Yosemite National Park

Yosemite is a very popular national park located in central California and best known for its dramatic granite rock formations and magnificent waterfalls. There’s something for everyone at Yosemite, which is the reason it is a popular destination for families and world renown rock climbers alike. We had an extended stay in Yosemite in the late summer of 2024 and experienced the park and surrounding areas extensively.

Yosemite is the third oldest US national park, established October 1, 1890, just six days after Sequoia National Park. However, Yosemite was instrumental in establishing the National Park System by its declaration as the first land placed under federal protection through the Yosemite Grant, signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1864. This later led to Yellowstone becoming the country’s first national park in 1872 and ultimately led to the 63 national parks we know today.

At 759,620 acres Yosemite is the ninth largest national park outside of Alaska with roughly 95 percent of it classified as wilderness area. Getting around the park can be difficult and time consuming due to how much it is spread out, the narrow winding mountain roads and a complex system of interchanging one way loop roads in Yosemite Valley. I will attempt to simplify the park in my explanation of the five different areas of Yosemite based on our experiences over a three-week period.

Yosemite Valley

The 7-mile wide canyon of Yosemite Valley is the most popular part of the park and home to many of the amazing waterfalls and incredible rock formations including El Capitan, the world’s tallest granite monolith and one of the world’s top rock-climbing destinations. If you really want to be amazed and inspired check out the documentary Free Solo where a guy named Alex Honnold climbed the 3,000-foot face of “El Cap” with no ropes or equipment. You can’t miss El Capitan as you drive through the park, it is massive. One of the best places to observe the sheer granite cliffs, and actually watch climbers, is from El Capitan Meadow.

Depending on the time of year, there are three amazing waterfalls that can be seen while driving through the valley or with a short hike. The first is Bridalveil Falls which is accessible through a paved trail less than a mile long. It’s a beautiful waterfall that should be a stop for anyone visiting the park. The second is Yosemite Falls, the largest waterfall in North America. Since Yosemite Falls is completely dependent on snow melt, there is no water flowing from it in the summer months, so you’ll have to use your imagination a bit. There is a short hike to the base of Yosemite Falls and a much longer strenuous hike to the top. The third waterfall is Horsetail Falls, a smaller fall but one with a unique annual feature. Hundreds of photographer’s flock to Horsetail Falls during a 2-3 week period in February to witness the “firefall” effect. When the water is just right and the sun lines up perfectly just before sunset, the waterfall appears as a flow of fire. This may be worth a return trip just for this phenomenon.

The other famous rock formation, located at the far end of the valley is Half Dome. People from all of the world try to get a chance to climb to the top of Half Dome through a required lottery system to limit the crowds. It’s a 16-mile round trip hike that gains over 5,000 feet of elevation with the last part scaling straight up the face of Half Dome with the help of cables. Many have died or have been seriously injured on this climb, so it is only for the very experienced hikers (or apparently those who identify as “experienced”).

Half Dome was not in the cards for us but the Mist Trail was on the top of my list. This trail, which is actually the first part of the trail that takes you to Half Dome, is famous for two waterfalls, Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls. This is also a hard hike, gaining over 2,200 feet. We clocked in at 8.5 miles, including the walk from the parking area. You are able to experience both waterfalls from the bottom and top, but it is a strenuous climb up steep and narrow rock stairs for most of the way. Although the falls were only a fraction of their springtime flow in this September day, it was still a gorgeous hike. The views of the valley below were magnificent. We returned on the John Muir Trail making this a loop and an easier descent. This one might be worthy of a return trip in the spring to escalate it from a personal top 10 hike to a top 5 hike.

There are several great viewpoints in the valley, but we found three to be particularly amazing. Yosemite Valley View provides a view of the valley from the banks of the Merced River. Both Half Dome and Bridalveil Falls are in clear view within this amazing setting. Tunnel View provides a similar, but broader, view from a higher vantage point. This easterly view was an amazing spot to watch the sunset as it casts a red glow across El Capitan and Half Dome. The third spot is in the heart of the valley at Sentinel Bridge, a picturesque spot with Half Dome as the centerpiece cast over the river. The bonus with Sentinel Bridge is the great close-up views of El Capitan as you’re walking through the valley to get to and from the bridge.

