WawonaNews.com - December 2025
Badger Pass Opening Date Updated to December 26th
We’re adjusting our opening date to December 26th to ensure adequate coverage for grooming.
Here’s what you need to know:
We’re adjusting our opening date to December 26th to ensure adequate coverage for grooming.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Employee Transfers to Badger: December 22nd
- Orientation for New & Returning Team Members: December 18th
- These dates are subject to change again based on snow coverage (R. Jacobs)
Yosemite Fees Guide for Nonresidents and International Visitors
Understanding the New Entrance Fee Structure (Effective January 1, 2026)
By Ellen Bergstone Wasil - Mariposa County Published on December 1, 2025
America the Beautiful Annual Pass for Nonresidents & International Visitors
Please Note: Entrance fee–free days do not apply to nonresidents or international visitors.
Below is a breakdown of when each entrance option may be the best fit for different types of visitors.
Scenario A: The $250 America the Beautiful Annual Pass May Be a Better Fit If…
Scenario B: Paying the $100 Per-Person Fee May Be a Better Fit If…
Public Transportation Considerations
It is not yet known how the new fee structure will affect the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS).
Travelers should check for updated information before finalizing transportation plans.
For Group and Commercial Tour Operators
We are gathering information on impacts to Group and Commercial operators. Below is the information that has been communicated by the International Inbound Travel Association (IITA):
No changes to the commercial vehicle fee structure. However, international visitors in commercial vehicles will have to pay the $100 USD nonresident fee or have a $250 USD nonresident pass (America the Beautiful annual pass). The $250 USD nonresident pass will only be valid for one visitor in a commercial vehicle.
The operator will provide the number of international passengers and their passes or pay the required fees upon entry. They do not intend to check IDs or board buses. They will likely provide a form to be handed to the fee collector at the entrance.
Quick Recommendations for Nonresident and International Travelers
Before you travel:
By Ellen Bergstone Wasil - Mariposa County Published on December 1, 2025
America the Beautiful Annual Pass for Nonresidents & International Visitors
- Will be available for $250 USD.
- Provides one year of unlimited entry to all U.S. National Parks, including Yosemite National Park.
- Covers all passengers traveling in a single, private vehicle.
- Does not require passholders to pay the $100 USD nonresident surcharge at the 11 designated “special” parks (Yosemite National Park included).
- Valid for up to two motorcycles per pass.
Please Note: Entrance fee–free days do not apply to nonresidents or international visitors.
Below is a breakdown of when each entrance option may be the best fit for different types of visitors.
Scenario A: The $250 America the Beautiful Annual Pass May Be a Better Fit If…
- You are traveling as a group in one vehicle (friends, couples, families).
- You plan to visit more than one national park during your trip.
- You want the convenience of unlimited entry for a full year.
- You want to avoid paying the $100 per-person surcharge at the 11 designated special parks, including Yosemite National Park.
Scenario B: Paying the $100 Per-Person Fee May Be a Better Fit If…
- You are traveling solo or as a pair and making a single visit to Yosemite National Park.
- You do not plan to visit any of the other designated national parks with the surcharge.
Public Transportation Considerations
It is not yet known how the new fee structure will affect the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS).
Travelers should check for updated information before finalizing transportation plans.
For Group and Commercial Tour Operators
We are gathering information on impacts to Group and Commercial operators. Below is the information that has been communicated by the International Inbound Travel Association (IITA):
No changes to the commercial vehicle fee structure. However, international visitors in commercial vehicles will have to pay the $100 USD nonresident fee or have a $250 USD nonresident pass (America the Beautiful annual pass). The $250 USD nonresident pass will only be valid for one visitor in a commercial vehicle.
The operator will provide the number of international passengers and their passes or pay the required fees upon entry. They do not intend to check IDs or board buses. They will likely provide a form to be handed to the fee collector at the entrance.
Quick Recommendations for Nonresident and International Travelers
Before you travel:
National Parks to Raise Fees for Millions of International Tourists
The National Park Service says it is going to start charging international tourists an extra $100 to enter some of the most popular U.S. parks
By HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press and MATTHEW DALY Associated Press
November 25, 2025,
WASHINGTON -- The National Park Service said Tuesday it is going to start charging the millions of international tourists who visit U.S. parks each year an extra $100 to enter some of the most popular sites, while leaving them out of fee-free days that will be reserved for American residents.
The announcement declaring “America-first entry fee policies” comes as national parks deal with the strain of a major staff reduction and severe budget cuts, along with recovering from damage during the recent government shutdown and significant lost revenue due to fees not being collected during that time.
