General information about the National Park
The third oldest national park in the U.S. protects part of the central Sierra Nevada. You can find rugged, huge granite rocks, waterfalls and redwood trees. The park was founded in 1890 and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.
Current 2024: In 2024, you will again need permits to enter the park during some months of the year. Everything you need to know about this can be found on the official webpage .
Number of visitors
In 2020, Yosemite NP ranked 12th in the most visited national parks visitor statistics and 6th in 2023.
Best time to visit: Beautiful all year round, but always crowded.
Our visits:
So far 4 visits: August 1994, September 1999, May 2013, September 2019
Entrance fees and opening hours
- 35$/car max. 15 persons valid for 7 days
- Covered by the Anual Pass*
- Open 24h all year round, depending on snowfall some roads are closed in winter.
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
Tioga Road
Tioga Road
Description: Eastern access to the park is via Tioga Road. It passes over Tioga Pass, making it the highest access point and highest mountain pass in California. Because of the altitude, the road is closed in winter and usually reopens in late May/early June. We were lucky in 2013 because the pass was already open in May. It was a very low precipitation winter and so there was hardly any snow to be seen.
Our rating: Tioga Road is beautiful to drive. It has everything a drive over a mountain pass should include. Lakes, plateaus, mountain passes and great views of the surrounding mountains. The really great thing is that up here, unlike Yosemite Valley, it is reasonably quiet and you can still enjoy nature in peace. Absolute recommendation from us!
Soda Springs
Description: The trail leads through Tuolumne Meadows to Parsons Memorial Lodge and Soda Spring. The trail is well maintained, level, and easy to hike. You can start from the Lemert Dome parking lot or the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center.
Trail length: 1.6mi roundtrip
Altitude difference: –
Time needed: 1-2 hours
Difficulty level: easy
Our rating: A short lovely hike that offers nice views of Lembert Dome, among others. It's not a particularly spectacular hike, but it's a nice opportunity to stretch your legs. There are also two nice features along the way with Soda Spring and the historic Parsons Lodge.
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley
Description: Yosemite Valley is the valley with the most infrastructure in the park. There are hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, a visitor center and lots of people. The valley is relatively narrow and therefore you can see the high rock walls towering very impressively to your left and right. Here also start some very nice hiking trails to the huge waterfalls in the park. Unfortunately the waterfalls are not always as impressive as in spring. Depending on the snow conditions in the Sierra Nevada, these are often only small trickles in summer and fall.
Our rating: At all our visits, the Valley was always full of people. Parking is rare, accommodation is expensive and usually impossible to get without booking in advance. The shuttle system is ok, because you don't have to look for a new parking space at every attraction, but during our visit in September 2019, the buses were so crowded that you had trouble getting in at all. Then when there's only a bus every 30 minutes, it's also a time issue, especially if you only have one day in the park. The Valley is great, but with limitations mentioned above.
Columbia Rock
Description: Located at about one-third of the way to Upper Yosemite Fall, Columbia Rock is a scenic overlook point. It offers great views of Yosemite Valley and Half Dome.
The entire trail leads upward in swichbacks and small and larger steps. It is well maintained and relatively easy to hike. If you hike up a few more swichbacks from Columbia Rock, you can catch a glimpse of Upper Yosemite Fall.
Trail length: 3mi roundtrip
Altitude difference: 984ft
Time needed: 2-3 hours
Difficulty level: moderate - The trail is well maintained, but is not without effort because of the elevation gain and the many steps.
Our rating: Since we were traveling in September, we were here for the view rather than the waterfall. In the Yosemite Fall is usually hardly any water in the fall, so as well in 2019 during our visit. The views into the Valley are gigantic though. However, we would recommend to do the hike rather in the afternoon, because you have quite backlight in the morning.
Mist Trail bis Vernal Fall
Description: The Mist Trail is one of the most popular hiking trails in the park. Especially in spring, when the waterfalls are carrying a lot of water, it is particularly spectacular.
The Mist Trail takes you to Vernal and Nevada Falls. The first part of the hike leads to the Footbridge at the base of Vernal Falls. Up to here the trail is paved, well maintained and apart from the elevation gain, easy to walk. From the bridge there is the first opportunity to have a look at the waterfall. Shortly thereafter, the stairs that lead up to the edge of the fall begin.
Trail length: 0.8mi roundtrip to the Footbridge
Altitude difference: 394ft
Time needed: 1-2 hours
Difficulty level: easy
Our rating: The hike to Vernal Fall is not really difficult, just a little exhausting. Somehow my idea of the hike was also completely different. Almost all descriptions that we have read before our visit in September 2019, start only at the stairs below the Vernal Falls. However, there is almost a mile and over 350 vertical feet to climb to get there. The trail is quite nice but not particularly spectacular. We have saved the hike for a revisit in the spring, when the falls carry more water.
Tunnel View
Description: Tunnel View is a great lookout point. It offers a breathtaking view of Yosemite Valley, El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridal Vail Falls. For many who come to the park, this is the first viewpoint with great long distance views of a few of the park's main sights.
Our rating: The view is great, you should definitely stop here to take a look.
Glacier Point
Description: Glacier Point offers breathtaking views of the entire Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, and three of the great waterfalls (Vernal, Nevada, Yosemite) in the park. In winter, the access road is closed. Usually the road reopens in late May to early June.
Our rating: Glacier Point is the must see viewpoint in Yosemite NP. Especially at sunset we liked it here very much. Who visits the park, should drive up here by all means.
As in Yosemite Valley, there is also the restriction of limited parking. Very often there are bottlenecks and you have to wait until you get a parking space. In particular, you should avoid holidays and weekends, as it is not uncommon for the waiting times to be hours. On such an occasion we have waived 2013 on Glacier Point.
Mariposa Grove
Description: Yosemite National Park also has its redwoods. There are more than 100 mature specimens in the grove at Mariposa Grove. Two of them are among the 30 largest in the world.
Our rating: As everywhere, the redwoods are very impressive here in Mariposa Grove. For some time the access was closed due to construction and a redesign of the area. Now there is a Welcome Center from which you can take shuttle buses to the Grove. Parking is very limited and therefore it is recommended to be there by late morning. As everywhere in the park, weekends and holidays are to be avoided - if you want at least a little peace and quiet to enjoy nature. Nevertheless, we can highly recommend a visit here.
