Is it true about Yosemite??

[JCR GD]

Although, when they have the "free admission" day (usually late May or early June) the entire park is jam packed and people parking everywhere tearing everything up and trampling off trail etc.

If someone happened to be there that weekend (I was there accidently twice) they could think it is like that all the time. Terrible situation. I wish they would stop doing that.

[CoyoteHauler]

We visited Joshua Tree, Sequoia, and Yosemite NPs in early May and was surprised and disappointed to see the large number of people at the Yosemite park. The others were okay. We chose this time because the kids are suppose to be in school. I can't imagine what it is like now! We tried to get to the main Yosemite Visitor Center, but parking was totally taken and the parking lot is not F250 Crew Cab friendly. We even found some people parked behind parking spaces and left their vehicles blocking the car in the space. We didn't experience the immigrant issue as we stayed outside the park in Coarse Gold, CA at Yosemite RV Park. Pretty nice RV park. I would recommend it. About 45 minutes from the entrance to the park.
Now, is the scenery beautiful? Oh yeah! At that time of year, although traffic, we were able to see everything from the road and parking areas. We don't hike into areas to see items up close and personal due to health, but we saw enough. If you haven't seen it, you need to IMO. At the time you are looking to go, crowds should be manageable...I think..no experience.
Now on a side note....... Be prepared to spend $4+ dollars for diesel in California. Max I spent was $4.50 / gallon. But, we are RVing! It goes with the thrills!!!! Hope this helps!

[Faster675]

... without expressing any views on the topics presented here .... I'm just sayin' that maybe the moderators should take a close look at this thread ....

[J&G garage]

... without expressing any views on the topics presented here .... I'm just sayin' that maybe the moderators should take a close look at this thread ....

I don't think there is anything wrong with stating Calif. has $4/gal diesel. It's true.

[Dick Noble]

Aliens! Homeless! The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

[Aridon]

Uh, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. He probably saw bus loads of affluent Chinese tourists sporting the latest fashions, electronics and cameras. This notion that western US is overrun with illegal aliens is absurd. Yosemite is terribly crowded during the summer but not with homeless "illegals".

This.

I'd take what your friend said with a giant grain of salt OP. I wouldn't call it reliable.

[Skirugger]

Yeah, when we were in Yellowstone a month ago, we were “overrun” with people speaking Dutch! They were taking advantage of all the stuff, and never once did I hear them speak English! None of them showed me their visa or green card! Totally ruined that trip for us, having to put up with them infiltrating MY park!

Wait, oh yeah, I forgot, it wasn’t bad, it was kinda cool to share the park together. Pretty amazing when people want to enjoy the same things I enjoy.

[JCZhome]

It begs the question (where ever they were from).....how did he know they were illegal? Becuase they are foreign and speaking a foreign language? Were they speaking some form of Spanish and so he assumed they are from Central America and illegal? I've heard some pretty strange accusations about California due to the politics but this would be at the top of the list of absurd.

If it's simply because they're speaking a foreign language, that's mostly Asians but they don't bother us....most don't even speak English but they're spending money here. Just like Americans that fly over to Europe or Asia to tour.....same thing.

I spent two months in that area last fall and rode my motorcycle to Yosemite a number of times in that sixty days. I never saw anything that resembled a homeless person or what I might think an "illegal" looks like. I think that guy may have an overactive imagination.

[TahoeTrekker]

What an insane statement for him to make. I have lived in California my whole life and worked in Yosemite leading backpacking trips back in the 70's. It was also crowded then if you went in the summer months. Like any other National Park you have to plan ahead... go visit Zion and see how long it takes to get on a shuttle during the summer. Yes everyone heads to Yosemite Valley so it feels like Disneyland, there are fewer campsites now and its not set up for bigger rigs. We tend to stay outside the park on the Eastern side of the Sierras around June Lake and make that our base camp. We head into the park from the east and spend most of out time outside of the valley, up in the high country around Tuolumne Meadows where there are far fewer people and its own incredible beauty. You can easily make a day trip into the valley from the eastern side and it a gorgeous drive with its own iconic sites that 90% of the visitors miss.

[Allyn56]

We were in Yosemite late May and early June of this year. Yes crowded, but not run over by the crowd your friend mentioned. All national parks I've been to draw people from around the world. It's because they are beautiful places to visit so it draws a lot of people. Camping in Yosemite is difficult at best due to limited amount of campgrounds. I've been to Yosemite once or twice a year since the 1960's. Always crowded in the summer but always beautiful. In September it should be fine. A bit less crowded, but the falls will have less water. Enjoy your trip and don't worry about people from around the world being next to you.