The fee change will impact 11 national parks, including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
As part of the changes, which are set to take effect Jan. 1, foreign tourists will also see their annual parks pass price jump to $250, while U.S. residents will continue to be charged $80, according to the department's statement.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a post on the social platform X that the changes make sure U.S. taxpayers who support the park service “continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations!”
A White House post on X laying out the increased fees ended with the phrase, “AMERICANS FIRST.”
The announcement follows a July executive order in which President Donald Trump directed the parks to increase entry fees for foreign tourists.
“There’s a lot to unpack in this announcement, including many questions on its implementation – all which NPCA will raise with the Department of Interior,” Kati Schmidt, a spokesperson for National Parks Conservation Association, said in an email.
The U.S. Travel Association estimated that in 2018, national parks and monuments saw more than 14 million international visitors. Yellowstone reported that in 2024, nearly 15% of its visitors were from outside the country, which was down from 30% in 2018.
The money made off the new fees will help support the national parks, including with upgrading facilities for visitors and maintenance, according to the statement.
The “resident-only patriotic fee-free days” next year include Veterans Day, which was one of the parks' eight free days open to everyone in 2025. The Department of the Interior had announced those days by saying they wanted to ensure that “everyone, no matter their zip code, can access and enjoy the benefits of green spaces and our public lands.”
The National Park Service says it is going to start charging international tourists an extra $100 to enter some of the most popular U.S. parks
By HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press and MATTHEW DALY Associated Press
November 25, 2025,
WASHINGTON -- The National Park Service said Tuesday it is going to start charging the millions of international tourists who visit U.S. parks each year an extra $100 to enter some of the most popular sites, while leaving them out of fee-free days that will be reserved for American residents.
The announcement declaring “America-first entry fee policies” comes as national parks deal with the strain of a major staff reduction and severe budget cuts, along with recovering from damage during the recent government shutdown and significant lost revenue due to fees not being collected during that time.
The fee change will impact 11 national parks, including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
As part of the changes, which are set to take effect Jan. 1, foreign tourists will also see their annual parks pass price jump to $250, while U.S. residents will continue to be charged $80, according to the department's statement.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a post on the social platform X that the changes make sure U.S. taxpayers who support the park service “continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations!”
A White House post on X laying out the increased fees ended with the phrase, “AMERICANS FIRST.”
The announcement follows a July executive order in which President Donald Trump directed the parks to increase entry fees for foreign tourists.
“There’s a lot to unpack in this announcement, including many questions on its implementation – all which NPCA will raise with the Department of Interior,” Kati Schmidt, a spokesperson for National Parks Conservation Association, said in an email.
The U.S. Travel Association estimated that in 2018, national parks and monuments saw more than 14 million international visitors. Yellowstone reported that in 2024, nearly 15% of its visitors were from outside the country, which was down from 30% in 2018.
The money made off the new fees will help support the national parks, including with upgrading facilities for visitors and maintenance, according to the statement.
The “resident-only patriotic fee-free days” next year include Veterans Day, which was one of the parks' eight free days open to everyone in 2025. The Department of the Interior had announced those days by saying they wanted to ensure that “everyone, no matter their zip code, can access and enjoy the benefits of green spaces and our public lands.”
Badger Pass Opening Delay
We’re getting ready for an incredible season at Badger! While Nature is taking its time, we’re adjusting our opening date to December 19th to ensure adequate coverage for grooming.
Here’s what you need to know:
We’re getting ready for an incredible season at Badger! While Nature is taking its time, we’re adjusting our opening date to December 19th to ensure adequate coverage for grooming.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Employee Transfers to Badger: December 15th
- Orientation for New & Returning Team Members: December 11th
- These dates are subject to change again based on snow coverage
New Wawona Listing
8041 Chilnualna Falls Rd, Wawona, CA 95389 - 3beds, 2baths, 1,650sqft - $1,250,000 - Click here for more info.
8041 Chilnualna Falls Rd, Wawona, CA 95389 - 3beds, 2baths, 1,650sqft - $1,250,000 - Click here for more info.
Ray McPadden Appointed as Yosemite Superintendent
Yosemite National Park has a new top official: Ray McPadden, the acting chief, was formally appointed superintendent of one of the nation’s most celebrated parks.
The 13-year National Park Service veteran has been on the job on an interim basis since May, having been tapped by Interior Department executives during the early months of the Trump administration. The Interior Department confirmed his promotion Wednesday.
