Yosemite National Park Sierra Sun Times file photo
June 15, 2026 - Last week, Congressman Tom McClintock spoke on the House Floor: The Public's Right to a Hassle Free Yosemite.
YouTube Transcript:
3 seconds
>> MR. SPEAKER, A FULL COURT PRESS IS BEING WAGED IN THE MEDIA TO BRING BACK YOSEMITE VALLEY'S RESTRICTIVE10 seconds
RESERVATION SYSTEM. VIRAL VIDEOS OF CROWDS ON MEMORIAL DAY NOW STOKE THIS MOVEMENT WHILE THOSE COMPLAINING OF18 seconds
CROWDS DURING PEAK WEEKENDS, OF COURSE, ENVISIONED THAT THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO ENTER THE PARK. BUT NOT ALL THOSE PESKY OTHER PEOPLE. WELL, HERE'S A27 seconds
HELPFUL TIP IF YOU DON'T LIKE CROWDS, DON'T GO TO THE BEACH ON MEMORIAL DAY AND DON'T GO TO YOSEMITE ON MEMORIAL DAY. IN A SERIES OF ARTICLES IN THE SAN35 seconds
FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, THESE CRITICS HAVE GONE SO FAR AS TO ADVOCATE RESURRECTING THE RADICAL YOSEMITE GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN. IT WOULD HAVE44 seconds
ULTIMATELY BANNED ALL TRAFFIC FROM THE PARK AND REQUIRED VISITORS TO STOP NEARLY 50 MILES AWAY. PACK UP THE KIDS AND THE BINKIES AND THE52 seconds
BLANKIES AND THE BACKPACKS, AND THEN TAKE A GOVERNMENT BUS MORE THAN AN HOUR IN ORDER JUST TO SET FOOT IN YOSEMITE VALLEY.1 minute, 1 second
THEY ALSO FAVOR THE SO-CALLED MERCED RIVER PLAN THAT TRIED AND PARTIALLY SUCCEEDED TO ELIMINATE MANY OF THE AMENITIES AVAILABLE IN THE VALLEY,1 minute, 9 seconds
INCLUDING BICYCLE AND RAFT RENTALS, HORSEBACK RIDING RENTALS, GIFT AND SNACK SHOPS, SWIMMING POOLS AND ICONIC FACILITIES INCLUDING THE ICE1 minute, 17 seconds
SKATING RINK AT CURRY VILLAGE, THE ART CENTER AND AN HISTORIC STONE BRIDGE THAT DATES BACK TO THE 1920S. THESE ELITISTS, NOW1 minute, 26 seconds
PRESSED TO RESTORE THE DISASTROUS RESERVATION SYSTEM THAT GREATLY INCONVENIENCED PARK VISITORS THROUGHOUT 2024.1 minute, 33 seconds
TO THEM, THESE RESTRICTIVE MEASURES ARE THE CURE TO CROWDS.1 minute, 37 seconds
YET TO THE PUBLIC, THE RESERVATION SYSTEM MEANT THAT AN AVERAGE OF 700 CARS A DAY FILLED WITH FAMILIES THAT HAD1 minute, 45 seconds
DRIVEN HOURS TO ENJOY A DAY AT YOSEMITE WERE TURNED AWAY AT THE GATES FOR LACK OF RESERVATIONS. AND MEANWHILE, INSIDE THE PARK, PARKING LOTS1 minute, 54 seconds
SET HALF EMPTY. HOTEL RESERVATIONS FELL, THOUSANDS SHORT, AND MANY TOURISTS WHO BOOKED A ROOM OUTSIDE THE PARK2 minutes, 1 second
WERE REFUSED ENTRY AT THE GATES FOR WANT OF A COVETED RESERVATION. FRUSTRATED WOULD BE VISITORS REPORTED CONTINUING2 minutes, 8 seconds
PROBLEMS TRYING TO OBTAIN RESERVATIONS ON A GLITCHY WEBSITE. NOW, THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT CROWDING IN THE VALLEY HASN'T BEEN A BIG PROBLEM, BUT2 minutes, 17 seconds
THE SOLUTION IS BETTER MANAGEMENT AND MORE CAPACITY.2 minutes, 20 seconds
NOT RESTRICTING ACCESS. BEFORE THE 1997 FLOOD, THERE WERE ABOUT TWICE AS MANY PARKING2 minutes, 28 seconds
