Bay Area campers planning a trip to Yosemite National Park this summer — brace yourselves. The park is scrapping its reservation requirement for 2026.

Why it matters: The policy shift marks a departure from when timed-entry reservations were used to manage overcrowding at one of the nation's most popular parks, known for its stunning waterfalls and granite cliffs.

The big picture: The move is part of a broader trend where some national parks are rolling back entry fees and reservations as the Trump administration pushes to prioritize visitor services.

• Yosemite Superintendent Ray McPadden said in a statement this week that park officials conducted a "comprehensive evaluation" to determine the change.

Yes, but: Without entry caps, environmentalists argue Yosemite could see more congestion that strains roads, natural ecosystems and the visitor experience.

• "Discontinuing this program is so disappointing for both the park and also for the visitors who are going to have a very different experience moving forward," said Cassidy Jones, a senior visitation program manager at the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonpartisan advocacy group.

State of play: Overcrowding isn't just about traffic — it also poses environmental and safety risks, Jones said, including:

• Worsening pollution, noise and environmental impacts from idling cars.
• More human-wildlife encounters and vehicle collisions due to fewer park rangers onsite.
• Packed trails can create heavily trodden paths and some hikers could veer off course, harming sensitive habitats.
• Overburdened bathrooms, more graffiti and overflowing trash or litter.

Between the lines: The rollback comes as the National Park Service faces steep staffing losses, with roughly a quarter of its permanent national workforce laid off.

• While the agency says it plans to increase staffing at congested intersections in Yosemite this summer to mitigate crowds, critics question how feasible that is given those losses.

Flashback: Yosemite introduced reservations during the pandemic before dropping the system in 2023 — when summer wait times stretched to nearly three hours — before reimplementing them the following year as a crowd-control measure.

By the numbers: Yosemite visitation soared by roughly 81.7% over four years — from about 2.2 million visitors in 2020 to 4.1 million in 2024.

Tell an outdoors enthusiast

A new robot is pouring boba around the clock — no human required.

The big picture: The machine, a product of the Hayward-based company Yo-Kai Express, debuted earlier this month at its first public location in the Bay Area, offering a glimpse at how automation could reshape one of the region's most beloved beverages.

State of play: Located in the Aloft Hotel in Millbrae, the robot is a quick stop from San Francisco International Airport and an intriguing experience for boba aficionados like myself.

• The company imports tea from Taiwan and freeze-dries it in shelf-stable capsules along with toppings and stores it in the kiosk at room temperature, Yo-Kai Express CEO Amanda Tsung told Axios.

How it works: Once a customer decides on their drink and topping(s) of choice, the robotic arm kicks into action, retrieving the designated capsule to steep the tea before cooking the toppings so they're fresh for the order.

• The drink takes just a few minutes from start to finish.

My thought bubble: While a few of the pearls in my drink weren't evenly cooked, I was impressed with the authenticity of the tea flavor and the speed with which the machine operated.

• I wouldn't choose it over Teaspoon or Wanpo, but it's definitely intriguing to watch the process play out and worth checking out for the novelty alone.

Full story

🌳 The city is proposing changes to tree-planting and removal rules as part of Mayor Daniel Lurie's permitting reforms, a move critics say could reduce neighborhood tree protections. (CBS News)

Some of the backcountry skiers who died this week in a massive avalanche in Tahoe were Marin County residents. (SF Chronicle)

⚾️ San Francisco Giants jerseys now display the logo of the fintech startup Airwallex. (SF Standard)

💼 Jean Fraser, who has led the Presidio Trust over the past decade, will step down as CEO this year after her replacement is hired. (SF Chronicle)

Health insurance costs ate up 11% of median family income in California in 2024, a new analysis shows.

Why it matters: The findings demonstrate how tough it is to afford health care, despite insurance.

• The state-by-state breakdown of federal data by the Commonwealth Fund looked at how much people spent on premiums — their contribution to the cost of their insurance — and on deductibles, their out-of-pocket costs before insurance starts to pay for medical services.

By the numbers: While California employers still pay about 60% of the cost of premiums for family coverage, workers on average paid more than $9,100 annually, the analysis found.

• Nationally, employers pay about 70% of costs, with workers paying about $7,200 annually.

Share this story

Don't be surprised if you see (or hear) Formula 1 cars speeding down the Marina tomorrow.

Red Bull's Formula 1 demonstration features stunts from racing driver Yuki Tsunoda, off-road racing champion Mitch Guthrie Jr., freestyle motorcyclist Aaron Colton and rallycross champion Scott Speed.

• The event is free, open to the public and will showcase two of Ford's racing vehicles — the Raptor T1+ and F-150 Lightning SuperTruck

Pro tip: Bring ear protection because the show will be loud.

If you go: 1-4pm Saturday at the Marina Green.

Tell a friend