During his short tenure, McPadden has already begun to make a mark at the park renowned for its majestic canyons and towering waterfalls. He navigated Yosemite through the government shutdown, oversaw the rollout of a new visitor reservation system, and dealt with political protest at the park after President Donald Trump’s election.
“I am so excited to have Ray continue with the fantastic team at Yosemite,” Randy LaVasseur, a regional director of the National Park Service, which is overseen by the Interior Department, said in an email to staff. “In his time there and previous National Park Service roles, he’s proven himself as a collaborative leader and problem-solver who invests in communities, Tribes, and his park teams.”
Many who have worked with McPadden have praised his pragmatic leadership and early outreach to Yosemite’s gateway towns and business communities. Still, many are still waiting to see how he will communicate with the broader public and employees. McPadden hasn’t openly discussed recent staffing cuts at the park, and the park, like others, provided little guidance for visitors during the government shutdown.
Yosemite, which draws crowds to such widely recognizable spots as Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, counts more than 4 million visitors some years.
The new superintendent will face such ongoing challenges as overcrowding, the prospect of major wildfires amid a warming climate and problems with upkeep and service at the park’s restaurants and hotels under Aramark, Yosemite’s primary concessionaire. The staff reductions directed by the Trump administration present another issue.
McPadden replaces former Superintendent Cicely Muldoon, who retired in February after a four-decade career with the National Park Service. Stephanie Burkhart, who worked as a regional manager for the park service, briefly served as acting superintendent before McPadden’s arrival.
McPadden was previously the superintendent at California’s Mojave National Preserve, where he worked for less than a year. Before that, he worked for two years as superintendent of Western Arctic National Parklands, a group of national park properties in western Alaska
.
He has also held several other positions with the park service, mostly in planning and mid-level management, at Yellowstone National Park, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Olympic National Park and the agency’s Denver Service Center. His first job with the park service was seasonal climbing and backcountry ranger.
At Yosemite, McPadden came onto the job amid a series of high-profile demonstrations in which flags were hung prominently on the park’s grand monolith, El Capitan. An upside-down American flag was raised in February in protest of personnel cuts at parks, and in May, a Transgender Pride flag was draped to promote diversity.
McPadden responded with an update to the park’s Superintendent’s Compendium, prohibiting flags and banners from being hung in wilderness areas. He wrote, at the time, the ban was necessary to protect Yosemite’s natural character and ensure public safety.
A transgender park employee accused of helping hang the pride flag was later fired.
McPadden also contended with Yosemite’s new reservation system. Before his arrival, a plan to limit traffic in the often-congested park by requiring visitors to obtain reservations was significantly scaled back at the urging of local communities and the tourism industry.
The updated policy brought hourlong waits at entrance stations on some weekend mornings over the summer — less than what visitors probably would have faced without the reservation system, but possibly more than the original plan. McPadden, who has made statements about keeping the park as accessible as possible, will help decide the fate of the reservation policy.
Rep. Tom McClintock, whose district includes Yosemite, has been supportive of McPadden. The Modesto Republican also has been critical of the reservation system and has defended the Trump administration’s personnel cuts at the park.
“From personally staffing Yosemite’s congested entrances on a holiday weekend, to proactively seeking opportunities to expand visitor capacity, to minimizing adverse impacts of the reservation system he inherited, to opening all campgrounds for the first time in six years, Ray’s leadership has proven worthy of leading the crown jewel of the National Park Service,” McClintock wrote in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in August.
Before McPadden’s time with the park service, he served as a U.S. Army ranger. He saw four combat tours and received two Bronze Stars. He has written two books based on his military experience.
McPadden has already relocated to the area with his family.
Yosemite National Park has a new top official: Ray McPadden, the acting chief, was formally appointed superintendent of one of the nation’s most celebrated parks.
The 13-year National Park Service veteran has been on the job on an interim basis since May, having been tapped by Interior Department executives during the early months of the Trump administration. The Interior Department confirmed his promotion Wednesday.
During his short tenure, McPadden has already begun to make a mark at the park renowned for its majestic canyons and towering waterfalls. He navigated Yosemite through the government shutdown, oversaw the rollout of a new visitor reservation system, and dealt with political protest at the park after President Donald Trump’s election.
“I am so excited to have Ray continue with the fantastic team at Yosemite,” Randy LaVasseur, a regional director of the National Park Service, which is overseen by the Interior Department, said in an email to staff. “In his time there and previous National Park Service roles, he’s proven himself as a collaborative leader and problem-solver who invests in communities, Tribes, and his park teams.”
