Granite, sequoias, and waterfalls that thunder.
Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Yosemite Valley does something to people. You come around the bend, El Capitan rises 3,000 feet of sheer granite on your left, Bridalveil Fall drifts on your right, and Half Dome stands at the far end like the valley was built to frame it. John Muir spent a lifetime trying to put it into words and mostly gave up and told people to just go.
Beyond the valley floor there's a whole other park: the giant sequoias of Mariposa Grove, the alpine lakes and granite domes along Tioga Road, Glacier Point's god's-eye view of the whole thing. Spring is for the waterfalls; fall is for having a trail to yourself.
Yosemite has four ways in at four different elevations, and two of its best roads simply do not exist for half the year. Get the entrance wrong in winter and you are on chains; get the month wrong in spring and the high country you drove for is still under snow. The valley is open all year — everything above it is a question of timing.
Up the Merced River canyon to the Arch Rock entrance, and the lowest, gentlest approach — which is exactly why it is the one to use in winter when the others want chains. About 80 miles and two hours from Merced, following the river the whole way.
In past Mariposa Grove and through the Wawona Tunnel, which is where you get the Tunnel View that every photograph of this park comes from. Roughly 49 miles and an hour and a half up from Oakhurst, and the approach if you are coming from Fresno or Los Angeles.
The usual line in from San Francisco, about 188 miles and four and a half hours. Higher than the Merced canyon route, so it is the one most likely to want chains in a winter storm.
The 9,943-foot crossing of the Sierra crest. The next trans-Sierra road north is Sonora Pass on CA-108; south of here there is nothing for a hundred and fifty miles. It is shut most of the year: plowing 45 miles from Crane Flat starts around 15 April and takes one to two months, and the park is explicit that nobody can predict the opening date even in late spring. It opened 15 May in 2026 — the earliest since 2015, and more than two months earlier than 2023, when the snow held it shut until 22 July.
Opened 15 May in 2026; usually closes sometime in November. Plowing starts around 15 April and takes one to two months.
The road across the roof of the park, climbing out of the valley through Tuolumne Meadows to the crest. It is a different Yosemite entirely — granite domes, high meadows, no crowds — and for most of the year it is simply not there.
TipNever book a trip that depends on it without checking the current status first. The park says outright that the opening date cannot be predicted, and plenty of June itineraries have been written around a road still under snow. Services up there are thin even when it is open — carry your own food and water, because the toilets along the road have neither.
Opened 9 May in 2026; usually opens sometime in May and closes in November
A dead-end climb to the rim opposite Half Dome. Two and a half hours of driving round trip for a view you could also earn on foot, which is either the best bargain in the park or a waste of an afternoon depending on how you feel about walking.
TipGo for sunset and stay for the stars — but remember it is an hour and a quarter back down in the dark, on a road with no lighting.
The valley runs on a one-way system, which catches people out constantly: miss a turning and you are going round again. It is also the part of Yosemite that never closes, so a February visit still gets you Tunnel View, El Capitan and the falls at their fullest.
TipPark once and use the free shuttle — it runs 7am to 10pm, every 8 to 22 minutes depending on the route. Hunting for a space in the valley in summer costs more time than the shuttle ever will.
Roll out of the Wawona Tunnel and the whole valley unfurls in one cinematic frame: El Capitan standing guard on the left, Bridalveil Fall feathering down on the right, Half Dome anchoring the horizon. It's the postcard, and it earns it.
Insider tipShoot it at sunset — daytime light is harsh, but the glow often peaks 20–30 minutes after the sun drops. The pullout just past the tunnel fills fast in summer, so arrive early; spring is prime, with the greenest valley and Bridalveil at full roar.
Plan a trip to this spot →Yosemite's granite mascot — that sheared-off dome you've seen a thousand times. The bucket-list move is hauling up the famous cable route to the summit, gripping two steel cables up the final slick 400 feet. Not a casual stroll.
Insider tipIt's a brutal 14–16 mile round trip with 4,800 ft of climbing, and most hikers are out 10 to 12 hours. A permit is required whenever the cables are up, and only 300 people a day get past the base of the subdome. Apply in the preseason lottery 1–31 March (results mid-April) or the daily lottery two days out. Cables go up the Friday before Memorial Day and come down the day after the second Monday in October.
