“Yosemite Park… None can escape its charms. Its natural beauty cleans and warms like a fire, and you will be willing to stay forever in one place like a tree.” ― John Muir
Set in the heart of California, Yosemite National Park is without doubt our favorite national park destination in the state. An easy drive from either north or south of California, the park gets crowded during the summer providing an easy weekend getaway for all age groups.
Our favorite time of the year is to visit at the end of March or April. The snow has just started melting and waterfalls roar, and the air is filled with smell of pine trees. And of course, bear cubs are out and about! The downside is that both the roads to Glacier Point & Tioga road are closed.
For a first-time visitor, I recommend early June when the roads have just opened up but we are still not deep enough in the summer for the park to be crowded nor hot enough for the waterfalls to be drying up.
The park has many entrances depending on what side you are driving from. We typically drive on Friday evening and get as far as Fowler or Oakhurst – one of the gateway towns and stay overnight. The next morning we drive into the park, and enter the park from the South Entrance near Mariposa Grove.
No trip to the great American outdoors is complete without some hiking. However, we are not hard core hikers. We typically prefer the shorter 1-3 mile hikes. This itinerary is going to cover easy, family-friendly hikes. For more information on hiking, go here.
Day 1 - South Entrance & Yosemite Valley
Morning (8.00 AM to Noon-ish) – Mariposa Grove, Glacier Point & Tunnel View
Plan to be at the park entrance as early as possible ( Mariposa/South Entrance)
First stop will be at the Mariposa Grove which is next to the South Entrance.
NOTE: Due to shortage of parking at the Grove, the Park runs a shuttle service from Wawona Lodge to Mariposa Grove. One can drive to the lodge area, park the car and then take the Shuttle back to Mariposa Grove.
Mariposa Grove provides a couple of easy hikes around the Giant Sequoias. We recommend the short, wheelchair accessible Big Trees Loop trail (0.3 miles) or the slightly longer Grizzly Giant Loop Trail (2 miles)
Travel Tip: The wait for the shuttle at Wawona Lodge can get long on crowded weekends and it may take a good hour to just get to Mariposa Grove. If you have already seen the giant sequoias at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, then I recommend skipping the section all together
One can stop rest and refreshment at the Wawona area. If you are interested in little pioneer history and exploration of the west, I suggest a quick visit to the Pioneer Yosemite History center.
Continue on the Wawona highway and make turn to head towards Glacier Point. The view of the half-dome and Yosemite Valley, make this twenty minute drive Wawon Road. Plan to spend at least an hour at the various viewpoints, just soaking in the landscape and getting an unreal view of the half-dome with the Vernal falls in the backdrop.
For the final stop before you head into the valley and grab lunch, stop at Tunnel View literally as one passes a tunnel before the magnificent valley view opens in front of you. Another stunning view point (and Yosemite has quite a few of those!), one can see the El Capitan, Bridal Veil falls and the Half-dome (just sneaking in the back!)
It’s should be almost time for lunch or later. The Tunnel View is the at the end of the Wawona Road that now becomes the one way loop drive for Yosemite Valley. If you have some time to spare, then do a quick hike up to Bridal Veil falls Do the Bridal Veil fall hike (0.5 mile round-trip, 20 minutes) on the way to the heart of valley.
View of Half Dome from Glacier Point (Nevada and Vernal Falls visible too!)
The Famous Tunnel View
As you leave the Tunnel View, the road will soon hit an intersection marking the start of the one-way loop around the Yosemite Valley floor. In summer traffic can get backed up, and it’s not unusual for folks to bike around the area. The NPS also runs shuttle service in certain areas within the park to help people get around.
Stay in the park. You can either camp in the numerous sites or check yourself into one of the several hotels and resorts inside the national park. The hotels range from mid-price to luxury resorts. Reservation is recommended months in advance. We always stay at the Yosemite Falls Lodge that provides an easy access to all the main view points and hikes in Yosemite Valley
“Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.” ― Ansel Adams
Afternoon – Sunset @ Yosemite Valley
Grab a lunch at one of the several eateries in the Valley and get ready for an afternoon of pleasant meandering. Yosemite Valley is for me a place of immense beauty and calm. Gentle meadows, meandering brooks and towering granite edifices. A place of and for reflections.
The hike through the woods to Yosemite Falls is a MUST DO for any visitor. It’s a very short and pleasant hike over streams that takes around thirty to forty minutes (1.0 mile rountrip) at the end of which one is rewarded with the view of the Lower Yosemite Falls. If you are feeling particularly lazy then you can walk straight across from the lodge to the falls
The Yosemite Falls hike connects with Cook Meadow loop , another 1.0 mile hike that takes one through the meadows on the valley floor. This is the perfect place to rent a bike and ride around. This trail offers stunning views of Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Glacier Point, and Sentinel Rock.
Travel Tip – Begin at: Yosemite Valley Visitor Center (shuttle stop #5 or #9) Cook’s Meadow is also accessible from shuttle stop #11 (near Sentinel Bridge) or shuttle stop #6 (Lower Yosemite Fall Trailhead). At Sentinel Bridge parking area (shuttle stop #11), walk out onto the bridge to enjoy a classic view of Half Dome
To wrap up the evening, get in your car and do final drive around the valley loop. Stop where you feel like and take in the views.
Yosemite Falls Hike
Cook Meadow’s Loop
Day 2 - Vernal Falls Hike & Tioga Pass Road
Early Morning – Vernal Fall Hike
- If you were in Yosemite for the weekend, then this is probably the morning you checkout. Before you checkout and drive away from the valley floor, there is time for just one more hike
- The Vernal Fall footbridge hike is moderate hike up to the footbridge that takes around 90 minutes. It can get pretty hot during the day, so this hike is great for early mornings or evenings. The hike is mostly uphill so it can feel a little intense!
View of Vernal Falls
At the bridge on Vernal Falls
Tioga Pass Drive (3-4 hrs)
The rest of the day is going to be little stops around Tioga Pass road as you leave the park. The road to Tioga Pass exits the park from the east side towards Mono Lake.
Some of our favorite viewpoints and picnic areas on the Tioga Pass road and some of the them offer easy short hikes – Olmstead Point, Tenaya Lake, Tuolumne Meadows , Lembert Dome & Tioga Lake. The Tuolumne Visitor Center area offers pleasant and easy hikes.
On the way to Tioga Pass
Mono Lake At Sunset
The Tioga Pass Road exits the national park in the east and connects to Highway 395. If you are heading south towards Los Angeles or San Diego, then Mono Lake is worth a visit. This ancient, saline lake provides stunning views of still waters with dotted with tufa/limestone towers against a mountainous backdrop, creating an otherworldly look. In the evening, when the orange light hits the waters, one almost feels transported to a different planet.
Tufa Towers of Mono Lake
Other Things To Do In Yosemite
This two day itinerary is perfect for couples or families looking for an easy nature retreat. It covers all the highlights of the national park as well provides opportunity to stretch one’s legs on easy hikes.
However, it doesn’t even scratch the surface for all the various activities available to passionate nature & adventure enthusiasts.
If you are looking for more information on hiking the half-dome, rock climbing, camping, backpacking etc then the NPS website is the best place to start.
When it comes to National Parks, this blog is well and good but always check out the National Park Service website for Yosemite for the latest on road closures, weather updates, forest fires and park closures . There is always something on in Yosemite, and no two visits is very the same.
