On Monday, Yosemite National Park officials announced that the famed Sierra Nevada attraction would be reopening at 7 a.m. Thursday, after being closed for 11 weeks due to coronavirus. But you can’t just get in the car and drive there, like before.

Everyone visiting for the day needs to make a reservation for their vehicle online first. If you show up at the park entrance without one, you’ll be turned around and denied entry. And conditions at the park will be different. Here’s what you need to know.

How do I make a reservation?

Go to recreation.gov  

Pay the $35 entrance fee, just like in the past. There is a $2 service charge. Print out your confirmation email and show it to the ranger at the gate. Cell service around the park is spotty. Don’t count on being able to pull it up on your phone at the gate. You must arrive on the day that you reserved, but after that, your reservation is good for 7 days.

Aren’t they all sold out by now?

No. The park is allowing up to 1,700 vehicle passes a day for day-use visitors. As of mid-day Tuesday, most days for the next two months still had open slots available, although some were getting close to filling up.

What if I have a reservation at a hotel or campground in the park? Do I need a day-use reservation also?

No. Just print out your confirmation email and bring it to the gate.

If I have an annual pass, a lifetime pass, a senior pass, a military pass or other pass, do I need to make a reservation?

Yes, for day use. The only charge online will be the $2 processing fee.

Can I show up at the park and buy a reservation at the gate?

No.

Are there loopholes for getting in without a reservation?

Some. Visitors who enter the park via YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System) buses, or by bicycle, on foot, or on horseback will not be required to have a day-use reservation to enter the park. Park entrance fees still apply.

Why are they even requiring reservations?

Yosemite normally receives about 4.5 million visitors a year, mostly in summer months. The counties around the park are rural, with lots of retirees at risk for COVID-19. They have limited hospital capacity. County supervisors and county public health officials worked with the park service on the reservation system idea. It’s a compromise to open the park while limiting the number of visitors to about 50% of normal to help with social distancing and reduce the risk of a new outbreak.

Can I give or sell my reservation or permit to someone else?

No. Entrance passes and day-use reservations are non-transferable. You will be asked to show a photo ID at the gate along with your reservation.

Are the hotels and campgrounds in the park open?

Some are. The Ahwahnee and Yosemite Valley Lodge are fully open, and half the cabins and tent cabins at Curry Village are open, starting June 13. As for campgrounds, most are closed. Only Upper Pines, where half the sites will be available, is open, and Horse Camp, where you need a horse to camp, are open.

The Tioga Road opens for the season on Monday, June 15. White Wolf and Tuolumne Meadows Lodges, as well as the High Sierra Camps, are closed for the season.

What about hotels and campgrounds outside the park?

Most are open and taking reservations.

Do I have to wear a mask?

The Trump administration has told National Parks officials not to require masks for visitors. But park officials are encouraging visitors to wear them when they can’t avoid being closer than 6 feet away from others to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. Rangers and many park staff members will be wearing masks.

Are the main attractions at the park open?

Most are. Glacier Point, Hetch Hetchy, Yosemite Valley are open. The Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias is open, but the shuttle bus is not running, so it’s about a 4-mile round-trip hike or bike ride.

For hikers, the Mist Trail from the top of Vernal Fall to the John Muir Trail junction near the Vernal Fall footbridge is closed to downhill hiking from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm daily. Hikers may return to the trailhead using the Clark Point cutoff trail and John Muir Trail.

Lower Yosemite Fall boulders (the area between the footbridge/viewing area and the waterfall) is closed. And the trail around Bridalveil Fall is closed due to a regularly scheduled maintenance project to modernize the facilities.

What about restaurants and stores in the park?

Gas stations are open. Food service is only available in Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point. At Yosemite Valley Lodge, the Base Camp Cafe and the Mountain Room Bar are both open. In Yosemite Village, Degnan’s Kitchen and the Village Grill are open. In Curry Village, food trucks are available. The Meadow Grill is also open.

At the Ahwahnee Hotel, the dining room and bar are open only to overnight guests of the Ahwahnee, Yosemite Valley Lodge, and Curry Village.

At Glacier Point, the snack stand is open.

As for stores, in Yosemite Valley the Village Store and the Mountain Shop, which sell groceries and gifts, are open. The Ansel Adams Gallery is open. The Wawona Store, Glacier Point Store, and El Portal Market are also open. The privately owned Pine Tree Market in Wawona is open.

In the high country, Tuolumne Meadows Grill and the Tuolumne Meadows store and post office are closed. The Tuolumne Meadows Shuttle and Tuolumne Meadows Tour and Hikers Bus are not operating.

Can we rent bikes or river rafts in the park?

Yes. You may want to bring a bike. The shuttle buses in Yosemite Valley and to Mariposa Grove are not running due to coronavirus.

How far ahead can I make day-use reservations?

Beginning at 7 a.m. Pacific time on the first of each month, 80% of day-use reservations will be available for the following month. So on July 1 at 7 am, day-use reservations for all dates in August will be available.

Beginning at 7 a.m. Pacific time two days ahead of the day-use reservation date, the remaining 20% of day-use reservations will be available. For example, on July 1 at 7 a.m., day-use reservations for July 3 will be available.

How long will reservations be required?

Yosemite’s acting superintendent, Cicely Muldoon told this news organization that although the number of vehicles allowed in the park may change, the reservation system will likely be in place until Gov. Gavin Newsom declares California has reached Stage 4 of its reopening plan. That would allow for big crowds at sporting events and live concerts, and basically means the end of all shelter-in-place rules. That’s not likely until a vaccine is discovered, which could take a year or more.

Where else can I go that’s like Yosemite?

Nowhere else is just like Yosemite. But there are other amazing national parks in California that are open, including Sequoia-Kings Canyon, which is about 75 miles south of Yosemite. California also has 280 state parks, which include massive redwoods, sweeping beaches, towering Sierra Mountains and historic sites. Most are open. And scenic national forests throughout the Sierra.

Where can I learn more?

The park website is updated regularly. It’s at www.nps.gov/yose