Plan a trip to this spot →Three thousand feet of sheer, unbroken granite — the most famous big wall on Earth. Spread a blanket in El Capitan Meadow, tilt your head back, and look for the tiny colorful specks inching up the face. Those specks are climbers on multi-day ascents.
Insider tipBring binoculars — climbers are dots to the naked eye, but with glass you can watch their progress and spot bright portaledge "hammocks" hanging off the wall at night. Park along Northside Drive by the meadow; spring and fall are peak big-wall season.
Plan a trip to this spot →A balcony 3,200 feet above the valley floor, staring straight across at Half Dome with the high country rolling out behind it. Almost zero effort for one of the most jaw-dropping views in any national park — you basically walk from the car.
Insider tipGlacier Point Road is seasonal — it usually opens sometime in May (9 May in 2026) and closes in November, and it was shut entirely through 2022 for a rehab that widened the lanes and added parking. Go at sunset for alpenglow firing up the face of Half Dome.
Plan a trip to this spot →Yosemite's waterfalls are pure spring drama. Yosemite Falls is the headliner — 2,425 ft in three drops, one of the tallest waterfalls in the world — while lacy Bridalveil Fall (620 ft) greets you near the valley entrance and runs all year.
Insider tipTiming is everything: peak flow is May, when the Sierra snowpack melts and the falls thunder. Yosemite Falls only runs from about November through July and is often bone dry by August. Bridalveil is the reliable one — a short 0.5-mile round trip on a rebuilt boardwalk.
Plan a trip to this spot →Yosemite's cathedral of giants — more than 500 mature sequoias including the Grizzly Giant, a 3,000-year-old behemoth wider than most living rooms, plus the walk-through California Tunnel Tree. Down at the park's south end near Wawona, a quieter kind of awe.
Insider tipYou cannot drive in. Park at the Welcome Plaza just inside the South Entrance (Hwy 41) and ride the free shuttle — the grove road is open only to vehicles with a disability placard. The plaza's 300 spaces can fill by late morning, so come mid-morning at the latest. Shuttles ran 8am to 7pm from 3 May to 23 September in 2026, shorter hours to the end of November, and nothing from December to mid-April, when it's a 2-mile walk in. The Grizzly Giant loop is 2 miles round trip.
Plan a trip to this spot →Two worlds at two elevations: the valley floor (~4,000 ft) bakes warm and bone-dry all summer, with the waterfalls at their best in spring snowmelt, while the high country at Tuolumne Meadows (~8,600 ft) stays snowbound most of the year — Tioga Road typically opens in late May or June and closes sometime in November.
Five road entrances; four are open year-round (weather permitting) and the eastern Tioga Pass is snow-closed for much of the year. The four below are the ones that reach Yosemite Valley — the fifth, Hetch Hetchy, is a daylight-only dead end to the reservoir and goes nowhere near the icons.
The lowest-elevation, most reliable winter route — it follows the Merced River canyon and rarely closes for snow. The dependable all-season way into the Valley.
From the Bay Area / San Francisco; also the connection to Tioga Road and the high country in summer.
From Fresno and the south, and the direct access to the Mariposa Grove and Wawona.
From the eastern Sierra / US-395 (Lee Vining, Mono Lake) and for the Tuolumne Meadows high country — only viable in summer and early fall.
Sleep in the Valley among the icons (book ~366 days out), find a quieter park lodge, or base in a gateway town.
The heart of the park, steps from the waterfalls and trailheads. The Ahwahnee is the grand 1920s landmark hotel; Yosemite Valley Lodge sits at the base of Yosemite Falls; Curry Village offers heated cabins and the iconic canvas tent cabins — the most affordable way to sleep in the Valley — and Housekeeping Camp puts three-sided units right on the Merced. All run by the concessioner (Yosemite Hospitality).
Booking tipRooms open 366 days out via travelyosemite.com and sell out months ahead for summer and holidays — especially The Ahwahnee. Set a reminder and book the moment your dates open.
