Reader Anthony writes in to ask:
I have been searching the site for information regarding expectations for a 4th of July week vacation to the area. I would most likely be staying outside the park and be taking my wife and two girls (6 & 12) for a few days trips inside the park. No camping or heavy duty hiking, just some sight seeing and light hiking.
In your opinion, is this a good plan? Should I expect heavy traffic, delays and severe crowding? Crowds don’t bother us, but if the conditions are waiting several hours just to get into the park, I may want to reconsider.
Fourth of July is a great weekend to visit the park. Yeah, it can be crowded but it’s usually a nice mix between warm summer weather and cool spring temps. If you can manage to get to the gates before 9am you’re pretty good and shouldn’t have any problem getting into the park. Surprisingly most of the tourist crowds don’t start crawling out of bed until after that and the buses take about another hour before they start making it into the park.
Good luck and have a great trip.