Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Table of Contents
Top Reasons to Go | Getting Oriented | What’s Where | Yosemite Planner
Updated by Steve Pastorino
By merely standing in Yosemite Valley and turning in a circle, you can see more natural wonders in a minute than you could in a full day pretty much anywhere else. Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall, Sentinel Dome, the Merced River, white-flowering dogwood trees, maybe even bears ripping into the bark of fallen trees or sticking their snouts into beehives—it’s all in Yosemite Valley.
In the mid-1800s, when tourists were arriving to the area, the valley’s special geologic qualities and the giant sequoias of Mariposa Grove 30 miles to the south so impressed a group of influential Californians that they persuaded President Abraham Lincoln to grant those two areas to the state for protection. On October 1, 1890—thanks largely to lobbying efforts by naturalist John Muir and Robert Underwood Johnson, the editor of Century Magazine—Congress set aside 1,500 square miles for Yosemite National Park.
Top Reasons to Go
Wet and wild: An easy stroll brings you to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls, where roaring springtime waters make for misty lens caps and lasting memories.
Tunnel vision: Approaching Yosemite Valley, Wawona Road passes through a mountainside and emerges before one of the park’s most heart-stopping vistas.
Inhale the beauty: Pause to smell the light, pristine air as you travel about the High Sierra’s Tioga Pass and Tuolumne Meadows, where 10,000-foot granite peaks just might take your breath away.
Walk away: Leave the crowds behind—but do bring along a buddy—and take a hike somewhere along Yosemite’s 800 miles of trails.
Powder your nose: Winter’s hush floats into Yosemite on snowflakes. Lift your face to the sky and listen to the trees.
Getting Oriented
Yosemite is so large that you can think of it as five parks. Yosemite Valley, famous for waterfalls and cliffs, and Wawona, where the giant sequoias stand, are open all year. Hetch Hetchy, home of less-used backcountry trails, is most accessible from late spring through early fall. The subalpine high country, Tuolumne Meadows, is open for summer hiking and camping; in winter it’s accessible via cross-country skis or snowshoes. Badger Pass Ski Area is open in winter only. Most visitors spend their time along the park’s southwestern border, between Wawona and Big Oak Flat Entrance; a bit farther east in Yosemite Valley and Badger Pass Ski Area; and along the east–west corridor of Tioga Road, which spans the park north of Yosemite Valley and bisects Tuolumne Meadows.
What’s Where
Yosemite Valley. At an elevation of 4,000 feet, in roughly the center of the park, beats Yosemite’s heart. This is where you’ll find the park’s most famous sights and biggest crowds.
Wawona and Mariposa Grove. The park’s southern tip holds Wawona, with its grand old hotel and pioneer history center, and the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees, filled with giant sequoias. These are closest to the South Entrance, 35 miles (a one-hour drive) south of Yosemite Village.
Tuolumne Meadows. The highlight of east-central Yosemite is this wildflower-strewn valley with hiking trails, nestled among sharp, rocky peaks. It’s a 1½-hour drive northeast of Yosemite Valley along Tioga Road (closed mid-October through late May).
Hetch Hetchy. The most remote, least visited part of Yosemite accessible by automobile, this glacial valley is dominated by a reservoir and veined with wilderness trails. It’s near the park’s western boundary, about a half-hour drive north of the Big Oak Flat Entrance.
Yosemite Planner
When to Go
During extremely busy periods—such as July 4—you will experience delays at the entrance gates. For smaller crowds, visit midweek. Or come mid-April through Memorial Day or mid-September through October, when the park is a bit less busy and the days usually are sunny and clear.
Summer rainfall is rare. In winter heavy snows occasionally cause road closures, and tire chains or four-wheel drive may be required on the roads that remain open. The road to Glacier Point beyond the turnoff for Badger Pass is closed after the first major snowfall; Tioga Road is closed from late October through May or mid-June. Mariposa Grove Road is typically closed for a shorter period in winter.
Getting Here and Around
Bus Travel
Once you’re in Yosemite you can take advantage of the free shuttle buses, which operate on low emissions, have 21 stops, and run from 7 am to 10 pm year-round. Buses run about every 10 minutes in summer, a bit less frequently in winter. A separate (but also free) summer-only shuttle runs out to El Capitan. Also in summer, you can pay to take the morning “hikers’ bus” from Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne or the bus up to Glacier Point. Bus service from Wawona is geared to people who are staying there and want to spend the day in Yosemite Valley. Free and frequent shuttles transport people between the Wawona Hotel and Mariposa Grove. During the snow season, buses run regularly between Yosemite Valley and Badger Pass Ski Area.
Car Travel
Roughly 200 miles from San Francisco, 300 miles from Los Angeles, and 500 miles from Las Vegas, Yosemite takes a while to reach—and its many sites and attractions merit much more time than what rangers say is the average visit: four hours. Most people arrive via automobile or tour bus, but public transportation (courtesy of Amtrak and the regional YARTS bus system) also can get you to the valley efficiently.
Of the park’s four entrances, Arch Rock is the closest to Yosemite Valley. The road that goes through it, Route 140 from Merced and Mariposa, is a scenic western approach that snakes alongside the boulder-packed Merced River. Route 41, through Wawona, is the way to come from Los Angeles (or Fresno, if you’ve flown in and rented a car). Route 120, through Crane Flat, is the most direct route from San Francisco. The only way in from the east is Tioga Road, which may be the best route in terms of scenery—though due to snow accumulation it’s open for a frustratingly short amount of time each year (typically early June through mid-October).
