Travel Guide + Itinerary For Yosemite National Park | 1-4 Days

You can find ample parking at:
Curry Village
Yosemite Village
Yosemite Falls

How Many Days In Yosemite?

Personally, I think 4 days in Yosemite National Park is ideal. It’s a massive park and a 4 day Yosemite itinerary allows you to see all areas of the park without rushing.

There are 6 areas within Yosemite National Park:

Yosemite Valley,
Wawona & Mariposa Grove,
Glacier Point,
Crane Flat,
Tioga Road & Tuolumne Meadow and
Hetch Hetchy.

With my 4 day itinerary for Yosemite we’ll cover all the areas within the park.

However, if you have less time it’s possible to see the Yosemite Valley highlights in one day. With 2 or 3 days in Yosemite you can also explore more areas like Mariposa Grove, Tioga Pass, Tuolumne Meadows and Glacier Point Road.

Read this guide to determine how many days in Yosemite you need.

1 Day In Yosemite National Park (Yosemite Valley)

If you’re making a day trip to Yosemite, this is the perfect Yosemite One Day Itinerary to maximize your time in the park.

With only 1 day in Yosemite National Park it’s best to focus your time on Yosemite Valley. There’s more than enough to do here, and some of the best parts of the park are all located conveniently close. You can read my detailed itinerary for one day in Yosemite National Park here.

Day 1: Morning

Arrive at Yosemite National Park. I recommend using the Big Oak Flat or Arch Rock entrances, especially if you’re coming from San Francisco to Yosemite.

On your way into the valley, stop by Tunnel View for iconic Yosemite Valley views.

You’ll pass by Bridalveil Fall on your drive into the valley as well. I recommend stopping and taking the easy, paved 0.8 mile hike to the falls.

Explore Yosemite Village and visit the Yosemite Visitor Center and Ansel Adams Gallery. The visitors center is always a first stop for me at any National Park. I like to speak with the ranger on duty to ask about trail conditions or closures and get recommendations for hikes that fit my interest and skill level. I usually travel with my dog, so the park ranger’s area also able to help me with suggestions for where he’s allowed to be exercised.

For lunch, have a burger at Village Grill or a sandwich from Degnan’s Deli. My mom and I ate at Degnan’s Deli, I had a sandwich and she had soup. There can be a bit of a line during peak hours, but it moves really quickly.

The Village Store is also located in this area. It’s a fairly large grocery store. We stopped in to pick up snacks and something to cook for dinner at our campground that night.

Day 1: Afternoon

Take a short hike to see Yosemite Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in North America. You can get up close to the Lower Yosemite Fall by walking Lower Yosemite Fall Trail. It’s a paved 1.2 mile loop.

When I hiked this trail in March the waterfall was so powerful it was hard to stay dry!

Next, head across the road to Cook’s Meadow Loop. It’s a 1 mile loop where you can enjoy views of Yosemite Falls, Half Dome and the beautiful valley. The path is paved and flat, and dogs are allowed! We had my dog, Oscar, with us on this trip and he enjoyed this hike, too.

After, walk to Swinging Bridge for great river views. Swinging Bridge is just east of Yosemite Falls. If you’re visiting Yosemite during the summer this is a great place to go for a swim or have a picnic lunch.

Day 1: Evening

Settle into your campsite or nearby lodge. We stayed at Upper Pines and I highly recommend this. The views from our campsite were stunning.

Campgrounds In Yosemite Valley
Upper Pines
Lower Pines
North Pines
Camp 4

None of the campgrounds in Yosemite offer showers. Instead, we walked over to Curry Village pool showerhouse, which is the only shower available in the park.

You can book campgrounds in advance on the recreation.gov website.

There are also two hotel accommodations in Yosemite.

Yosemite Valley Lodge and The Ahwahnee are both conveniently located in Yosemite Village. You really can’t beat the convenience of the location for either of these lodges, but they fill up extremely quickly so make your reservations far in advance (a year ahead, if possible).

For dinner, I recommend eating at Yosemite Valley Lodge. There are two restaurants – Base Camp Eatery and The Mountain Room.

Base Camp Eatery is an informal restaurant serving Asian-style noodles, pizza, salads and burgers. The Mountain Room is an upscale restaurant with views of Yosemite Falls that serves steak, seafood & pasta dishes, plus has a full bar.

Yosemite Itinerary 2 Days (Glacier Point & Mariposa Grove)

If you have 2 days in Yosemite, I recommend following the 1 day Yosemite itinerary above, and then exploring Glacier Point Road and Mariposa Grove on your second day.

