Scenic Road Trips > Yosemite National Park

Visiting Yosemite

What to Do | Hiking | Scenic Spots | Bears | Misc

Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful places in the world and also has perhaps the widest diversity of activities to offer of all the national parks. It's a place you can visit for just a day or spend your entire life exploring. Although the park is the size of Rhode Island, most of it is not accessible except through multiple day backpacking trips. Besides the everyday tourists, It attracts hikers, rock climbers, photographers, naturalists, and scientists. After spending the summer helping people plan their trips to the park, I hope that the info that I can provide here might help you better enjoy the park!

What to Do During my time working in the park, people often asked me what they should do with their time, indicating that they had done almost no planning, if any at all. The park can be very overwhelming if you don't have some idea as to what you'd like to see and do. There are a ton of options for everyone from the experienced hikers to the family with small children. For overnight accommodations (which are hard to come by during tourist seasons), check out the park's website. What follows are my recommendations for what to do in the park if you have a certain amount of time there; they by no means represent the views of the park or any of its employees or affiliated organizations. For more detailed information, you should consult a park ranger at the visitor's center when you arrive.

Time in the Park	What to See and Do ( more on the hikes below )
2-4 hours	On your way into the park, check out Bridalveil Falls. If you're coming from the south, stop at Inspiration Point just after the tunnel. From the Yosemite Village area you are a short walk to views of Half Dome and Upper Yosemite Falls. Check out the view of Half Dome from Sentinel Bridge. Walk to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls, which is about a quarter mile round trip. Walk around the loop paths through the meadows. Go to the visitor's center and museums to get a taste of the park's history. Kids will like the nature center at Happy Isles. On your way out of the park, stop at the El Capitan meadow and look for rock climbers on one of the most famous climbing spots in the world. If you're coming from the east (closed during the winter), admire the views of Tenaya Lake and Tuolomne Meadows as you head to the valley.

4-6 hours	Do everything above and consider taking a short hike to the footbridge at the base of Vernal Falls. Except for from late June through late August, check out Mirror Lake (it's dried up mostly during the summer months). Some people like to take the relaxing raft floats down the river.

1 day	Do everything above. If you'll be in the park at sunset, go to Glacier Point, which is an hour drive from the Valley and provides an unbelievable view of the park. If you're entering or leaving from the south, check out the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees. If you're entering or leaving from the east, stop a few times along the Tioga Pass Road. Take a longer hike, like to the top of Vernal Falls or even the top of Nevada Falls if you're feeling adventurous. Attend a ranger talk on a topic you're interested in.

2 days	Do everything above. If you're looking for longer hikes, the Half Dome trail is the ultimate "been there, done that" of the park. There are other hikes though that provide, in my opinion, better views. Try hiking up the Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point and then taking the Panorama Trail back to the valley. The hike to the top of Yosemite Falls is another strenuous, but rewarding trip. You might want to take a day to explore the Tuolomne Meadows area and do some hiking there. Attend an evening program or a ranger talk.

3 or more days	Do everything above. Hike in different areas of the park (see below for more specifics). Consider an overnight backpacking trip. Check out Mono Lake just outside the park's east exit. Check out Hetch Hetchy Resorvoir, which was created by a dam to supply water for San Francisco, thus destroying a once beautiful valley with a lake. Of all the places to dam....

Less than 2 hours	Someone once asked a ranger what to do in the one hour he had in Yosemite. The ranger replied, "Walk over to the river, sit on the bank, and cry." To see Yosemite properly, you really need a full day there; driving to it alone takes a few hours from any nearby destination, so you might as well spend a night in the park so you don't feel rushed. If you can't relax and enjoy yourself at Yosemite, then you're just not an outdoors person.... San Francisco is three hours to the west.

