Recreation

The Great Depression and World War II curtailed further development. YP&CC focused on the maintenance and repair of their aging facilities. In the 1950s, Camp Curry added an outdoor amphitheater. By then, sentiment was turning away from entertainment-focused infrastructure in national parks. In the past, park management sought to reduce overcrowding by spreading out the location of these amenities. Now, they attempted to relieve congestion by reducing the artificial attractions that brought large numbers of visitors to the same spot. Concern over crowds ended the Firefall in 1968. Camp Curry had long been plagued by sanitation problems and natural disasters. In the following decades, the concessioner relocated buildings away from rockfall zones, cleared ruins of burnt buildings, and restructured the area.

The new Curry Village may not have a bowling alley, but it better meets the needs of the modern national park visitor.

Winter brings a kind of tranquility to Yosemite. Snow blankets the landscape and animals settle in for long nights.