Day 2: Morning

I highly recommend getting breakfast reservations at The Ahwahnee Lodge dining room. The dining hall is an impressive room with 34-foot tall ceilings, chandeliers and massive windows that overlook Yosemite Valley.

Breakfast attire is casual, but if you come to The Ahwahnee for dinner there is a dress code.

My mom and I had the buffet breakfast (in early 2024 the kitchen was still under renovation and the buffet was the only breakfast dining option). I don’t think I’ve ever had a better buffet-style meal – everything was hot, fresh, and delicious!

To top off a great meal, we were delighted to spot this bobcat heading out to the valley to hunt for his own breakfast on our walk back! Yosemite is magical.

Next, head to Glacier Point via Glacier Point Road (only open during the summer). From here, there are stunning panoramic views of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, and surrounding peaks.

Unfortunately for us, the road was still closed when we visited in March so we weren’t able to make it to Glacier Point.

There are a few great hikes near Glacier Point, including the Sentinel Dome or extend it to include Taft Point.

Day 2: Afternoon

Drive to Mariposa Grove. Mariposa is in the southern end of Yosemite and has giant sequoia groves, like the famous California Tunnel Tree which you can walk through.

You must park at Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza and take the shuttle a short drive up to the Mariposa Grove Trailhead area. When we visited, in March, the shuttle was not operating yet so we walked up the road. It’s a fairly easy walk up the paved road with a slight incline the entire way.

From Mariposa Grove Trailhead there is a large network of trails you can take through the sequoia grove. I recommend hiking to Grizzly Giant and then on to California Tunnel Tree. From there you can hike back the way you came, or add 1.1 miles and complete the Grizzly Giant Loop Trail.

Next, head into Wawona. This is a great area to explore if you like easier hikes.

The beautiful historic Wawona Hotel is a great place to spend the night, and at the very least it’s worth having lunch or dinner at their public dining room and exploring the grounds.

Day 2: Evening

On day 3, you’ll be exploring farther north in Yosemite so I recommend heading back towards Yosemite Valley if you aren’t staying at Wawona Hotel for night 2.

Head to El Capitan Meadow to watch rock climbers or enjoy a peaceful picnic in the evening. The rock climbers are fascinating to watch, and after the sun goes down you can see the light from their headlamps as they continue up the granite cliff.

Tunnel View is a great place to watch sunset in Yosemite National Park. I recommend arriving about 30-minutes before sunset to be sure and get a parking spot before it fills up. Tunnel View is such an iconic photo spot in Yosemite and truly incredible to see at any time of the day, but especially for sunset.

For night accommodations, I recommend staying a second night at the place you booked for night 1. Either one of the campgrounds in Yosemite Valley or one of the lodges – Yosemite Valley Lodge or The Ahwahnee.

3 Days In Yosemite Itinerary (Tioga Road & Tuolumne Meadows)

The third day of this itinerary for Yosemite National Park is all about exploring Tioga Road and Tuolumne Meadows. This road is only open during the summer, so if you’re visiting Yosemite in the winter (like us) you’ll have to skip it.

Day 3: Morning

Get an early start in the morning. If you’re up for a hard hike, I recommend getting a permit to hike Half Dome before you leave the valley.

Half Dome permits are based on a lottery and you can get them during the preseason lottery in March, or through daily lotteries two days before your planned hike.

Only 300 people are permitted to hike Half Dome each day, so permits are really hard to get and I highly recommend applying for one on March 1 when the preseason lottery opens.

As an alternative to Half Dome, you can hike to Vernal and Nevada Falls via the Mist Trail. The loop trail is 6.4 miles with 2,200 feet of elevation gain. You’ll see multiple waterfalls and Emerald Lake on the hike.

Day 3: Afternoon

In the afternoon, drive along Tioga Road. It’s a beautiful scenic drive that takes you through mountain passes and connects the east side of the park.

Stop at Olmstead Point for views of Half Dome, Tenaya Lake and Clouds Rest before continuing to Tenaya Lake for a swim or relaxing by the water.

Next, head into Tuolumne Meadows. It’s a beautiful drive with several great hiking options.

• Elizabeth Lake – 7 miles
• May Lake – 2.3 miles
• Cathedral Lakes – 9.5 miles
• Dog Lake and Lembert Dome – 4.8 miles

Day 3: Evening

On day 4 you’ll explore the Hetch Hetchy area. It’s approximately a 2 hour drive from Tuolumne Meadows to Hetch Hetchy so I recommend driving back west towards Big Oak Flat entrance for the night so you’re ideally positioned for a full day of exploring the next morning.

Crane Flat and Hodgdon Meadow Campgrounds are convenient overnight accommodations.

