Parking in the Valley

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k-man

Gym climber

SCruz

Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 12, 2016 - 08:02am PT

A note from my friend says, "YNP is starting a reserved day-use parking system for weekends. $1.50 fee to reserve a parking spot in the Valley lots."

I'm trying to decide if this is good or bad.

nita

Social climber

chica de chico, I don't claim to be a daisy.

Jun 12, 2016 - 08:08am PT

*
Ekat, that sounds like a much better idea...

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Jun 12, 2016 - 09:20am PT

the idea of visitor quota is contentious, and has been at least one of the issues with creating a successful Merced Wild and Scenic River plan. I am not sure which version of the plan we're on a the moment, but the legislation requires that the number or visits above which the management of the river environs cannot maintain those environs in a natural state must be established, and the plan address how to limit the visits below that level.

this has been anathema to the locals, the concessionaires , and probably to the park as they derive a large revenue from the visitors. add to this the complicated history of federal, state and local control of the park with many historical artifacts and traditions and you have a truly complicated situation which will not be easily or quickly resolved.

in the current plan, visits are equated with parking spaces, so the Park management argues that limiting parking meets the requirements of visitor quotas as demanded by the WSR legislation. This is a legal theory, of course, and it will be tested in federal court (no doubt). whether or not this theory survives will determine the fate of the currently proposed plan. if not, it's back to the drawing board for another round. I doubt the courts want to weigh into the scrum and manage the planning process.

my guess it that paying for reserved parking in the Valley is the first step to a "reservation" system that allows the park to manage the visits.

on Memorial Day Sunday my daughter and I were prematurely out of the backcountry in the southern part of the park. Parked at the Bridalvale Creek trailhead, it took us 2 hours to make it to El Cap Meadow to exit the park. It was a zoo, to put it mildly. The blinking traffic sign at the split to El Cap bridge warned of a 3 hour trip "downtown" to the Village, etc... so much for a "wilderness experience."

people were parked everywhere, and a large number of those parkings were illegal, and also damaging of the roadside vegetation, and obstructing oncoming traffic. But there was no way the park could manage the crowd, they had their hands full.

Zion NP has a shuttle system that runs from March through October.
http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/shuttle-system.htm

"In 1997, visitation was 2.4 million and increasing. The shuttle system was established to eliminate traffic and parking problems, protect vegetation, and restore tranquility to Zion Canyon."

Yosemite NP has close to 80% of its visits from May through September... which suggests a time period during which access alternatives to private auto might be appropriate. However, this approach to planning was already tried and failed.

The inability to come to some consensus plan will invite the intervention of the federal courts. This will perhaps be viewed negatively by most, but has the virtue of resolving the deadlock over managing Yosemite Valley's unique natural resources. If anything has turned me to this radical viewpoint, it is picking up during the Facelift. The amazing stuff we pulled out in the early years demonstrated the YNP was falling further and further behind. Now, we pick up literally tons of poo-paper and convenience packaging... and view the trampling of the Valley floor by those millions of visits, albeit in rather localized areas.

The number of visitors has required increases in support services, who can forget the sewer system upgrade work... but also the increases in law enforcement, and with the priorities of funding these "necessary" services, the decline of other important activities, especially teaching visitors about the park.

Climber visits are not without detrimental impact, as the trails to and from climbs often start out as ad hoc use trails put in without any regard to what should be protected, or what will happen during the spring runoff. On popular routes, the stench of human waste reminds climbers that Yosemite is not a "wilderness" in many ways.

Parking in the Valley is a convenience to climbers, and one that may be severely restricted in the near future. Climber voices should be a part of the public discussion as to what will become policy in the Valley, but it requires that those voices show up and be heard.

Given the contentious nature of a fragmented climber community, I have real doubts that climbers will participate effectively in this process.

survival

Big Wall climber

Terrapin Station

Jun 12, 2016 - 09:36am PT

Keep down the number of cars, yes.

But closing the lodge parking lot was a crime against HUMANITY!!

That place should be preserved on the National Register Of Historic Places because of all the mad geniuses and wild shenanigans and tomfoolery that occurred there!!!

survival

Big Wall climber

Terrapin Station

Jun 12, 2016 - 09:43am PT

Me too!

Maybe we should collaborate! Robbie and I were just talking last night about He and Lepton and I, in 78, shitfaced on Separators, trying to play hackysack in the dark in that lot, and screaming at the top of our lungs, no hassle!!

You sure as hell couldn't get away with that next to the lodge these days....

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Jun 12, 2016 - 09:54am PT

...is a joke.

survival

Big Wall climber

Terrapin Station

Jun 12, 2016 - 10:02am PT

I know. I count myself super lucky to be there at the times we were.

Haven't they been trying to cut down on the number of cars in their grand plan for 40 years now? The traffic jams just get worse. What's wrong with some giant ass parking lots on the edge of the park, and more shuttles going back and forth?

Hell, I'd ride em.

WBraun

climber

Jun 12, 2016 - 10:03am PT

and those days are G O N E!

The sun came up today as usual.

So the days are still alive and well ..... :-)

k-man

Gym climber

SCruz

Topic Author's Reply - Jun 12, 2016 - 10:08am PT

The shuttle system in Zion is possible because it's a close-looped road. It's difficult to regulate cars going into Yosemite because there's a route through the park to towns on the other side, and folks can say they want to drive from Oakhurst to Oakdale or Lee Vining.

I suppose the NPS could say you need a parking pass to enter the park, unless you pledge to drive on through, but who is going to be the merry meter maid? You'd need a strong fleet, that's for sure.

