Lqhikers - regarding planning ahead, last year (once it settled down) it was quite easy to obtain a pass with little advance notice. The hardest part was that you must enter the park on the first day of your reservation even though it is a seven day pass. I am hopeful that it will encourage some people to spend more than just one day in the park. It is still very difficult, in fact almost impossible, to get overnight accommodations especially camping in the valley. But there is national forest off Evergreen Road where you can just pull off a little anywhere you want and boondock.
I am just grateful that this hasn’t happened a whole lot earlier. Dinali park closed the park to individual vehicles way back in the 80s, relying on the shuttle bus to take you in. Yosemite has threatened to do it since about that same time, but never been able to satisfy all the requirements and objections. I have a sneaking suspicion Covid may force that to happen. Well at least the pass system not the shuttles.