Many who have worked with McPadden have praised his pragmatic leadership and early outreach to Yosemite’s gateway towns and business communities. Still, many are still waiting to see how he will communicate with the broader public and employees. McPadden hasn’t openly discussed recent staffing cuts at the park, and the park, like others, provided little guidance for visitors during the government shutdown.
Yosemite, which draws crowds to such widely recognizable spots as Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, counts more than 4 million visitors some years.
The new superintendent will face such ongoing challenges as overcrowding, the prospect of major wildfires amid a warming climate and problems with upkeep and service at the park’s restaurants and hotels under Aramark, Yosemite’s primary concessionaire. The staff reductions directed by the Trump administration present another issue.
McPadden replaces former Superintendent Cicely Muldoon, who retired in February after a four-decade career with the National Park Service. Stephanie Burkhart, who worked as a regional manager for the park service, briefly served as acting superintendent before McPadden’s arrival.
McPadden was previously the superintendent at California’s Mojave National Preserve, where he worked for less than a year. Before that, he worked for two years as superintendent of Western Arctic National Parklands, a group of national park properties in western Alaska
.
He has also held several other positions with the park service, mostly in planning and mid-level management, at Yellowstone National Park, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Olympic National Park and the agency’s Denver Service Center. His first job with the park service was seasonal climbing and backcountry ranger.
At Yosemite, McPadden came onto the job amid a series of high-profile demonstrations in which flags were hung prominently on the park’s grand monolith, El Capitan. An upside-down American flag was raised in February in protest of personnel cuts at parks, and in May, a Transgender Pride flag was draped to promote diversity.
McPadden responded with an update to the park’s Superintendent’s Compendium, prohibiting flags and banners from being hung in wilderness areas. He wrote, at the time, the ban was necessary to protect Yosemite’s natural character and ensure public safety.
A transgender park employee accused of helping hang the pride flag was later fired.
McPadden also contended with Yosemite’s new reservation system. Before his arrival, a plan to limit traffic in the often-congested park by requiring visitors to obtain reservations was significantly scaled back at the urging of local communities and the tourism industry.
The updated policy brought hourlong waits at entrance stations on some weekend mornings over the summer — less than what visitors probably would have faced without the reservation system, but possibly more than the original plan. McPadden, who has made statements about keeping the park as accessible as possible, will help decide the fate of the reservation policy.
Rep. Tom McClintock, whose district includes Yosemite, has been supportive of McPadden. The Modesto Republican also has been critical of the reservation system and has defended the Trump administration’s personnel cuts at the park.
“From personally staffing Yosemite’s congested entrances on a holiday weekend, to proactively seeking opportunities to expand visitor capacity, to minimizing adverse impacts of the reservation system he inherited, to opening all campgrounds for the first time in six years, Ray’s leadership has proven worthy of leading the crown jewel of the National Park Service,” McClintock wrote in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in August.
Before McPadden’s time with the park service, he served as a U.S. Army ranger. He saw four combat tours and received two Bronze Stars. He has written two books based on his military experience.
McPadden has already relocated to the area with his family.
Chowchilla Mountain Road Closed for Season
Chowchilla Mountain Road is closed for the season and will reopen in the spring when roadbed conditions allow.
(H. Edgecomb
Chowchilla Mountain Road is closed for the season and will reopen in the spring when roadbed conditions allow.
(H. Edgecomb
Mountain lion spotted upstream from the Swinging Bridge, Wawona
Sunset Today at Glacier Point
Glacier Point, November 12
Sewer Cleaning and Inspection Update
by Trish Peterson-
I talked to VIS in Fresno this morning (the contractor working on cleaning out the sewage lines in Wawona). They started in Wawona near the Chilnualna Bridge and have moved west to Bruce, where they are now. They will continue down C Falls Rd and hopefully get to the South side next week. They realized that the system is "closed" so there are no "suction" type problems.
If you have questions, you can call the office number at 559-276-0186 or email at [email protected]. They are quite efficient and got me right through to the project manager, Steve Carpenter. He was very patient with my questions and it was easy to understand his answers!
by Trish Peterson-
I talked to VIS in Fresno this morning (the contractor working on cleaning out the sewage lines in Wawona). They started in Wawona near the Chilnualna Bridge and have moved west to Bruce, where they are now. They will continue down C Falls Rd and hopefully get to the South side next week. They realized that the system is "closed" so there are no "suction" type problems.
If you have questions, you can call the office number at 559-276-0186 or email at [email protected]. They are quite efficient and got me right through to the project manager, Steve Carpenter. He was very patient with my questions and it was easy to understand his answers!