Additionally, the detour back into Yosemite Valley doesn’t add that much drive time, so Camp 4, Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines, Yosemite Valley Lodge and The Ahwahnee are all options for night 3.

Settle in for a campfire dinner or relax at your accommodation.

4 Day Yosemite Itinerary (Hetch Hetchy)

If you have 4 days in Yosemite I highly encourage you to explore Hetch Hetchy. Fewer than 1% of the people who visit Yosemite make it to the Hetch Hetchy area of the park, which is a shame because it’s magnificent!

Day 4: Morning

Start by taking a short hike through Tuolumne Grove Trail (2.7 miles) where you can see Tunnel Tree. Sadly, Tunnel Tree is dead now. However, it’s massive stump still stands, and you’re still able to see walk through it.

I got curious about what sparked the popularity to cut giant holes through beautiful old trees and found some interesting information. During the first half of the 1900’s there wasn’t much interest in National Parks (the concept was still relatively new) so in order to promote conservation efforts, some creativity was used to encourage tourism.

Most of the trees which had tunnels cut into them were already damaged by fire, which made them easier to carve. Since these trees were already fairly damaged, in most cases the tunnels weren’t as awful for the trees survival as they sound. But, surviving significant fire damage is probably easier to do before someone tunnels straight through you, so most of these trees slowly died or fell down over the following decades.

Luckily, conservation efforts and general population awareness of how fragile ecosystems truly are have evolved to the point where we no longer need to deface thousand plus year old trees. It’s interesting to see how ideas of “right and wrong” change throughout history. When we know better, we do better, and our National Parks systems have a lot to do with the acceptance, understanding and funding of conservation efforts.

While tunnels would not be ok by today’s standards, they were accepted by the standards of the time, and the increase in tourism eventually made way to what our National Parks system is today – and to the great preservation efforts they facilitate.

Day 4: Afternoon

Drive up to Hetch Hetchy, one of the hidden gems of Yosemite. This reservoir used to be a valley, like Yosemite Valley, until San Francisco required more water and the valley was dammed to create a water reservoir which provides drinking water and electricity for the city today.

Since most visitors do not make it to Hetch Hetchy, it’s extremely peaceful and has a lot of opportunity to spot wildlife.

Hetch Hetchy is very remote, so don’t expect many amenities. This area of Yosemite is only open during daylight hours – from sunrise to sunset.

There are several great hikes in this area, depending on how much of a challenge you’d like.

• Wapama Falls – 4.7 miles, or extend to Rancheria Falls – 12.8 miles
• Lookout Point – 2.7 miles
• Beehive Meadow – 9.3 miles
• Poopenaut Valley Trail – 2 miles but very steep
• Smith Peak – 12.8 miles

Travel Tips for Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is like Disney World for adults. It’s massive, there are so many things to do, and Yosemite Village is one of the best areas for park accommodations I’ve seen in any National Park. It can be a bit overwhelming, so let me break down some tips I learned on my recent trip!

Where to Stay In Yosemite

Overall, the best place to stay in Yosemite is in Yosemite Valley. This way you’re centrally located and have lots of accommodation and restaurant options. However, there are only two lodges here: Yosemite Valley Lodge and The Ahwahnee. They both book up quickly so I recommend booking as soon as you can.

There are also several camping options in Yosemite Village: Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines, and Camp 4 are all great options. I stayed at Upper Pines and really enjoyed it! There are no showers at any of the campgrounds, but you can walk over to Curry Village to find public showers.

There is also a lodge located in Wawona & Mariposa Grove area (the southern part of Yosemite). Wawona Hotel is a great option if you’re planning to explore Mariposa Grove. If not, this is too far south and too long of a drive to make it a good option for where to stay in Yosemite.

Park and Shuttle

While I do highly recommend having your own vehicle (or rental) to visit Yosemite, sometimes Yosemite Valley can get so busy parking becomes a nightmare.

The valley has a great shuttle system which makes it really easy to get around. There are a few large parking lots where you can find parking easily and then pick up the shuttle to move about Yosemite Valley more easily.

You can find ample parking at Curry Village, Yosemite Village Welcome Center and Yosemite Falls parking areas.

No Cell Service

Like most National Parks, you can expect very little or no cell service. I recommend downloading your maps so you can use them offline, including Google Maps and Alltrails hiking maps (the pro version is required to do this and is about $3 per month).

Keep in mind that cell signal is different than GPS signal. The GPS on your phone will still work even when the cellular signal does not.

I also recommend taking a screenshot of all your important reservation details before entering the park, that way you’re able to easily reference it without service.