PLACES, ROOMS AND CAMPSITES AS THERE ARE TODAY. ALTHOUGH CONGRESS APPROPRIATED FUNDS TO RESTORE THIS CAPACITY, IT NEVER2 minutes, 36 seconds
WAS A SUCCESSION OF INCOMPETENT SUPERINTENDENTS TOLERATED INEFFICIENT ADMISSIONS AND TIME CONSUMING TRANSACTIONS THAT2 minutes, 44 seconds
OFTEN PRODUCED LONG LINES AT THE GATES. WHEN GATEWAY COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES APPROACHED PARK MANAGERS FOR RELIEF, THERE ARE MANY2 minutes, 53 seconds
SUGGESTIONS, AND PLEAS WERE SIMPLY IGNORED. UNDER YOSEMITE'S NEW SUPERINTENDENT, RAY MCPADDEN, THESE3 minutes
DEFICIENCIES ARE FINALLY BEING ADDRESSED. HE'S INSTITUTING A LARGE NUMBER OF IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN ADVOCATED BY THE GATEWAY COMMUNITIES FOR A3 minutes, 8 seconds
DECADE, AND HE'S MEETING REGULARLY WITH LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES, BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS TO ADDRESS GATE DELAYS. HE'S INTRODUCED DIGITIZED ENTRY PASSES,3 minutes, 17 seconds
INSTALLED WI-FI TO EXPEDITE ADMISSIONS TO DECONGEST THE VALLEY. HE'S PROMOTING AND ENCOURAGING VISITORS TO ENJOY OFTEN OVERLOOKED FEATURES LIKE3 minutes, 26 seconds
TUOLUMNE MEADOWS, MARIPOSA GROVE, GLACIER POINT, AND TINEA LAKE. HE'S ADDING LONG OVERDUE ADDITIONAL PARKING THAT WILL BE3 minutes, 33 seconds
USING REAL TIME DATA THIS SUMMER TO RELIEVE TRAFFIC CONGESTION. LAST WEEKEND, THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR AND3 minutes, 40 seconds
THE SUPERINTENDENT MET WITH LOCAL ELECTED AND BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVES TO A PERSON.3 minutes, 45 seconds
THEY OPPOSE THE RESERVATION SYSTEM AND ENDORSED THE MEASURES NOW BEING UNDERTAKEN TO IMPROVE THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE. THE YOSEMITE GRANT3 minutes, 53 seconds
OF 1864 WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT FEDERAL LAND WAS SET ASIDE FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THE ORIGINAL WORDS4 minutes
OF THE ACT THAT WAS DONE WITH THE PROMISE THAT LANDS WOULD BE, QUOTE, HELD FOR PUBLIC USE, RESORT AND RECREATION. THIS LED4 minutes, 9 seconds
TO THE CREATION OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, AGAIN WITH THE EXPRESS PURPOSE TO CONSERVE THE SCENERY AND THE NATURAL AND HISTORICAL OBJECTS OF THE4 minutes, 17 seconds
WILDLIFE THEREIN, AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF THE SAME. THE ENVIRONMENTAL LEFT WOULD CHANGE. USE RESORT4 minutes, 25 seconds
AND RECREATION TO LOOK, BUT DON'T TOUCH. JOHN MUIR ONCE WROTE, THE VALLEY IS FILLED WITH PEOPLE, YET THEY DO NOT4 minutes, 33 seconds
ANNOY ME. NOT SO. THE GREEN LEFT THAT IS TRIED FOR MANY YEARS TO REDUCE VISITOR SERVICES AND RESTRICT PUBLIC4 minutes, 42 seconds
ACCESS. THE 750,000 ACRE NATIONAL PARK CAN WELCOME MANY MORE VISITORS THAN IT DOES4 minutes, 49 seconds
TODAY. ALL THAT'S BEEN LACKING IS A VISITOR FRIENDLY ATTITUDE BY YOSEMITE PARK MANAGEMENT, AND A WILLINGNESS TO BE A GOOD4 minutes, 57 seconds
NEIGHBOR TO THE GATEWAY COMMUNITIES AND BUSINESSES THAT...Source: YouTube