Yeah, I head of stories of 2 & 1/2 hours to get from Bridalveil parking to the El Cap Y. But that's the first I heard of a 3 hr trip to Downtown!

WBraun

climber

Jun 12, 2016 - 10:11am PT

The Valley floor already has a full time traffic management crew for parking, pedestrian crossing and traffic management under protection division.

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Jun 12, 2016 - 10:24am PT

Southside Drive, being essentially a one-laner when tour buses and shuttles are allowed to use the right lane exclusively, is often like being on a freeway at rush hour or worse, according to many, except the view tends to be lots better.

Even if it's only trees screening the Wonders of Nature.

I heard this same horror story from a UC Merced grad student last month. They all got out but the driver and walked into the Village and they loved it. So it has its upside.

Reminds me of Sugar Magnolia.

"Sweet blossom come on, under the willow, we can have high times if you'll abide.
We can discover the wonders of nature, rolling in the rushes down by the riverside" if we get out of the car and walk, leaving Cassady to do his thing behind the wheel.

Psilocyborg

climber

Jun 12, 2016 - 11:14am PT

It is more convenient when I just close my eyes and float on in.

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Jun 12, 2016 - 02:10pm PT

One problem with a reserve system is people who reserve and then don't show up. Then the reserved resource has empty spots that could have been used.

A few weekends ago we were driving in the crossover between Chapel and Village Store (around 11am), and a parking attendant in NPS uniform was trying to get us to park alongside that road. Her line was "it's the last parking in the Valley"! We said, "no thanks, we don't need it". We parked easily in the Lodge lot, where there was constant turnover. (We did Selaginella). There was even one couple in a pickup truck who changed parking spots 3 times while we were getting our gear ready.

I know, they are trying hard to reduce the gridlock. Apparently visitation is up 40% this year. Mostly we try to be up on the climb earlier and not drive between 11am-5pm.

They could open the former Upper River / Lower River campgrounds as parking lots.

Turning the Lower Falls parking lot into a fenced yard and huge bathroom might not have been such a good idea, as it reduced capacity and increased pedestrian traffic across the main loop road.

WBraun

climber

Jun 12, 2016 - 02:29pm PT

Upper River / Lower River campgrounds as parking lots

lol ... not happening.

Resource management doesn't want high visitor impact so close to the Merced river.

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Jun 12, 2016 - 03:07pm PT

I believe you, but of course many of the existing parking lots like the one south of the Village store are already close to the river.
http://www.google.com/maps/@37.7441894,-119.584586,817m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

So I guess it's the theme of:
Keep the existing stuff, but don't add new stuff, even if the existing stuff is worse.
I'm not saying it's easy to fix problems when there are a lot of factors and various rules involved.

John M

climber

Jun 12, 2016 - 03:35pm PT

what I wish that they would do.

Implement a quota system combined with a bus/tram system.

Allow people in up to a certain point, then require people to ride the bus system unless they have campground or hotel reservations. Make the quota low enough that the roads aren't crowded, but also not empty. Run the tram system from dawn to just after dark. And then have an emergency smaller tram for those who get off their hike or climb later then they thought they would. This would allow people to not have to worry, and it would mean the trams wouldn't have to run 24/7.

Also.. provide some incentive for everyone to ride the bus system. Ie.. perhaps a lower entrance fee per family or car load.

Put up automated signs outside all entrances warning people of possible closures so that they could prepare to ride the tram, or decide to do something else.

The problem is that it would cost money. and flexibility.. money we aren't willing to spend, and flexibility which we seem to lack.

We have the technology to count cars even if no one is manning the gate. We even have the technology to count residents and employees.

by doing this, we could have a smaller tram/bus system instead of the massive system that would have been required if we banned all cars. Or only allowed those in who had campground or hotel reservations. The last figure I heard when they wanted to ban all cars was 450 buses would be required.

Just my thoughts.. I like being able to drive into the park. When my grandmother was alive and we were kids, it made visiting possible. I doubt that we would have visited as much as we did if there was no possibility of driving into the park.

Jon Beck

Trad climber

Oceanside

Jun 12, 2016 - 04:16pm PT

Gotta be a big corporation behind this, part of the master plan to ultimately monetize all of the wilderness. As an area becomes popular the powers smell opportunity. On a practical note, my visits to the valley start at early dark thirty, easily get a parking spot and do not plan on moving my car (leaving) until after sunset.

I miss the old days but there is so much good opportunity in the mountains that I can live without extended trips to the valley.

k-man

Gym climber

SCruz

Topic Author's Reply - Jun 13, 2016 - 08:00am PT

A little more info:

It's a "pilot program" for 2 weekends only.

Here's the official blurb:

Yosemite National Park announces a pilot program where visitors will
be able to reserve a guaranteed parking space on two upcoming
weekends. Visitors to Yosemite National Park will be able to reserve a
parking space in Yosemite Valley for the weekend of June 25-26 and
July 2-4. 2016. The reserved parking program would benefit visitors by
ensuring access to a parking space if they arrive before 11:00 A.M.

Reservations for 150 parking spaces each day during the upcoming
weekends can be made beginning Saturday, June 11. Reservations can be
made through Recreation.gov at www.recreation.gov or by calling
1-877-444-6777. There is no charge for the day-use parking
reservations, but a reservation fee of $1.50 will be required per
transaction. All transactions are final and no refunds or
cancellations for those arriving after 11:00 A.M. The designated
parking lot is directly west of Yosemite Valley Lodge and South of
Camp 4.