Reservation Rule Dropped for Firefall 2026 at Yosemite National Park. Expect Chaos & Crowds.

Yosemite National Park has announced the policies that will be in effect for viewing the Firefall at Horsetail Falls in February 2026. Due to the popularity of this stunning natural phenomenon, restrictions and reservation requirements have been in effect the last several years.

However, there will be NO reservations required on any dates in February 2026. The rules this year: there are no rules! Well, not quite. There are still going to be restrictions and policies in place to offer guardrails on the crowding and congestion. We’ll discuss those here, along with our reaction this news.

Before we get going, anyone wanting basic background or advice should check out our Guide to Firefall Viewing at Yosemite National Park. I’m a photographer who has done this several times over the last decade-plus, and have seen and shot the natural phenomenon from several different vantages, including lesser-known ones!

Now let’s turn to the announcement itself…

Yosemite National Park Superintendent Ray McPadden announced this change, saying that “a bunch of boots on the ground is going to be our principal strategy.” McPadden explained that there are traffic chokepoints that can be alleviated with more personnel. He added that the gateways would encourage carpooling, and anything else to “shave off the edge” on crowds. What this means or how it’ll work is unclear.

This news is likely to be met with mixed reactions. On the one hand, there’s the obvious enthusiasm for going back to how things “used to be.” Honestly, this was my initial reaction.

The world has changed a lot post-COVID, and it seems like so many things that used to be simple and straightforward and now unnecessarily cumbersome and complicated. I’m forced to make reservations for so many things now that used to be easy access. So at least ostensibly, I like the idea of relaxed restrictions.

On the other hand, the world has changed a lot post-COVID! There are a lot of things that might seem “unnecessarily” complicated and cumbersome on the surface, but exist for good reason. (Chesterton’s Fence and all that.)

I’ve experienced some truly awful crowds for the Firefall before the rules were implemented, and I’m not eager to endure a repeat of that. With things snowballing in popularity thanks to viral TikToks and who knows what else, I shudder to think about just how much worse crowds could be in 2026.

It’s to the point that I do not intend upon finding out firsthand. Likewise, I’d implore anyone reading this to target a less-busy date, and avoid weekends at all costs.

It doesn’t help that the explanation of mitigation measures offered by the Yosemite National Park Superintendent was not the least bit reassuring. The plan to reduce crowds is by adding more people to the mix? Sure, that could help with traffic flow, but only to a point.

If exponentially more visitors show up to Yosemite on peak weekends by virtue of a lack of reservations, there is no remedying that on the fly. There are going to be serious issues in the prime viewing areas, where only so much “capacity” exists in the first place.

It’s like giving away admission to the Super Bowl, and explaining that they’re going to manage demand by increasing traffic attendants. That’s not exactly a viable or comprehensive solution to the real underlying issue.

Yosemite Reservations in Summer 2026?

While announcing that no reservations will be required for Firefall in February 2026, McPadden indicated that no decision has been made yet on the vehicle reservation system this summer. However, he added that after “careful evaluation,” he does not believe reservations are a good solution.

McPadden added: “our conclusion, based on a few pilot years, is that a park-wide, season-wide reservation system is not the most effective tool” for managing summer demand. The decision will ultimately be made by the Department of the Interior, and likely extend to more National Parks than just Yosemite. McPadden indicated that he hopes the decision is made soon, and is mindful that timing matters for planning summer vacations.

There’s been growing frustration about the uncertainty around reservations for the summer, and concerns that it’ll result in decreased visitation numbers among international travelers. Approximately 25% of the visitors to Yosemite National Park during summer are foreign guests who stay longer and spend more money, both inside the park and in gateway cities that are reliant on the peak season.

As of this year, non-U.S. residents aged 16 and older pay an extra $100 per person, on top of standard entrance fees, to enter 11 of the most popular U.S. National Parks, including Yosemite National Park. The goal is to fund infrastructure projects, while also pushing international travelers towards the $250 “America the Beautiful” Annual Pass, which also increased in price from $80. This Annual Pass covers four people, and can be purchased online before arrival.

2026 Firefall Restrictions & Policies

While there won’t be reservations to enter Yosemite National Park in February 2026, there will still be restrictions and policies for parking in Yosemite Valley. Likewise, there are policies specific to Firefall viewing (as best we can tell, this is all unchanged from last year or the last few years).

To view Horsetail Fall, park at Yosemite Falls parking (just west of Yosemite Valley Lodge) and walk 1.5 miles (each way) to the viewing area near El Capitan Picnic Area. If this parking is full, park at Yosemite Village or Curry Village and use the free shuttle (which stops at both) to get to Yosemite Falls parking/Yosemite Valley Lodge.

Vault toilets, along with trash and recycling dumpsters, are available at the El Capitan Picnic Area. Northside Drive will have one lane closed to vehicles so pedestrians can walk on the road between the viewing area and Yosemite Falls parking. Bring warm clothes and a headlamp or flashlight.

Parking, stopping, or unloading passengers will be prohibited between Lower Yosemite Fall and El Capitan Crossover. Vehicles displaying a disability placard will be allowed to drive to El Capitan Picnic Area and park in turnouts on the north side of Northside Drive. On busy weekends, Northside Drive may close completely for about a half hour immediately after sunset.