Hiking

Yosemite has perhaps more hiking opportunities than any other place in the country (certainly more than any place I visited). People have spent their entire lives in the park and not covered all the trails. Below are some of the hikes I did while in the park, which should not be considered a thorough list of "things to see" if you visit. An excellent book that provides great details about 100 hikes in Yosemite is "Yosemite National Park: A Natural History Guide to Yosemite and Its Trails" by Jeffrey P. Schaffer.

Hike Name	Distance*	Notes (see section below for photos)

Four Mile Trail	4.8^	Very steep trail that can be one way up or down. It begins along the Merced River on the west end of the main valley area and ends at Glacier Point. A beautiful hike with amazing views.

Half Dome	16.4	The pinnacle of all hikes at Yosemite, this hike gains 4,800 feet from its beginning at Happy Isles to its end atop Half Dome. The steepest ascent of the trip takes you to the top of Nevada Falls before walking through the Little Yosemite Valley. The last few hundred feet of the hike require pulling oneself up metal cables to get to the top (see photo).

Hidden Falls	~5.0	A hike that you won't find in any books, this hike begins at Mirror Lake and heads up the river gorge to a beautiful waterfall that is off the beaten path and requires some scrambling over boulders. Most rangers can tell you directions if you're interested.

Mariposa Grove	see notes	There are a number of hikes in the grove that vary in distance. One can also take the shuttle to the museum at the top and then hike down.

Mirror Lake	1.0	This is a short hike on a paved road to Mirror Lake.

Mount Dana	5.0	This is one of the hardest hikes I've ever done. During the 2.5 mile ascent you climb over 4,000 feet to the 13,050 foot peak. Besides being extremely steep, there is very little air at such a high elevation. The hike makes you scramble over lots of broken rocks and small boulders without any really defined trails. From the top there is an amazing view though (see below).

Mount Hoffman	6.0	The hike starts with an easy one mile walk to May Lake from the parking lot off of Tioga Pass road. Once you leave May Lake and the High Sierra camp there it's pretty much straight up to the top, scrambling over rocks all the way up.

Nevada Falls	7.0	A very popular, and very steep, hike that can be done in two ways, either via the longer and less steep John Muir Trail or the shorter and steeper Nevada Falls trail. The hike is a continuation of the Vernal Falls trail.

North Dome	9.0	An easy, relatively flat hike from Tioga Pass road that takes you past Indian Arch and to North Dome on the east end of the valley.

Panorama Trail	9.1^	One-way distance from Glacier Point to Happy Isles. This hike takes you behind Half Dome and gives you an interesting angle of it. Along the way you see Illilouette Falls, Nevada Falls, and Vernal Falls.

Sentinel Dome	2.0	A great short hike that offers beautiful views. It's moderately steep from its beginning along the Glacier Point road, but it's short and worth the effort.

Tenaya Lake to Happy Isles via Clouds Rest	17.0	A long hike that offers some of the greatest views in the park (the best in my opinion) from Clouds Rest. From Tenaya Lake it's a nice, woodsy 7 mile trek to Cloud's Rest without too much elevation gain. From there you can turn back for a roundtrip hike or continue down towards Yosemite Valley. Along the way you have the option of a 4 mile side trip to Half Dome or you can just continue through Little Yosemite Valley and past Nevada and Vernal Falls.

Taft Point	2.0	An easy hike from the Glacier Point road that offers some beautiful views and also goes past the fissures. The point is a nice place to stick your head off and look straight down a few thousand feet... if you like that sorta thing.

Vernal Falls	3.0	Probably the most popular hike in the park, Vernal Falls is a really steep hike even though it's short. The climb to the top of the falls is on the famous Mist Trail, in which you get soaked from the spray of the falls during the spring months. Try to do this hike in the morning to avoid big crowds.

Yosemite Falls (upper)	7.2	A really steep hike that offers some great views of the valley. The trail has a lot of loose rocks and isn't the most fun to hike on, but it is through some beautiful wilderness as it snakes up the switchbacks along the cliff.

