Yosemite National Park draws more visitors as California parks set record
Yosemite National Park is part of a record-setting year for California’s national parks, which drew nearly 12 million recreational visits in 2025, National Park Service statistics. The surge came despite morale-sapping staff layoffs, a 43-day federal government shutdown last fall and broader controversy surrounding the parks. The numbers underscore how strongly Yosemite National Park and other major California destinations continue to pull in outdoors visitors.
California parks push past previous highs
The nine national parks in California, including Yosemite, Death Valley and Joshua Tree, attracted nearly 12 million recreational visits in 2025. That total is up by more than 800, 000 visits from 2024 and more than 300, 000 visits above the previous record set in 2019, based on the National Park Service data stretching back to 1979.
National visits also remained high, reaching 323 million, though that figure was down a couple of percentage points from the record set in 2024. Even with the national dip, Yosemite National Park remained part of a broader pattern of strong public demand for major park destinations in California.
What the National Park Service says
“America’s national parks continue to be places where people come to experience our country’s history, landscapes and shared heritage, ” said Jessica Bowron, acting director of the National Park Service. “We are committed to keeping parks open, accessible and well-managed so visitors can safely enjoy these extraordinary places today and for generations to come, ” Bowron added.
The agency’s figures point to a year in which visitation held up even as the park system faced staffing losses and the effects of a lengthy shutdown. Yosemite National Park was one of the names that helped define the California total, alongside other heavily visited parks across the state.
Pressure on staff and park operations
Since President Trump resumed office in January 2025, the administration has reduced the National Park Service workforce by nearly a quarter, buying out or laying off hundreds of rangers, maintenance workers, scientists and administrative staff across the country. The context around those cuts has become part of the public debate over how parks are managed and what visitors will see on the ground.
Last year, the shutdown lasted 43 days, from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, and the National Park Service said it worked to keep parks open and accessible wherever possible. That effort helped preserve access during a disruptive stretch, even as the system faced added strain.
Reaction from park advocates
Emily Douce, deputy vice president for government affairs for the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association, said: “This administration is actively erasing the history, science and culture that our national parks protect. ” She said morale among park staff has never been lower, even as employees continued showing up, including without pay during the shutdown.
Douce added, “What’s shocking is this administration’s relentless attacks on these places and their caretakers, which threatens their future. ” Her comments reflect the deeper fight around Yosemite National Park and the rest of the system: high public demand on one side, and ongoing pressure on staffing and park operations on the other.
What’s next for Yosemite National Park
The latest National Park Service figures suggest visitors are still eager to return to California’s major parks, even in a year shaped by shutdown disruptions and staffing losses. Yosemite National Park now sits inside that larger story of rising visitation and continuing strain, and the next test will be whether park management can keep access strong while the debate over staffing and policy continues. For Yosemite National Park, the demand is clearly still there.