Southside Drive will be open to vehicles, but parking, stopping, and unloading passengers will be prohibited between El Capitan Crossover to Swinging Bridge Picnic Area. Pedestrians will also be prohibited from traveling on or adjacent to the road in this area. From Cathedral Beach Picnic Area to Sentinel Beach Picnic Area, the area between the road and the Merced River (including the river) will also be closed to all entry.

Reservation Rules in Previous Years

In the last few years, reservations were required to enter Yosemite National Park 24 hours per day on the three weekends around Presidents’ Day. For example, here’s last year’s reservation dates:

February 8-9
February 15-17
February 22–23

That applied to all visitors to Yosemite, even those not intending to see Horsetail Fall. Guests who arrived Mondays through Thursdays would not need a reservation, with the exception of Presidents’ Day itself. The $35/car entrance fee is valid for entry for seven days, regardless of day of arrival.

Reservations were typically released in two batches, with the second being made available two days before the arrival date (e.g., make a reservation for an arrival date of February 23 on February 21) at 8 am Pacific time. This made for a stressful process during the second round of reservations, as many visitors travel from around the state, country, or world to see the Firefall.

The non-refundable reservation fee is $2. You will pay the entrance fee (or show an annual or lifetime pass) when you arrive. Cancelled reservations become available immediately. Reservations for those weekends filled up almost immediately.

If you were unable to score them, one workaround was arriving to Yosemite National Park on a weekday and staying overnight. Once you’re in, you’re in. The reservation requirement is based on arrival date, and nothing else.

We’re sharing all of this just for the sake of posterity, but also in case anyone is already thinking about the 2027 Firefall. If/when dropping the reservation rule is determined to be an unmitigated disaster, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the rules restored next year.

Photo courtesy of Yosemite National Park

This restriction was originally implemented because of overcrowding. We saw this play out ourselves, as we first visited for Firefall almost 15 years ago, back when social media was in its nascent days and not many people had heard of the Firefall. Over the years, we watched firsthand as crowds grew larger and larger.

This is typically at its worst the weekend of Presidents’ Day, when over 2,000 visitors pack into a small section of riverbank. As riverbanks filled, visitors moved into the Merced River, trampling sensitive vegetation and exposing themselves to unsafe conditions. In the aftermath of Firefall, undeveloped areas were littered with trash, and the lack of restrooms resulted in unsanitary conditions.

Requiring reservations was completely understandable in light of the crowds. Even so, the practical reality is it’s really hard to control the capacity via park reservations. Yosemite National Park has the ability to hold tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of people if evenly distributed throughout all guest areas.

By contrast, these Firefall viewing areas have a comfortable capacity–in aggregate–of a couple thousand people. But it’s not realistic to limit reservations to only ~2,000 people per day, since plenty of guests visit Yosemite National Park in February who are totally oblivious to the Firefall.

Based on average visitor numbers, February is typically the slowest month of the year with roughly 4,285 daily visitors to Yosemite National Park. Just Yosemite Valley could handle that number with absolute ease–anything below 20,000 is manageable. The problem is trying to cram a high percentage of those daily visitors (which easily eclipses 5k on weekends) into a small subset of the Valley. It also doesn’t help that carpooling is less common among these photographers, so there’s a disproportionate number of vehicles versus a normal day in the park.

Even before the reservation rules were implemented, we saw unsustainable crowds in the Firefall viewing areas. Ditching reservations is going to exacerbate all of this, resulting in even more heightened tensions (we’ve seen fights almost break out over tripod space), people arriving even earlier to stake out spots, some photogs being shut out entirely, and others spilling out into other places they don’t belong.

Ultimately, the Firefall at Yosemite National Park is a beautiful natural phenomenon that is quite the sight to behold. However, you will be sacrificing a lot to behold it. What you don’t see ‘behind the scenes’ of the stunning viral videos and photos is an experience totally antithetical to the ideal Yosemite National Park visit.

Between restrictions and the ever-increasing prominence of the event on social media, trying to see/shoot the Firefall on peak dates is an overcrowded, tense, and downright unpleasant experience. I would strongly encourage you to think twice before visiting during this timeframe, and would even more forcefully recommend not being a guinea pig during the first year of no reservations (unless you can go mid-week and outside of the peak Presidents’ Day period). Yosemite is truly majestic in the winter…but Firefall is no longer worth the effort, frustration, intensity, crowds, etc.

If you’re planning a visit to Yosemite National Park, please check out my other posts about Yosemite for ideas of things to do and photography tips. If you’re looking for more Yosemite photo spots, check out my Yosemite National Park Photo Spots & Tips post. Also, another great resource is Michael Frye’s book on photographing Yosemite National Park.

Your Thoughts

Thoughts on the National Park Service ditching the reservation rule for Firefall 2026 at Yosemite? Expect this to lead to even worse chaos, crowding, and congestion? Have you seen the Firefall at Yosemite National Park? What did you think of it? Do you agree or disagree with my recommendation of avoiding Firefall? Do you think it’s worth the crowds, frustrations, and headache–or do you agree that it’s become too popular and mainstream? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!