"Yeti" was tagged on boulders and several signs in the park(Photo: Ando Arakelyan)
Vandals recently scrawled graffiti insideYosemite National Parknear the popular Bridalveil Falls Trail.
The incident was first reported byThe Fresno Bee,and eyewitnesses confirmed the vandalism toOutside.
Ando Arakelyan, a park visitor, toldOutsidethat the vandals spray-painted the word “Yeti” on two boulders, an information plaque, and a bathroom door inside the park. The tagged areas are near one of the park’s most famous waterfalls.
Arakelyan, 33, toldOutsidethat he first spotted the graffiti on Sunday, January 25. Arakelyan visits Yosemite almost every week and says he encounters graffiti in the park with increasing regularity. In the past, Arakelyan says he’s seen graffiti along other popular trails, such as the Mist Trail and the Yosemite Falls Trail.
“I probably see something every couple of months,” he said toOutside. “It’s not that uncommon anymore to see graffiti in the park, and a lot of trash as well.”
Yosemite is one of the most heavily-trafficked parks in the country. In 2024, more than 4 million people visited the park alone.
In an email toOutside,Yosemite National Park said it is investigating the incident and removing the graffiti.
The park has also been plagued by bad visitor behavior in recent months. In October 2025, during the federal government’s shutdown, BASE jumpersmade illegal jumpsfrom the park’s giant rock formations—and the NPS was very public in itspursuit of the individuals.
“National parks belong to the American people. They are protected places set aside for the benefit, inspiration, and enjoyment of current and future generations. Acts of graffiti and vandalism damage irreplaceable resources, detract from the visitor experience, and divert staff time and taxpayer dollars away from conservation and public safety work,” Yosemite spokesperson Scott Car toldOutside. “Protecting Yosemite is a shared responsibility, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to safeguard this national treasure for everyone.”
Rock climbing guide Defne Dilsiz, who works for the guide service Yosemite Mountaineering School, toldOutsidethat she also frequently sees graffiti in the park.
“That exact boulder has been graffiti before,” Dilsiz said.
In May 2022, Yosemite was the victim of another graffiti incident. The words “Fresno” and “559” (the city’s area code) were sprayed onto at least 30 different rocks near the Yosemite Falls trail. The section of painted rocks waslarger than a car.
Yosemite is hardly the only park that deals with graffiti. In April 2025, the staff at Arches National Park in Utahwroteon its website that graffiti was a common problem there. In November of that year, amid the 43-day federal government shutdown, rocks around Arches were found tagged with spray paint.
If caught, the vandals could face serious consequences. Vandalizing surfaces in a national park—be it a natural surface, like a rock, or a manmade structure, like an informational plaque—is afederal misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in prison and fines up to $5,000.
Anyone convicted of defacing certain sensitive surfaces, such as petroglyphs or rock art, faces steeper penalties. In November, a woman wascaught and charged with a felonyfor vandalizing ancient petroglyphs near Moab. She faced nearly $15,000 in fines and restitution fees, as well as a year of probation.
