Location:
Located in the Sierra Nevada range in California, Yosemite National Park is 195 miles east of San Francisco and 276 miles north of Los Angeles.
Vital Stats:
Nearest airports: Fresno-Yosemite International Airport, 2.5 hours north on Highway 41. San Francisco International Airport, four hours east.
Established: Yosemite National Park was established in October 1890.
Size: 761,268 acres.
Park website: http://www.nps.gov/yose/
Snapshot
Recognized as a World Heritage site in 1984, Yosemite National Park encompasses more than 745,000 acres of wilderness, including scenic cliffs, lakes, rivers, and meadows. Some 800 miles of hiking trails and remarkable biological diversity make the park a haven for everyone—nature enthusiasts, recreational athletes, artists, families. Yosemite is home to the tallest waterfall in the United States and groves of giant sequoia trees.
Did You Know?
Towering more than 350 stories above Yosemite Valley, El Capitan is the largest exposed granite monolith in the world.
The park’s giant sequoia trees can live to be more than 3,000 years old.
Yosemite Falls usually stops flowing in late August. The cascade is fed solely by snowmelt, so the peak flow is in late May, when high snows in the Sierra Nevada melt. Over the warm summer months the flow dries up—but returns around October, when snow again begins to fall.
Scenic Drive
The Tioga Road is the most popular drive in Yosemite National Park. Approximately 48 miles in length, it is the highest route in the region, peaking at 9,945 feet at Tioga Pass. Tioga Road winds past dramatic peaks, grassy meadows, and clear-water creeks, and offers travelers glimpses of the park's abundant wildlife. Detours lead to other Yosemite attractions, including White Wolf, Siesta Lake, and the Red Fir Forest.
Best Hikes
Beginner:
Bridalveil Fall is a 0.5-mile round-trip hike along a paved path that takes you to the slender 620-foot-high Bridalveil Fall.
Great views of Half Dome, Royal Arches, Yosemite Falls, and Glacier Point are a feature of the Cooks Meadow Loop, a mile-long path that is wheelchair accessible.
The trail to Mirror Lake offers two options: a 2.5-mile path to the lake and back, or a five-mile loop around the lake. A portion of the five-mile loop has been closed due to a rockfall, but visitors can still take the trail to Mirror Lake and 1.5 miles beyond. The 2.5-mile route is paved and wheelchair accessible, and is a popular route for spotting wildlife.
Intermediate:
The 2.2-mile Sentinel Dome Trail at Glacier Point winds through broad meadows and along streams to the top of Yosemite Valley, which offers an ideal vantage point for panoramic photographs.
Wapama Falls is a scenic five-mile hike that passes a series of waterfalls and tributaries on its way to the base of Wapama Falls. The trek usually takes about two hours.
Advanced:
The 12.7-mile Ostrander Lake Trail travels through meadows, pine forests, and mountain passes in the Clark Range on its way to Ostrander Lake. The round-trip journey takes 8-10 hours to complete.
Four Mile Trail starts by the base of Sentinel Rock and ascends to the summit of Yosemite Valley at Glacier Point. The round-trip hike is actually 9.6 miles and climbs to an elevation of 7,214 feet. Total elevation gain on the trail is 3,200 feet.
Top Experiences
Scenic Glacier Point Road features views of the domes and glacial troughs of the High Sierra. The route takes about an hour to drive. For current road conditions, visit http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm.
Take a hike through the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias along one of three loops, which range in length from 1.6 to 6.9 miles. These paths weave through groves of soaring sequoia trees. The Wawona Point loop (five miles) brings you to the famous California Tunnel Tree.
Advanced hikers should consider tackling the 7.2-mile round-trip Upper Yosemite Falls Trail, one of the park's earliest hiking trails (created in the 1870s). The trail travels to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls, the highest waterfall in the United States.
Yosemite National Park offers free walking photography tours. For more information, go to http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/guide.htm.
Yosemite Mountaineering School and Guide Services offers a daily beginner “Go Climb a Rock” course as well as multi-day ascents of El Capitan. For class schedules and more information, visit http://www.yosemitepark.com/Activities_RockClimbing.aspx.
Flora/Fauna
More than 80 species of mammals live in Yosemite National Park, including mountain lions, black bears, mule deer, and marmots. More than 200 species of birds reside in the park, headlined by bald eagles and great gray owls. The park’s 1,500 flora species range from pink-and-white shooting-star flowers to giant sequoias and California black oaks. Yosemite also is home to more than 15 threatened and endangered species, including the Sierra Nevada red fox, willow flycatcher, peregrine falcon—and the Yosemite onion.
Photo Ops
Yosemite is a photographer’s dream. Ansel Adams famously captured the essence of the park in many moody landscape photos. Photographers should keep in mind that the best photographs are usually taken in the early morning and late afternoon to early evening, when the lighting creates interesting tones over the landscape. You may want to consider photographing in the winter season as well. The park offers a wide variety of locations at which to get great shots. Here are some of the more popular ones:
Tuolumne Grove is the place to photograph giant sequoias rising above much smaller sugar pines, white firs, and incense cedars. The 2.5-mile trail to the grove is an old carriage road from the 1870s. The trail and the grove provide ample opportunities to spot wildlife.
Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in the United States, cascading 2,425 vertical feet. Mist-formed rainbows often appear by the falls, offering an element of magic to photographers. The falls are reachable by a short trail—or the free Yosemite Valley Shuttle.
Valley View offers up the classic vista of Yosemite Valley, encompassing El Capitan, Cathedral Rocks, Sentinel Rock, Bridalveil Fall, and Bridalveil Meadow.
Smart Traveler Strategies
If you’re interested in seeing the park in a different light, take the Yosemite Valley Moonlight Tour, which showcases Yosemite favorites—El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall—under the light of a full moon. The tour meets at the entrance to Yosemite Lodge at the Falls on full-moon nights. Those riding the park shuttle should get off at stop number 8.
Take advantage of the park’s free transportation services. Shuttles operate in Yosemite Valley, Mariposa Grove, Badger Pass, and other parts of the park. Free buses transport hikers up to numerous high trailheads so they can enjoy a one-way descent. For more information, visit http://www.yosemitepark.com/public-transportation.aspx.
Yosemite offers a variety of family-geared activities. Adults who plan to hike an advanced trail can enroll the kids in a Junior Ranger Program. The park features concerts, historical performances, and other public programs. For details, check http://www.yosemitepark.com/Activities_ParksKids.aspx.
When to Visit
Yosemite National Park is open 365 days a year. Some of the trails and roads are only open from May through November. With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, Yosemite ranks as one of the most traveled parks in the National Park system. The highest visitation is during the warmer summer months, when the park can become overcrowded. Ideal times to visit are in spring and fall, which are great seasons for viewing wildlife and for photography. Winter-sports enthusiasts should visit Yosemite November through April, when the park is open for downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing.
Where to Stay
From luxury hotels to backcountry camps, Yosemite has lodging to fit everyone’s needs.
The Ahwahnee is Yosemite’s landmark four-diamond hotel. Built in the 1920s near Royal Arches and Half Dome, the Ahwahnee's unique architecture features touches of art deco, Native American, Middle Eastern, and arts-and-crafts styles. It offers world-class cuisine, a variety of guest services, and a range of guest-room options.
The Victorian-style Wawona hotel is a historic landmark that dates to the late 1800s. Set in a quiet part of the park near groves of giant sequoias, it is popular with families. Its 104 guest rooms are furnished with period pieces, and some share baths in the old-fashioned way. The Wawona has its own golf course, stables, and "swimming tank," and is near skiing and hiking trails, and other activities.
Curry Village is Yosemite’s largest lodging property, consisting of nearly 500 cabin and tent dwellings in the heart of Yosemite Valley beneath Glacier Point. The prices are moderate, and the complex dishes up a variety of dining options, including a taqueria, a pizza deck and bar, and an ice cream stand.
The High Sierra Camps, five groups of camps reachable only by hiking, offer a unique perspective on Yosemite. Visitors stay in canvas tent-cabins and must bring their own linens. Food and hot showers are offered.
For details and more information on these lodgings, visit http://www.yosemitepark.com/Accommodations.aspx.
Excursions Outside the Park
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, 150 miles south of Yosemite, offer more grand landscapes, from vast canyons to tracts of towering sequioa redwoods.
For a more urban experience, drive four hours west to San Francisco. Information on the city's activities and attractions are available at http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/.
A day trip to Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve takes you to one of the more unusual landscapes in the country. A high desert lake, Mono Lake is known for its salinity—caused in no small measure by the draining of its waters for human uses—and its tufa formations. The reserve lies two hours east of Yosemite Valley and a half hour east of Tuolumne Meadows.
Advisories
Book your accommodations well in advance of your trip. Yosemite is one of the world's most-visited parks, and space for lodging and activities fills up fast.
Yosemite has a trailhead quota system that requires visitors to have wilderness permits before venturing on overnight backpacking trips into the backcountry. No permit is needed for day hikers. It is recommended that visitors purchase their permits in advance. For more information, visit http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildpermits.htm.
Be prepared. Bring water bottles or camelbacks, insect repellent, a first aid kit, sunscreen, and a camera. Dressing in layers and wearing rugged outdoor shoes is always a good idea.
Remember that wildlife is wild. Do not try to touch the animals. Be cautious when eating and disposing of food. To avoid surprising larger mammals like bears, make plenty of noise on the trail; Yosemite has a very active black bear population. Please be aware of all food-storage policies and store food and toiletries properly. Any hiker planning to stay in the backcountry on an overnight trip is required to carry a bear canister, which can be rented at any wilderness office in Yosemite for a small deposit. Yosemite now offers wireless Internet access in most of its lodges and has numerous Internet kiosks.
More From National Geographic
National Geographic Adventure, “Yosemite National Park: Pay Tribute to the King”
Yosemite National Park Map
Yosemite National Park Trail Guide
Yosemite National Park Explorer 3D Computer Program
National Geographic Adventure, “America’s Ultimate Parks” 2009
309 Yosemite National Park SE - Ansel Adams Wilderness Map
Secret Yosemite DVD
National Parks 7-DVD Collection
Copy for this series includes excerpts from National Geographic Guide to the National Parks of the United States, Sixth Edition, 2009, and our National Parks series featured in National Geographic Traveler. See staff contributors here.