Yosemite to Test A.I. to Try to Fix its Parking Problem

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…

Staff Report –

Yosemite’s parking problem may be getting a Silicon Valley solution.

The park has landed a share of a $10 million National Park Foundation grant that will fund an A.I.-powered system delivering real-time parking availability, traffic conditions and road status to visitors.

Yosemite is one of just 20 national parks selected for the foundation’s Conceptual Grant program.

The plan calls for a unified, park-wide network built on sensors, smart devices and A.I.-driven automation. Instead of guessing whether Yosemite Valley has a spot left, visitors would see live updates pushed automatically to websites, apps, roadside signs, digital maps and visitor center displays.

Park officials say the system will help people plan and navigate with far more confidence.

The timing could hardly be better.

Yosemite scrapped its reservation system for 2026, and the results have been rough: parking lots filling by 7 a.m. on weekends and holidays, gridlocked roads and long entrance lines.

The park rolled out real-time entrance wait times for the Arch Rock, Big Oak Flat and South entrances back in June, a helpful first step that did nothing about the parking crunch inside.

Related Coverage: National Park Service Adds Real Time Traffic Feature to Yosemite Website

The grant funds the design phase, so relief will not arrive this summer.

__

If you like this story and independent radio news service you can help Fund Yosemite Radio, KNHA 100.9 FM with GoFundMe.