National Park Service LogoU.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNational Park Service
National Park Service:  U.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park Service Arrowhead
Yosemite National ParkSnowy Half Dome
view map
text size:largestlargernormal
printer friendly
Yosemite National Park
Park Statistics
 
Ranger motions bikers to cross the street
More than 3.5 million people visit Yosemite National Park each year.
 

Administration

  • Superintendent: David Uberuaga of Mount Rainier National Park serving as acting superintendent as of Jan. 4, 2009. 
  • 2008 Budget: $26,554,300
  • 2008 National Park Service Employees: 953 summer and 702 winter
  • 2008 DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite: Employees: 1,800 summer and 1,100 winter 

Size

  • Land Mass: 747,956 acres (or 1,169 square miles) that’s about the size of Rhode Island
  • Designated Wilderness: 704,624 miles (or 1,101 square miles) that’s more than 94% of the park

Wilderness Use (number represents permits issued plus an estimate of users without permits)

  • Hikers: 43,401 in 2007; 40,804 in 2006 and 40,728 in 2005
  • Permits: 15,125 in 2007; 14,141 in 2006; and 14,222 in 2005
  • Overnight stays: 112,049 in 2007; 82,484 in 2006; and 81,870 in 2005
 
Hotel set against vertical granite wall
The Ahwahnee

Infrastructure

  • Trails: 800 miles
  • Paved roads: 195 miles
  • Graded roads: 67 miles
  • Paved walks and bicycle paths: 20 miles

Lodging (all overseen by DNC Parks & Resorts)

  • The Ahwahnee: 123 units
  • Yosemite Lodge: 245 units
  • Curry Village: 394 units 
  • Housekeeping Camp: 264 units
  • Wawona Hotel: 104 units
  • Tuolumne Lodge: 69 units
  • White Wolf: 28 units
  • High Sierra Camps: 56 units

Campgrounds (1,504 total sites, with a maximum of 9,372 campers)

  • Yosemite Valley Family Sites: 464 sites accommodating 2,748 people
  • Tioga/Big Oak Flat/Hetch Hetchy: 812 sites for 4,872 people
  • Glacier Point/Wawona: 203 sites for 1,218 people
  • Group campsites: 16 group campsites (for 480 people); and 9 horse campsites (54 people)

Yosemite structures (1,237 total)

  • General buildings: 674
  • Housing buildings: 563

Bridges

  • Road bridges: 30
  • Trail bridges: 97
  • Road tunnels: 4

Visitor Use

  • Park visitors: 3.6 million in 2007; 3.4 million in 2006; and 3.4 million in 2005
  • Search and rescue operations: 238 in 2007; 219 in 2006; and 216 in 2005
  • Motor vehicle accidents: 420 in 2007; 441 in 2006; and 405 in 2005
  • Citations by park rangers: 3,101 in 2007; 3,337 in 2006; and 4,140 in 2005
  • Warnings by park rangers: 14,636 in 2007; 14,086 in 2006; and 14,868 in 2005

Visitor Study
Yosemite National Park conducted a winter survey from February 2-10, 2008. There was a 60% response rate. The entire survey and results can be viewed at the Yosemite National Park Visitor Study: Winter 2008 [638 kb PDF].

  • 91% of visitors were U.S. residents; 89% of those were from California.
  • 9% of visitors were international visitors. With 9% each from Germany, Korea, Taiwan, United Kindgom.
  • 20% of respondents had visited Yosemite National Park at least twice in the past 12 months.
  • 26% of respondents were visiting Yosemite National Park for the first time.
  • 29% of respondents identified themselves as Asian, Hispanic, American Indian and/or African American.
  • 84% of respondents listed "sightseeing or taking a scenic drive" as their primary activity, 73% taking photographs/painting/drawing and 35% listed "hiking".

Yosemite National Park had a comprehensive survey conducted from July 8-17, 2005. In it, 1,326 visitor groups were systematically selected from all five park entrance stations. There was a 65% response rate. The entire survey and results can be viewed at the Yosemite National Park Visitor Study: Summer 2005 [616 kb PDF].

  • 82% of visitors were U.S. residents; 69% of those were from California, and 4% were from Texas.
  • 18% of visitors were international visitors. Of those, 23% were from England, 11% from France, 9% from Holland and 7% from Japan.
  • 19% of respondents had visited Yosemite National Park at least twice in the past 12 months.
  • 48% of respondents were visiting Yosemite National Park for the first time.
  • 20% of the respondents identified themselves as Asian, Hispanic, American Indian and/or African American.
  • 60% of respondents listed “sightseeing or taking a scenic drive” as their primary activity and 20% listed “hiking.”
  • 74% of respondents arrived to the park in a private vehicle, and 2% arrived by bicycle

View more about park's study of visitor use concerns and management strategies.

View a list of the park's natural resource statistics at a glance.

Pine tree against rock cliff
Yosemite reaches out to sister parks
Chinese and Chilean sites learn from Yosemite
more...
Yosemite Guide newspaper
Yosemite Guide
Trip planner, including operating hours for park facilities and current program schedules
more...
Cars and campers in a meadow in Yosemite Valley.  

Did You Know?
Unrestricted camping is no longer allowed in Yosemite Valley because of damage it causes. The placement of campgrounds and campsites has changed over the past 75 years in response to a growing understanding of river dynamics, geologic hazards, and the park's natural and cultural resources.

Last Updated: January 06, 2009 at 17:22 EST