. Earlier this year, the government proposed more than $1 billion worth of cuts to the NPS' budget, and proposed transferring oversight for some of the nation's parks to the state level.
As SFGATE's Madilynne Medina writes, 'The openings come in step with an order from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that national parks 'remain open and accessible' despite a massive staffing shortage and the lowest proposed National Park Service budget in history.'
As a result of these budget cuts, Yosemite was initially in a standstill as far as hiring summer staffers. Which meant that 'Yosemite employees including scientists, information technology workers, and even the leadership team had to take on campground bathroom cleaning shifts to make up for the custodial staff shortage moving into the park's busiest season,' wrote Medina.
Yosemite National Park Makes Big Summer Announcement After Uncertainty, Budget Cuts first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 12, 2025

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