Entrance Fee and Reservations

The fee to enter Yosemite is $35 per vehicle, and good for 7 days.

If you plan to visit other National Parks in the same year (like Sequoia and Kings Canyon, which are right next door), you should consider getting an annual America The Beautiful National Park Pass.

I’ve had this pass for a few years and love it. It’s $80 for the year (12 months) and grants you access to all 63 National Parks and over 400 other recreation areas.

Essentially, if you plan to visit more than 2 parks in a year the America The Beautiful pass will save you money. I also find that it makes getting through the park entrance gates much faster because I don’t have to pay, and often times when the gates get backed up they’ll have an ‘express’ line for those with parks passes.

Yosemite National Park does have a vehicle reservation system, but it’s quite complex and it changes every year.

For 2024, there are no longer reservations required to enter the park. For 2025, details have not yet been announced. We know that reservations will be required for peak times during February and the summer months. Once they’re released they’ll be posted on the parks website, and I’ll update this article as well.

Yosemite Shuttle

Yosemite offers a free shuttle that services the Yosemite Valley area of the park. Unfortunately, there are no shuttle options which connect the other areas, like Wawona & Mariposa Grove, Glacier Point, Crane Flat, Tioga Road & Tuolumne Meadows or Hetch Hetchy.

There are two shuttle routes in Yosemite Valley – Valleywide Shuttle (green route) and East Valley Shuttle (purple route). The green route covers more of the valley, whereas the purple route operates within Yosemite Village and Curry Village.

The shuttle is free, and it runs from 7am to 10pm every day. Routes are easy to follow because the shuttle follows the stop numbers in numerical order. Most of Yosemite Valley is a one-way loop, which means the shuttle buses only go in one direction.

This is important to know when you plan your Yosemite itinerary because if you want to get from stop 7 to stop 6 you’ll have to go through the entire route, 19 stops in total.

The green route shuttle comes every 20-30 minutes and takes an hour and a half to complete the loop.

The purple route shuttle comes every 20 minutes and takes just under an hour round trip.

Best Time To Visit Yosemite National Park

The best time to visit Yosemite National Park depends on what you want to experience. Each season offers a unique experience, so the “best” time really depends on what you’re looking to do at Yosemite!

• Best Overall Time: Late spring (May to early June) is ideal for seeing waterfalls at their peak, enjoying mild weather, and experiencing fewer crowds before summer.
• Best Time for Hiking and Full Access: Summer (July to September), if you want access to all areas of the park and don’t mind the crowds.
• Best for a Quiet Visit: Fall (late September to October), for fewer visitors, mild weather, and scenic fall colors.

Here’s a breakdown of the different times to visit:

Spring In Yosemite (April to June)

• Best For: Waterfalls, fewer crowds, mild temperatures.
• Why Visit: Spring is the peak season for Yosemite’s waterfalls, with snowmelt fueling the rivers. Iconic falls like Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Fall are at their fullest.
• What to Do: Hike to waterfalls, explore Yosemite Valley, take scenic drives along Glacier Point Road (opens late spring).
• Things to Consider: Some areas, like Tioga Road and Glacier Point, may still be closed until late spring due to snow.

Summer In Yosemite (July to September)

• Best For: Hiking, outdoor activities, full access to the park.
• Why Visit: Summer brings full access to all park areas, including Glacier Point and Tioga Road, which lead to stunning views and high-country hikes.
• What to Do: Hike Half Dome (permit required), visit Tuolumne Meadows, swim in Tenaya Lake, explore high-elevation trails.
• Things to Consider: Yosemite can be crowded, especially in the Valley, and temperatures can get hot. Consider booking campsites or lodging well in advance.

Fall In Yosemite (September to November)

• Best For: Fewer crowds, crisp air, fall colors.
• Why Visit: As crowds thin and temperatures drop, fall offers a quieter experience. The air is crisp, and the changing leaves add a golden glow to the park.
• What to Do: Hiking trails are less crowded, and Tioga Road and Glacier Point are still open until the first snowfall.
• Things to Consider: Waterfalls are not as strong as in spring, and some park services start to close by late October.

Winter In Yosemite (December to March)

• Best For: Snow activities, serene landscapes, budget-friendly travel.
• Why Visit: Winter transforms Yosemite into a snowy wonderland, perfect for those who love snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, or ice skating.
• What to Do: Visit Badger Pass Ski Area, snowshoe in Mariposa Grove, enjoy winter hikes in the Valley, see the famous Firefall at Horsetail Fall in February.
• Things to Consider: Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road close for the season. Be prepared for winter driving conditions and check for road closures due to snow.