Four Tips When Visiting Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park should be on every National Parks traveler’s to-do list. Between the incredible views from the Valley, amazing mountains and rock formations, and beautiful wilderness, people come from around the world to explore Yosemite — roughly four million of them a year. Sadly, most of them miss out on much of what Yosemite has to offer. You don’t have to make the same mistake, and we can help with our blog on Four Tips When Visiting Yosemite National Park.

**Glen’s note – we’ve held a few of these travel blogs specifically because of the impact of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. While most of the information remains relevant, we highly encourage you to call ahead and check what (if any) restrictions or limited services are in place within Yosemite. Also, check out our blog on Trusted Traveler Programs that will help you navigate airports!**

1. Plan Ahead

If you want to make the most out of your visit to Yosemite National Park, don’t wait to make plans. If you plan to stay in Yosemite Valley, especially in the park’s busier months, consider yourself warned — the most popular accommodations fill up incredibly quickly. From March to November you’ll need a reservation for any of the car campgrounds in the Valley. The same is true from summer through fall for a number of the park’s campgrounds including Crane Flat, Hodgon Meadow, Wawona, and part of Tuolumne Meadows.

Reservations are available on Recreation.gov up to five months in advance, with a new monthlong block opening up on the 15th of every month. These become available at 7 a.m. PST and sometimes all availabilities get filled within a matter of minutes. I recommend having several dates and sites researched so that if your first choice isn’t available you still have a shot at finding accommodations that you’ll love. Planning ahead also means that you’ll have a better shot of getting a wilderness permit or a permit for Half Dome if those are activities that you want to take advantage of.

Pro Tip: While summer is incredibly busy, Yosemite sees significantly fewer visitors in late autumn and winter. 75% of the parks visitors come between May and October. Late fall is a good time to explore Yosemite with less people. Spring won’t have the same level of crowds as summer, and the snowmelt will fill the park’s waterfalls. The park and the valley remain open in the winter, but Tioga Road, which provides access to the eastern side of the park, will be closed and you should expect other road closures.

2. Enjoy the Valley, but Don’t Be Afraid to Leave It

When most people talk about Yosemite, they’re talking about Yosemite Valley. It’s by far the most popular part of the park. While home to some of the park’s most iconic sights such as Half Dome, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, and Bridalveil Fall, the Valley only covers about seven square miles. That means that you can explore most of Yosemite Valley in just a few days — or maybe a couple more if you plan on doing some challenging hikes like Half Dome or the El Capitan Trail.

But don’t just visit the valley and leave — there’s still plenty of the park to explore! You could check out the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in the northwestern portion of the park, or take Tioga Pass through the Sierra Nevada’s to Tuolumne Meadows. While there, hike to the top of Lembert’s Dome for amazing views of the Sierras in every direction.

Yosemite’s Giant Sequoia Groves lie outside the Valley as well. The Mariposa Grove is the largest in the park, but also the best known — so expect crowds, especially during peak season. If you take Tioga Pass, stop at the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias which tends to see fewer tourists. If you really want to avoid the crowds, the Merced Grove is the smallest and least known of the Giant Sequoia Groves. For that reason, Merced is your best bet for enjoying the giant trees without having to share them.

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3. Head to the Backcountry

We understand that some people love to travel in their RV, and that others aren’t comfortable hiking off into the backcountry. But for those with backpacking experience, there is no better way to get Yosemite National Park all to yourself.

You will need a wilderness permit to camp in the backcountry, but you can reserve them in advance for a small fee, or try to snag a first-come first-served permit the day of or day before you hit the trail. You will need a bear canister for the trek, but you can rent one from any staffed wilderness permit station — they only cost $5 per week though you will need to place a $95 deposit, which the park will refund when you return the canister.

You can set out from over 50 different trailheads to find the perfect spot for your backcountry camp. When we did this in 2016, we encountered no other people during our time in the wilderness, despite visitors filling Yosemite Valley below. No doubt this kind of visit to the park is more challenging than other options, requiring knowledge of Leave No Trace fundamentals and backpacking experience, but it’s an amazing experience that’s well worth the effort.

Pro Tip: Yosemite is the 6th most popular National Park in the US which means that during the busy months Yosemite’s roads and parking lots fill up quickly. Whether you’re headed for wilderness trailhead with your backpack or just hitting the trail for a day hike, take advantage of Yosemite’s free shuttle system. The shuttles run regularly to almost all major attractions and many of the trailheads in the eastern side of the park.

4. Slow Down

The biggest mistake that many visitors make in Yosemite is trying to rush through it. Try to plan enough time so that you can really enjoy your stay. If you do a strenuous hike on one day, make the next a more restful recovery day. Don’t just drive through the Valley — take the time to pull off and really admire the beauty that’s around you. Go to El Capitan and see if you can spot climbers on the wall, look for their telltale lights after nightfall. Keep your eyes on Half Dome as the sun sets, making the formation glow an otherworldly orange. Enjoy your time on the trail, instead of racing to finish.

Yosemite National Park is one of the most popular parks in the country, for good reason. When you devote time to slow down and enjoy yourself, you don’t visit Yosemite so much as you experience it. So plan ahead and don’t rush through your visit. Take your time and enjoy what the park has to offer.

Final Thoughts on Four Tips When Visiting Yosemite National Park

Most people miss out on much of what Yosemite has to offer, but even following just one or two of these tips will help you enjoy more of the park. Yosemite National Park has so many amazing experiences, and you should make the most of them. Make sure to plan ahead, slow down, enjoy the valley and beyond, and explore the backcountry if possible. Keep these tips in mind and you’re sure to have an memorable trip.

We hope the information in our piece – Four Tips When Visiting Yosemite National Park, can help you with an informed decision when planning your vacation. Be sure to check out some of our other outdoor pieces like A Beginner’s Guide to hiking our National Parks or Four Great Reasons to Visit National Parks.

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Wade Ellett runs Intrepid Daily, a website devoted to helping people lead more adventurous lives. He recently moved to Spearfish, SD where he spends his time exploring the Black Hills National Forest with his wife and dog, and enjoying South Dakota’s six national parks and NPS managed sites.