Outside the Valley, the south end and high country offer quieter, seasonal stays. Two are shut as of summer 2026: the historic Wawona Hotel near Mariposa Grove, closed since 2024 while the Park Service runs a full condition assessment of the complex, and White Wolf Lodge up on Tioga Road. That leaves Tuolumne Meadows Lodge as the open high-country tent-cabin camp, plus the five backcountry High Sierra Camps, which are allocated by lottery.
Booking tipHigh-country lodging follows Tioga Road's snow calendar — typically only mid-June into September. Always verify current-year openings on nps.gov/yose, since the Wawona and White Wolf closures show these change year to year.
Staying outside the park is cheaper and easier to book. Mariposa and Midpines line Hwy 140 (the Arch Rock approach), Oakhurst anchors the south Hwy 41 corridor, Groveland sits on Hwy 120 West, and tiny El Portal is right outside the Arch Rock entrance — the closest non-park base to the Valley. Park campgrounds (Upper Pines and the rest) book on Recreation.gov.
Booking tipThe Valley campgrounds release five months ahead, on the 15th of the month at 7am Pacific, and sell out in minutes — be logged in and ready before the clock turns. The high-country campgrounds work differently, most of them on a rolling two-week window. El Portal cuts the morning drive to the Valley to ~25–30 minutes.
Do I need a reservation to enter Yosemite in 2026?
No. The park announced on 18 February 2026 that it will not use a timed reservation system at any point in 2026 — a change from the peak-hours systems used in several recent summers. Its 2025 data showed most weekdays had parking to spare, so instead of a season-wide requirement Yosemite is running real-time traffic monitoring, active parking management in the Valley, and extra staff at the pinch points on busy days. Expect delays and possible temporary diversions when the Valley lots fill, and pick a weekday if you can. Reconfirm at nps.gov/yose before you go: this policy has flipped year to year.
What does it cost to get in?
$35 per private vehicle, valid 7 days ($30 motorcycle, $20 per person on foot or bike; under 16 free). A Yosemite annual pass is $70 and the $80 America the Beautiful pass is accepted. Bring a card — Yosemite has gone cashless and the entrance stations take credit, debit or mobile payment only. You can buy your pass in advance online to speed things up, though it isn't required. Yosemite is one of eleven parks charging non-U.S. residents aged 16 and over an extra $100 per person, waived by an annual pass — $80 for residents, $250 for non-residents, and the nonresident pass also covers up to three more adults in your party.
When is the best time to visit?
For waterfalls, come April–June, when snowmelt makes Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil thunder (many falls dwindle by late summer). Fall is quieter and crisp. The high country is seasonal, and the dates move a lot: in 2026 Glacier Point Road opened 9 May and Tioga Road 15 May, but Tioga has opened as late as 22 July in a heavy snow year. Weekdays and shoulder seasons mean fewer crowds.
How do I hike Half Dome — do I need a permit?
Yes. The cable route requires a lottery permit from Recreation.gov whenever the cables are up — the Friday before Memorial Day until the day after the second Monday in October. There's a preseason lottery with applications 1–31 March (results mid-April), plus a daily lottery you enter two days before your hike, between midnight and 4pm Pacific. Fees are $10 per application, not per person, plus $10 a head if you're awarded a permit; the second fee is refunded if you cancel the day before or the cables aren't up. Weekdays draw far fewer applicants than weekends, especially from late August on.
How do I get there — which airport?
Fresno Yosemite International (FAT) is closest — about 94 miles and two and a half hours to Yosemite Valley, nearer three in summer traffic. Sacramento and the Bay Area airports (San Jose, Oakland, San Francisco) are farther, around four to four and a half hours. YARTS buses do run in from Merced, Mariposa and, in summer, Fresno and Lee Vining, but a car is far easier.
How many days do I need?
At least 2–3. Two to three days covers Yosemite Valley's icons — Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil, Tunnel View, Mirror Lake, and a Valley-floor hike — without rushing. Add a day for the high country (Glacier Point and Tioga Road / Tuolumne Meadows) if you're visiting in summer, when those roads are open.
Pick your vehicle, line up the stops on the way in and out, and carry the whole route in your pocket.