Yosemite Falls (lower)	0.5	A really easy, handicap accessible stroll along a concrete path to the base of the lower falls. During the summer there isn't much water to see there, but in the spring the river will rush powerfully under the bridge where the hike ends.

* Distances are roundtrip, in miles, unless otherwise noted. Some are estimates. ^ One way distance.

Scenic Spots
	Half Dome By far the most popular site in the park, Half Dome towers 4,800 feet above the valley floor. Despite its name, Half Dome was never actually a full dome. What exists is estimated to be about 80% of the original rock, which, like the rest of the valley, was carved by glaciers. The best spots to see Half Dome from the valley include Sentinel Bridge and the Curry Meadow (as seen in this photo). It can be seen from a number of places outside the valley, including Glacier Point, Cloud's Rest, Sentinel Dome, the Panorama Trail, etc.

	Glacier Point Perhaps the most popular, and accessible, place for scenic views of Yosemite, Glacier Point is an hour drive from the valley and then a two minute walk. Views at sunset are beautiful as you get over a 180 degree panorama. There is also a snack stand there. Glacier Point was the home of the famous Fire Fall, in which every night burning embers were dumped off the 3,000 foot cliff, creating a waterfall of fire that was the most popular attraction in the park (even President John F. Kennedy viewed it). The Fire Fall was stopped in 1968 because the thousands of people who watched it destroyed the meadows, clogged the roads with traffic, and lead to criminal activities. Additionally, it was an unnatural event in a park that had too much beauty to be spoiled like that.

	Taft Point Just a short one-mile hike from the Glacier Point road, Taft Point offers great north and west facing views of the valley, including El Capitan and Yosemite Falls. It also is next to the fissures, which are several foot wide cuts in the cliffs that go down thousands of feet. The point was named after President Taft, who, if my history knowledge serves me correctly, probably was too obese to do even this short hike. I guess some poor horse got him out there.....

	Inspiration Point Probably the most accessible place to get a view Yosemite Valley, this overlook is only about a fifteen minute drive from the valley. It is one of the most popular places for artists and photographers, including Ansel Adams.

	Moonbow on Lower Yosemite Falls One of only about a dozen locations in the world where you can see a rainbow cast by the full moon on a waterfall. Unfortunately, Yosemite Falls dries up during the mid summer and doesn't have enough water to make the moonbow, making the spring the best time to see it. This photo was taken at about 1am under a full moon in late June. It was not digitally enhanced, but it should be noted that photographs show the moonbow better than the naked eye.

	Nevada Falls One of the most powerful and popular waterfalls in the park, Nevada Falls can be best viewed from the southern cliffs on the eastern end of the valley along the Panorama Trail, the John Muir Trail, and the Mist Trail. It is a very steep 3.5 mile hike to the top. On the left in this photo is Liberty Cap.

	Vernal Falls An extremely popular falls to visit, it is an easy one mile hike to the base of the falls followed by a steep half-mile hike to the top along the Mist Trail. There is a large pool at the top that is a popular (but illegal, due to its location at the top of the falls) swimming location. You can usually see rainbows on the falls. During the spring, the mist spraying off the falls will drench you on your hike up.

	Yosemite Falls One of the two most famous spots in the park (the other being Half Dome), Yosemite Falls is comprised of three cascades. At over 2,425 feet, it is the tallest waterfall in North America and the fifth tallest in the world. Although its powerful waters can be heard from miles away during the spring, in the summer months the falls dries up to barely a trickle. I got there in late June and it was still pretty impressive, but when I left in August it was barely even dripping.

	Clouds Rest The view from Clouds Rest is my favorite in the park. The peak, which is at over 9,000 feet, offers an amazing 360 degree view of the park, including Tuolomne Meadows, Tenaya Lake, Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, El Capitan, Mount Hoffman, and many more. It is a moderate seven mile hike from the Tioga Pass road.