As mentioned previously, Yosemite Valley is very complicated to navigate through due to a series of interconnecting one-way loops. I found this to be one of the most difficult national parks to figure out how to get around. However, there is a comprehensive bus system throughout the park that can greatly simplify this. Either way you decide to get around the valley, you’ll want to experience the many other attractions. Yosemite Village is the main gathering spot and home to the Welcome Center and Exploration Center Museum and theater which are valuable stops to learn more about the park. The Yosemite Valley Lodge is down the street from the Village and offers several casual eating and drinking options. The Ahwahnee is a historic hotel at the far end of the valley road that offers a fine dining experience. We didn’t make it there but understand it makes for a great stop for drinks or brunch. And as your driving through the valley be sure to stop at the historic 1870’s Yosemite Valley Chapel. It’s a simple but beautiful church in an amazing setting.

Glacier Point

Take Glacier Point Road 3,000 feet above the Valley floor for some amazing views of Yosemite. The drive on this narrow winding mountain road is half the adventure but you certainly will want to make some stops along the way. The Washburn Point lookout is one of those must stop points. From here, it feels like you can reach out and touch Half Dome. Also clearly visible is the aforementioned Vernal and Nevada Falls. This view is absolutely stunning!

Continuing on the road to the end, you will get to Glacier Point. This is a fairly large and popular area with a store and access to many hiking trails. Even if you’re not hiking here, you will want to do a little walking on the paved trails and check out the viewpoints. The views here at the Point are even more expansive and you will gain a greater appreciation for where you’re at and the valley floor below.

There are two connecting trails along Glacier Point Road that provide possibly even better views. Well, maybe I shouldn’t say “better” rather “different and equally amazing”. The first trail is Taft Point, a pretty easy 2.3-mile hike that leads to some really gnarly viewpoints along the mountains edge. Get your camera ready for some amazing shots that will quickly become your wallpaper and your favorite device. The views here are to the other direction in the valley with great shots of El Capitan.

Sentinel Dome trail shares the same trailhead with Taft but goes the other direction. This 2.2-mile trail is easy as well except for the last stretch that climbs to the top of Sentinel Dome. Don’t worry this is not a Half Dome type adventure but the short climb is a bit steep. Once at the top of the dome you have a 360-degree view with Half Dome off to one direction and El Capitan and the Yosemite Valley to the other.

This might just become your favorite part of Yosemite, as it did with us. Please note that this is a summertime destination. Glacier Point Road is typically closed from November to May.

Tioga Road and Tuolumne Meadows

Tioga Road is the main thoroughfare through the park, connecting the west entrance and Yosemite Valley with the Tioga Pass entrance to the east on the other side of the valley from Glacier Point Road. The 45-mile road is another gorgeous drive, that we ventured on a beautiful sunny summer day.

One of the first stopping points along Tioga Road is Olmsted Point. What’s unique about this lookout is that you are viewing Half Done in the distance from the other side. With a scope or binoculars, you can see the line of hikers climbing the cables up Half Dome. This gave me a whole new appreciation for just how intense, and dangerous, this climb is. I’m thinking this was the point that this hike went on my “no go” list… maybe.

We took a pleasant hike across Tuolumne Meadows via the Soda Springs and Parson Memorial Lodge Trail. The hike was quite a contrast from the canyon cliffs edge hikes we had been on previously. An open meadow with a gentle river winding through it and granite domes in the background displayed the calmer side of Yosemite’s vast diversity. The cold Soda Springs bubbling up from the ground were interesting but a little underwhelming. The Parson Lodge, built in 1915 by the Sierra Club, was quite a sight to see. The architecture of this stone and wood 1,400 square foot structure is very interesting and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

As you drive along Tioga Road you pass by many beautiful alpine lakes, including Tenaya, Tioga and Ellery, that are all worthy of a quick stop or a pleasant hike. We stopped at Ellery Lake for an epic picnic lunch along the shore. Talk about a table with a view!

Both Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road are great options on hot summer days, since the temperatures will be at least 15 degrees cooler in these areas due to the altitude. And like Glacier Point Road, Tioga Road is closed during the winter and early spring so plan accordingly.

