Bumper-to-bumper traffic and a lack of parking foreshadowed a potentially chaotic summer.
Like other national parks, California's Yosemite ended its timed reservation system this year, prompting massive crowding and congestion at the start of the busy summer season.
As Dryden Quigley reports in an article for ABC 7, "So far this year, Yosemite has recorded nearly 100,000 more visitors than at the same point last year, contributing to what many describe as chaotic conditions." Visitors are reportedly waiting over an hour to enter the park, and there was no parking available for many of them, prompting some to drive off the road onto off-limits areas.
In a statement made in February, Yosemite Superintendent Ray McPadden said, "While reservation systems are one valuable management tool, our data demonstrates that a season-wide reservation requirement is not the most effective approach for the coming season."
FULL STORY: Changes to Yosemite's reservation system lead to 'chaos' in park over holiday weekend
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