	Indian Arch The only natural arch in the park, this spot can be seen a few miles down along the North Dome trail from the Tioga Pass road.

	Mount Dana At 13,050 feet elevation, Mount Dana is the second tallest peak in the park (it's only about 70 feet shorter than Mount Lyle). Being on the east end of the park, over two hours from Yosemite Valley, the views from the top (which is an extremely steep 2.5 mile hike) include many sites outside the park, including local ski resorts and the beautiful Mono Lake.

	Mount Hoffman As the geographic center of the park, Mount Hoffman offers one of the best views of all the different area of Yosemite, including Half Dome and Yosemite Valley, the High Sierras, Tuolomne Meadows, and others. At the base of the mountain is May Lake and the May Lake High Sierra Camp, accessible by an easy one-mile hike from the Tioga Pass road.

	Tuolomne Meadows Perhaps the favorite area of the park for many of Yosemite's rangers and frequent visitors, the meadows are at about 9,000 feet elevation. They offer beautiful views of snow-capped mountains, jagged peaks, large lakes (including popular Tenaya Lake), several domes, and expansive grasslands. Because a large number of Yosemite's visitors don't come for more than a day, most people never get to this area of the park (meaning less crowds), which is over an hour away from the valley.

	The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias One of the densest groves of Giant Sequoia trees in the world (which is impressive, but considering they only grow in California...). Giant sequoia trees are the most massive living organisms in the world, though not as tall as the California Redwoods. The grove has enormous historical significance because it was the reason why Yosemite's lands were originally protected by President Abraham Lincoln by the Yosemite Grant. On the southern end of the park, the grove is about an hour and fifteen minute drive from the valley.

NO PHOTO AVAILABLE	Mirror Lake Although it once provided an impressive reflection of Half Dome, which made it very popular for photographers, the National Parks Service had been maintaining the lake unnaturally to keep it that way through dredging. When they ended that practice to restore the lake (which is actually just part of a river), it lost much of its aesthetic value. During the spring the lake fills up enough for nice photos, but in the summer it dries up to little more than a glorified stream.

NO PHOTO AVAILABLE	North Dome Offering some of the closest views of Half Dome and Yosemite Valley, North Dome is also not very crowded for some reason. A roundtrip hike of at least 9.0 miles is required to get to it, or much longer if you intend to begin in the valley.

	Sentinel Dome A moderate one mile hike from the Glacier Point road puts you atop Sentinel Dome and gives you amazing views of Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, and many of the mountain ranges throughout the park. A large tree, though now dead, attracts photographers and gives some beautiful silhouette shots at sunset.

Bears

Yosemite National Park is famous (infamous?) for its bears. What most people don't know is that there are only two types of bears in the continental US: grizzly bears and black bears (which, despite their name, can be brown too). Grizzlies are mainly found in Yellowstone National Park, WY and surrounding areas. Yosemite does not have grizzlies, which are the bears that have almost always been involved in fatal incidents with humans.

Black bears on the other hand are much smaller and more timid. Most of the problems with them occur when people carelessly leave food or other scented things in their tents, cars, backpacks, etc. There have been very few deaths by black bears and none in Yosemite National Park (the only death by an animal in the park was a small child who was gored by a deer).

Unfortunately, many of Yosemite's bears have become used to people and have learned to break into cars, coolers, etc. The park service does a great deal of research into the bears and has launched the Keep Bears Wild program to help prevent incidents with human visitors. When a bear has been involved in three incidents, it is usually killed or relocated.

Miscellaneous

There are a number of other things to do in Yosemite: rock climbing lessons, rafting, hang gliding (only allowed a few days each year) to name a few. Yosemite also has a rich history for those interested in geology, Native Americans, the parks' discovery and initial conservation, wildlife, photography, art, etc. For more on these topics, please see the information page.

All material on this site, except where otherwise noted, is my original work.
For questions or comments, please email me.
Copyright 2004-2008, Evan Rapoport.