Outdoor and Custom Adventures & Art Programs
COVID-19 Safety Procedures: Participant Agreement
Note: This is a preview of our Participant Agreement, provided here for informational purposes. When you register for a Yosemite Conservancy Outdoor Adventure, Custom Adventure or Art Program, you will be asked to review and sign this agreement. You can also view and download this information in PDF format.
We at Yosemite Conservancy (the “Conservancy”) are offering select modified group activities in the park during the 2023 season. We look forward to helping visitors connect with Yosemite and creating opportunities for people to enjoy the invaluable benefits associated with enriching outdoor experiences. We also recognize the risks associated with group activities at this time, and we are taking extra precautions to keep participants and instructors safe
If you are considering participating in one of the Conservancy’s Outdoor Adventure, Custom Adventure or Art programs (each a “Program”), please read the following information thoroughly. Participating in our Programs involves traveling to Yosemite, participating in a group experience, and hiking on trails with other visitors, among other activities which inherently put you at potential risk for contracting COVID-19, and we cannot guarantee that anyone who visits Yosemite or participates in a Program will not be exposed to COVID-19. We are implementing strict protocols, developed in consultation with medical experts and in accordance with local, state and federal guidelines and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”), to mitigate that risk. However, it will be the responsibility of all participants to cooperate with these protocols and guidelines.
Before Your Trip: Preparing to Participate
- Before you participate in a Conservancy Program, we request that you seriously consider your own COVID-19 health risk factors and consult with your physician.
- All participants must sign this Participant Agreement (the “Agreement”), under which you agree to follow all of the safety procedures required by the Conservancy, including reporting any COVID-19 symptoms (as outlined by the CDC) at the start of the Program and each day for the duration of the Program.
- We request that you limit your travel and interactions with individuals outside your household or vector group* before your trip to Yosemite.
- If, at any point within 48 hours before the start of the Program, you experience any COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms you must cancel your registration for the program.
- If you have been in close contact with anyone who has recently tested positive for COVID-19 or has COVID-19 symptoms, you must cancel your registration for the Program unless you are fully vaccinated and are experiencing no symptoms. Fully vaccinated means you have received a full course of an initial vaccine and received a booster shot.
- If you need to cancel, you will receive a full refund.
- All participants will need to bring their own face masks, as well as hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol) or a hand-washing set-up that conforms to Leave No Trace principles.
During Your Trip: In-Park Program Procedures
Safety Education: At the beginning of your Program, your naturalist guide will address the group on key safety procedures, including:
- How to maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet throughout the trip, including when hiking on a trail with others, standing in a circle to listen to a guide, or pausing for water and snack breaks.
- How to keep hands clean in a wilderness setting. Your guide will confirm that each participant has adequate hand sanitizer or a hand-washing set-up that conforms to Leave No Trace principles.
Health Checks: Guides will check in with participants at the start of the Program and on a regular basis throughout the trip to ensure everyone is staying healthy.
- Do not attend a program if you have any cold, flu, or COVID-19 symptoms.
- You will be asked to leave the program if you appear to have any signs of illness.
If you are fully vaccinated and have been exposed to COVID-19 and are not exhibiting symptoms, you may remain on the program. You must wear a mask for the duration of the program.
Physical Distancing and Facial Coverings: Guides and participants must practice physical distancing and be prepared to wear a facial covering when maintaining a safe distance is not possible. This applies to all participants, including those who have been vaccinated.
- Masking is required indoors in Yosemite National Park when local community transmission levels are high. This will change week by week.
- Stay at least 6 feet away from your guide and from fellow participants, unless the other participants are members of your family, household or other vector group. Learning is different in a physically distant environment. At times it may be hard to hear your guide, but the need for physical distancing remains.
- It is courteous and suggested you wear a mask when physical distancing cannot be maintained, or if you wish to protect yourself beyond what is required.
Hygiene: Guides and participants must adhere to hygiene procedures to keep hands clean, avoid coughing or sneezing on others, and limit contact with shared surfaces and objects.
- Maintaining proper hand hygiene can be challenging in a wilderness setting. Bring adequate hand sanitizer and/or a portable set-up to clean your hands for the duration of your trip. Participants are responsible for providing their own hand sanitizer or hand-washing equipment.
We look forward to welcoming visitors to Yosemite for safe, enriching outdoor experiences in 2023. We are taking extensive measures to keep our participants and guides safe, and we can’t wait to see you in the park!
I have read, reviewed and understand the above-described safety procedures (including the Company’s health checks, physical distancing, face covering, and hygiene requirements), and agree to follow them while I am on a Yosemite Conservancy Program. I understand and agree that, if I choose to participate in a Program, I do so knowingly and voluntarily, assuming all associated risks, known and unknown. To the extent allowed by law, this Agreement waives claims against the Conservancy for COVID-19 exposure that may result from my voluntary decision to participate in a Program.
* For purposes of this Agreement, a “vector group” refers to a group of individuals who have been in proximity with one another prior to the start of their Yosemite Conservancy program, such as housemates or friends who have mutually agreed to interact with each other without maintaining physical distance.
Information last updated April 14, 2022.