Yosmite Camp 4 restrictions

While the 30 year-old Yosemite Camp 4 restrictions are to come into effect, the Climber Association has organised the first climber volunateer day of the autumn season.

PlanetMountain.com

September 2004

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Yosemite seems to be undergoing a revival of late, not only with cutting-edge free climbs of historic aid routes, but also with a growing number of grass-roots climbers heading for the Park's smooth granite walls each year.

This influx of visitors concentrated in the summer months obviously puts the park under strain. As a result the Rangers have now decided to enforce a thirty year rule to limit the number of nights a visitor can spend in the Park. The rule states that, between the dates of June 1st and September 15th, visitors are limited to two weeks in the park, one week of which can be in Yosemite Valley. What is new is that the campground office now tracks visitation in the historic Camp 4 with a computer system (each camper must provide a valid photo ID) and that at the end of the 7 nights (any seven nights over the course of the summer), permission is no longer granted. The announcement has, unsurprisingly, resulted in a series of debates and discussions. At present relations between the two parties are good, possibly better than they have ever been, so perhaps a compromise solution can be found that carefully balances climbers' personal desires against the needs of this World Heritage Site.

In the meantime, the first climber volunteer day of the fall season has been organised by the Yosemite Climber Association for Sunday, September 19. Plans are for an El Cap base clean up, the Manure Pile descent trail restoration, Middle Cathedral trail marking, a Camp 4 sweep, and whatever else can get done. A "full on" El Cap summit clean up is planned for October.