Tioga Road, Half Dome open as Yosemite National Park expands access for summer

Yosemite National Park is entering peak summer season, which means expanding access throughout its nearly 1,200 square miles in Central California.

On Wednesday, the National Park Service announced the opening of all front-country campgrounds and most High Sierra camps, as well as several popular trails and climbing areas, including Half Dome.

The popular hiking destination officially opens on Friday, though daily permits, handled through lottery system, are available now with applications running two days in advance of the hiking date. See, recreation.gov.

A section of the Valley Loop Trail near Royal Arches has also reopened for the season, along with several other popular climbing routes that had been closed for safety.

The Ice Cut section of the John Muir Trail (notably closed by a rockfall in 2024) is expected to reopen in July, according to the park service.

Tioga Road + Glacier Point roads

Road service has also opened up access beyond Yosemite Valley and into the park’s high county and remote wilderness areas.

Glacier Point Road, with access to Glacier Point and Washburn Point, opened on Saturday.

Tioga Road, which runs through the park as Highway 120 and provides access to Tuolumne Meadows and the high country, opens at 8 p.m. Friday, May 15, the park service said. It will have limited services. Guests should bring their own food and water.

This is the earliest the road has been opened in 16 years. It is typically closed for the winter season in November until late May or June.

Explore beyond Yosemite Valley

The expanded access should help with congestion at a park that has already been inundated with visitors.

Already, the National Park Service is reporting the largest crowds it has seen in a decade due to the Trump administration foregoing a vehicle reservation requirement that had periodically used since 2020. Critics worried the change would gridlock roads, overwhelm parking and bring hours-long entrance lines.

That seems to be what happened near Yosemite Valley earlier this month.

Visitors should expect traffic, the park service said; especially on weekends and Saturday mornings. To alleviate the issue, guest are encouraged to:

• Skip the typical arrival times and get to the park early in the morning or later in the afternoon.
• Visit midweek.
• Explore beyond Yosemite Valley. The valley is home to the famous Tunnel View of El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentinel Rock and others. It’s perhaps the best known and therefore most crowded area of the park.
• Purchase a Yosemite digital site pass or America the Beautiful pass, which allows access to multiple parks within the national park system. The passes, which can be purchased online at recreation.gov “significantly reduce time spent at entrance stations and help improve traffic flow into the park.

This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Tioga Road, Half Dome open as Yosemite National Park expands access for summer."