Hetch Hetchy Valley

This peaceful and less visited area in the northwest corner of the park is somewhat of a hidden treasure, in fact we weren’t even aware of it until we got some tips from some locals. Early American Indians inhabited this area over 6,000 years ago so there’s a lot of cultural significance to the region as well. There’s also some more recent controversy when a dam was put in place along the Tuolumne River so that this could be used as a water source for San Francisco. Controversy aside, the now Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is a sight to see. Its deep blue waters lined by granite peaks and cascading waterfalls is absolutely beautiful.

We ventured along the lake for a while via the Wapama Falls Trail which provided great perspectives of the lake. The hike starts out crossing the dam and then goes through a tunnel carved into the granite rock. An owl, perched above welcomed us through the tunnel. Both Wapama Falls and Tueeulala where expectantly dry on this summer day but if you used your imagination you could almost hear the water cascading down a thousand feet from above.

If you have time when visiting Yosemite, I highly recommend visiting this area where you can escape the crowds and enjoy the serenity.

Mariposa Grove

Adding to the diversity of Yosemite is the Mariposa Grove which is home to over 500 mature giant sequoias and many hiking opportunities. The Grizzly Giant Loop Trail is one of the more popular hikes which takes you to the famed Grizzly Giant, a 3,000-year-old sequoia estimated to be the oldest and largest tree in the world.

It was quite a long drive to this part of the park and since our next stop will be Sequoia National Park, we decided to skip this area. As much as it seems we try sometimes, we get reminded that you can’t do it all.

Nearby Areas Outside of the Park

Setting up basecamp in Groveland at Yosemite Pines RV Resort allowed us easy access into the park and put us central to other activities in the broader area. Groveland is an old west town and home to the oldest continually operating saloon in California, the Iron Door Saloon. There were several other casual places to eat in Groveland including the Priest Station Cafe which we thoroughly enjoyed for a great brunch on the outside patio.

TIP: If you are heading to Yosemite Pines RV Resort in an RV, please be aware that the climb to get there along Old Priest Grade Road (Highway 120) is extremely steep, narrow and windy. Although the climb is only around 5 miles, it is challenging, especially in a bigger rig. Considering disconnecting your tow vehicle at the bottom and just take it slow and careful. It’s still the best option for RV’s.

If Groveland is too small for you, the town of Sonora is only about 40 minutes to the north and has plenty to offer. The historic strip in Sonora has lots of shopping, dining breweries and wineries. There’s also a great visitors center there that we found very informative for our needs. We had a great lunch at Diamondback Grill, in fact it was one of the best burgers I’ve had in a long time. Great food, great service and great atmosphere… what more can you ask for.

Outside of Sonora and between there and Groveland are many vineyards, cideries and apple ranches. We did some wine tasting, hard cider tasting and brought home some amazing apple treats from Cover’s Apple Ranch that kept us busy tasting for several days!

For a bit more off the beat and path adventures, the Yosemite area offers some interesting choices. To start with, the Old Yosemite Coulterville Road is quite an adventure and an alternate way into the park. This is the original wagon trail into Yosemite and traverses approximately 30 miles in a remote area of National Forest land. There are a few spots that high clearance 4-wheel drive is recommended, or necessary depending on conditions, so this route isn’t for everyone. If you do choose to take this one on, consider yourself one of the few that even know about it. We didn’t see one other vehicle along the way until the very end.

Another fun off-road is Paper Cabin Ridge trail. This is a #4 difficulty off-road trail with some very interesting obstacles. The trail gets pretty steep in spots and extremely rutted due to the spring rains washing out the trail. Once dried out, it creates some narrow ridges to navigate. We had a lot of fun (the women would say “frightening”) on this trail wheeling with our friends, the Rice’s.

If you happened to travel further to the east around Lee Vining and the 395 corridors, a whole new world of adventure opens up. From Mammoth Mountain to Bridgeport there is plenty to see and do including Devils Postpile National Monument and Rainbow Falls. We saved this for another time, but if you check it out drop us a line and let us know what you think.

Yosemite National Park is is very large and spread out so be prepared to do a lot of driving unless you’re staying in the park. It was nice traveling with our friends which made it easier sharing the driving. The other thing we found is that Yosemite is a two season park. It was nice being there in the summer so that we could experience all of the park, but we would like to come back in the late spring to experience the valley with the waterfalls running at full capacity. This is something you should consider when planning a trip to Yosemite.

Be sure to check out all of our great pictures from Yosemite.