There are few gas stations within Yosemite (Crane Flat, Tuolumne Meadows, and Wawona; none in the valley), so fuel up before you reach the park. From late fall until early spring, the weather is especially unpredictable, and driving can be treacherous. You should carry chains.
Park Essentials
Accessibility
Yosemite’s facilities are continually being upgraded to make them more accessible. Many of the valley floor trails—particularly at Lower Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Fall, and Mirror Lake—are wheelchair accessible, though some assistance may be required. The Valley Visitor Center is fully accessible, as are the park shuttle buses. A sign-language interpreter is available for ranger programs. Visitors with respiratory difficulties should take note of the park’s high elevations—the valley floor is approximately 4,000 feet above sea level, but Tuolumne Meadows and parts of the high country hover around 10,000 feet.
Park Fees and Permits
The admission fee, valid for seven days, is $30 per vehicle (April through October), $25 during the off-season (November through March), or $10 per individual.
If you plan to camp in the backcountry or climb Half Dome, you must have a wilderness permit. Availability of permits depends upon trailhead quotas. It’s best to make a reservation, especially if you will be visiting May through September. You can reserve two days to 24 weeks in advance by phone, mail, or fax (Box 545, Yosemite, CA 95389 | 209/372–0740 | Fax 209/372–0739); you’ll pay $5 per person plus $5 per reservation if and when your reservation is confirmed. Requests must include your name, address, daytime phone, the number of people in your party, trip date, alternative dates, starting and ending trailheads, and a brief itinerary. Without a reservation, you may still get a free permit on a first-come, first-served basis at wilderness permit offices at Big Oak Flat, Hetch Hetchy, Tuolumne Meadows, Wawona, the Wilderness Center in Yosemite Village, and Yosemite Valley in summer. From fall to spring, visit the Valley Visitor Center.
Park Hours
The park is open 24/7 year-round. All entrances are open at all hours, except for Hetch Hetchy Entrance, which is open roughly dawn to dusk.
Plants and Wildlife in Yosemite
Dense stands of incense cedar and Douglas fir—as well as ponderosa, Jeffrey, lodgepole, and sugar pines—cover much of the park, but the stellar standout, quite literally, is the Sequoiadendron giganteum, the giant sequoia. Sequoias grow only along the west slope of the Sierra Nevada between 4,500 and 7,000 feet in elevation. Starting from a seed the size of a rolled-oat flake, each of these ancient monuments assumes remarkable proportions in adulthood. In late May the valley’s dogwood trees bloom with white, starlike flowers. Wildflowers, such as black-eyed Susan, bull thistle, cow parsnip, lupine, and meadow goldenrod, peak in June in the valley and in July at higher elevations.
The most visible animals in the park—aside from the omnipresent western gray squirrels, which fearlessly attempt to steal your food at every campground and picnic site—are the mule deer. Though sightings of bighorn sheep are infrequent in the park itself, you can sometimes see them on the eastern side of the Sierra Crest, just off Route 120 in Lee Vining Canyon. You may also see the American black bear, which often has a brown, cinnamon, or blond coat. The Sierra Nevada is home to thousands of bears, and you should take all necessary precautions to keep yourself—and the bears—safe. Bears that acquire a taste for human food can become very aggressive and destructive, and often must be destroyed by rangers, so store all your food and even scented toiletries in the bear lockers located at many campgrounds and trailheads, or use bear-resistant canisters if you’ll be hiking in the backcountry.
Watch for the blue Steller’s jay along trails, near public buildings, and in campgrounds, and look for golden eagles soaring over Tioga Road.
Tours
Fodor’s Choice | Ansel Adams Photo Walks.
Photography enthusiasts shouldn’t miss these 90-minute guided camera walks offered four mornings (Mon., Tues., Thurs., and Sat.) each week by professional photographers. All are free, but participation is limited to 15 people. Meeting points vary, and advance reservations are essential. | 209/372–4413 | www.anseladams.com | Free.
FAMILY | Wee Wild Ones.
Designed for kids under 7, this 45-minute program includes animal-theme games, songs, stories, and crafts. The event is held outdoors before the regular Yosemite Lodge or Curry Village evening programs in summer and fall; it moves to the Ahwahnee’s big fireplace in winter and spring. All children must be accompanied by an adult. | 209/372–8243 | www.yosemitepark.com | Free.
Visitor Information
Park Contact Information
Yosemite National Park. | 209/372–0200 | www.nps.gov/yose.
Visitor Centers
Le Conte Memorial Lodge.
This small but striking National Historic Landmark, with its granite walls and steeply pitched shingle roof, is Yosemite’s first permanent public information center. Step inside to see the cathedral-like interior, which contains a library and environmental exhibits. To find out about evening programs, check the kiosk out front. | Southside Dr., about ½ mile west of Curry Village | vault.sierraclub.org/education/leconte | May–Sept., Wed.–Sun. 10–4.
Valley Visitor Center.
Learn about Yosemite Valley’s geology, vegetation, and human inhabitants at this visitor center, which is also staffed with helpful rangers and contains a bookstore with a wide selection of books and maps. Two films, including one by Ken Burns, alternate on the half-hour in the theater behind the visitor center. | Yosemite Village | 209/372–0200 | www.nps.gov/yose | Late May–early Sept., daily 9–7; early Sept.–late May, daily 9–5.