The National Park Service (NPS) wants everyone to know that it does not take kindly to BASE jumping inside Yosemite National Park.
Over the course of eight days, the NPS released two detailed reports highlighting its dogged pursuit of illegal BASE jumpers in the California park.
On October 31, officials at Yosemite National Park published the account of a BASE-jumping bust that had occurred two days prior. The report, published to Yosemite’s Facebook page, said that a parachutist staged an illegal jump near El Capitan.
The culprit was caught, the NPS said.
“Thanks to the quick reaction, coordination, and sharp observations of visitors and rangers, the individual was located and cited for illegal air delivery,” the release stated.
The news update followed a detailed press release that the NPS published on October 24. That release announced the recent convictions of three different BASE jumpers, all of whom had staged illegal jumps inside the park in recent years. The release included details of each court case:
On September 16, a California court sentenced Christopher Durrell to 18 months of probation, $600 in fines, and 40 hours of community service after he was cited for a jump that occurred on July 15, 2024.
Also on September 16, a California court sentenced David A. Nunn to 2 days in jail, 12 months of probation, $760 in fines, and $458.77 in restitution fees for a jump that occurred on July 21, 2020. According to the release, Nunn collided with the rock wall on El Capitan after his equipment malfunctioned.
On October 7, a court sentenced Joshua Iosue to 2 days in jail, 24 months of probation, and $2,510 in fines for an illegal jump that occurred on July 15, 2024.
In a statement, Yosemite National Park Superintendent Raymond McPadden added that rangers “do not tolerate illegal activity in Yosemite National Park.”
“Our law enforcement rangers remain efficient, effective, and vigilant 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” McPadden added. “These convictions demonstrate the professionalism and dedication of Yosemite’s protection team in upholding federal regulations and ensuring the safety of both visitors and first responders.”
The two announcements come just two weeks after multiple news reports called attention to illegal BASE jumps occurring in Yosemite National Park amid the federal shutdown. Just one week after the federal government shut down on October 1, news outlet SFGATE reported that visitors to Yosemite were engaging in illegal and dangerous activity, including BASE jumping from El Capitan and climbing the cables up Half Dome without permits.
“It’s like the Wild Wild West,” John DeGrazio, founder of a local tour company, told the outlet. The story kicked off similar stories in multiple national outlets, including Outside.
“Is it any more legal right now? No, not at all,” Elisabeth Barton, co-founder of a guiding company called Echo Adventure Cooperative, told The New York Times. “They’re just less likely to get caught, or at least there’s that assumption.”
That assumption may not be valid—at least, according to the NPS press releases. In both statements, the NPS reminded readers that BASE jumping is explicitly forbidden in U.S. national parks under a rule titled 36 CRF 2.17(a)(3).
“Despite this long-standing prohibition, a small number of individuals continue to engage in illegal jumps each year, often placing themselves, rescuers, and other visitors at serious risk,” the agency said.
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