How to See the 10 Best Sights at Yosemite
Yosemite National Park is well-known for its beautiful waterfalls, picturesque granite cliffs, and ancient sequoia trees. It has almost 1200 square miles of wilderness to explore in California! Yosemite is also very popular during its peak season so planning ahead of time can greatly improve your experience. Read on to learn how to see the best sights at Yosemite and make the best of your visit!
Plan Ahead!
Millions of people visit Yosemite every year during the peak season so the park has accommodated this with a peak entry reservation system. Reservations are required to enter the park between May and September during peak hours…learn how to make reservations HERE. You do not need a reservation if you go before 6 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Check HERE for the most up-to-date information prior to entering the park such as road closures.
Yosemite National Park costs $35 to get in. Your ticket is good for 7 days of unlimited entry. If you plan to visit more than one park this year, you need to get the National Park Pass. For an annual fee of around $80 (depending on what you qualify for), you can enter more than 2,000 different national parks, recreation areas, and more. Click HERE for more information on how to get your National Park Pass.
Where to Stay & What to Eat
Yosemite National Park has a variety of places to stay located inside the park and in the surrounding towns. Hotels, ski huts, cabins, tents, campgrounds, and more can be found inside the park. Click HERE for more information. If you plan to camp or RV in Yosemite, you can make reservations at recreation.gov.
Yosemite is loaded with different types of dining opportunities. There’s fine dining, pizza, burgers, quick bites, and stores so you shouldn’t have a problem finding food during the on-season. Make sure you check Yosemite’s website to ensure your food options are open. You can also save a little money by packing snacks or meals and having a picnic!
Best Sights at Yosemite
If hiking is your thing, Yosemite is the place to go! With over 750 miles of hiking, you’re sure to find the right hike for you. You’ll find that many trails in Yosemite Valley lead to many of the best sights at Yosemite. Taking a short drive to other parts of the park will get you to the trails for the sequoias and other cool sights. Check HERE for all the hikes at Yosemite.
Learn how to do Yosemite National Park the right way! Tips, tricks, and the best hikes to make your time at Yosemite rock!
1. Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley is loaded with things to do and see. Most of the action is going to be here. If you only have one day at Yosemite, this is the place to go. There are year-round hiking opportunities around every corner. From beautiful waterfalls, amazing rock formations, rivers, and valleys, you must take the time to explore this area.
2. Lower Yosemite Fall Trail
Lower Yosemite Fall Trail is an easy 1-mile paved trail that offers spectacular views of the Lower and Upper Yosemite Falls and the Yosemite Creek. The views will be different depending on the time of year with it flowing heavily in spring and early summer and then dry from late summer through October. It’s worth the walk no matter when you go. In addition to the views, there are many exhibits about the history and culture of the area.
3. Sentinel Bridge/Cook’s Meadow Trail
The Sentinel Bridge/Cook’s Meadow Trail is another must-stop, especially if you love photography. You can see Half Dome and other rock formations reflected in the Merced River. You can also spy the Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls from Cook’s Meadow Trail. Makes for great photographs!
4. Half Dome
Half Dome is a 5,000-foot icon of Yosemite National Park. It is visible from many trails in Yosemite Valley. There is a 14-16-mile trail but it’s quite strenuous and if you aren’t prepared, it might not be for you. Plan for a full hiking day and you must get a permit ahead of time. We didn’t hike this trail because we knew it would be too hard for our 8-year-old and quite honestly for us too. We were happy taking pictures!
5. El Capitan
Coming in at over 3,000-feet high, El Capitan is magnificent. It’s one of those sights that appear suddenly on your drive into the park and you want to pull over and snap a photo. It is a photographer’s dream shot and the climber’s ultimate challenge! You’ll need to do your own research if you intend to make your way to the top of El Capitan.
6. Tunnel View
This is one of the most popular views at Yosemite. From here you can see El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall. It really is a superb view and a must-see while you are driving around Yosemite. You can find this viewpoint just after the Wawona Tunnel on the Wawona Road. It is a very popular spot so be careful of all the other tourists!
7. Washburn Trail at Mariposa Grove
The Washburn Trail is a 2-mile wooded dirt trail that leads from the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza to the Grove Arrival Area. It goes gradually uphill, following along the old 1879 stage-coach road leading to the grove. It has become quite a popular route lately due to the shuttle restrictions on COVID. Normally, you would use it only in the winter when the shuttles aren’t running but now everyone is using it. We enjoyed this trail as it was fun, yet challenging, and the reward at the end was the ancient sequoia trees!
8. Big Trees Loop Trail
This 1/3-mile trail is a short, easy loop around the giant, ancient sequoia trees. The trail has exhibits showing the ecology of the sequoias and why they are starting to allow some forest fires to burn. There is a fallen tree where you can see the sequoia root system…it’s massive! This is a very popular trail but well worth the traffic.
9. Grizzly Giant Loop Trail
Branching off from the Big Trees Loop Trail is the Grizzly Giant Loop Trail. This 2-mile trail leads you up to many of the stars of the grove. Here you can find the California Tunnel Tree, the Grizzly Giant, and Bachelor and the Three Graces. The immenseness of these trees will leave you wanting to see more. Looking up at them, you can imagine how they tower over almost everything else in the area.
10. The Ansel Adams Gallery
The Ansel Adams Gallery at Yosemite offers many different photography courses. They show you how to use your camera or smartphone to get the best pictures possible. You spend 4 hours out in the field exploring Yosemite Valley and learning how to get the pictures you want. We highly recommend taking one of their courses so you can get a better understanding of how to set your camera or smartphone up to get beautiful pictures of Yosemite Valley and any other places you go. See below for cool mirroring effects and color grading!
BONUS! Looking For A Tour?
There are many different types of tours you can book to see the best sights at Yosemite! Check out these websites and book something exciting today!
See the Best Sights at Yosemite Now!!
If you want beautiful waterfalls, giant cliffs, and awesome hikes, Yosemite National Park is the place to go. Make it your next destination. Don’t wait!!
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Great post! I can’t wait to finally visit Yosemite. It’s been a long time coming. Definitely saving this article!!
Thank you so much! You will enjoy it!
We love visiting Yosemite! And really great post about one of our favorite places. Now if we can just get a campsite near the place.
Yosemite is definitely one of our top places too. We were lucky at the time to have a smaller RV so we could get a campsite. We wouldn’t be able to now with our big rig.
Great post which reminded me of our trip to Yosemite right before the covid crap started. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I really enjoyed the Lower Falls. The geysers were cool too. Thanks for the happy and fun memories.
Thank you for reading. Glad you were able to visit before Covid. We went the month before it began so we’re lucky. Would like to go back!
This national park has been on my bucket list for some time now! Your photos are gorgeous! I can;t wait to visit as soon as the opportunity presents itself!
We’re trying to go to as many national parks as we can on our journey. This one was a favorite!! Thanks for reading!
California is pretty far away from us, but this park looks like a must see. Great advice – I love getting specific info on trails. I’m glad you added the map! Happy trails!!
I’m from Maine so Yosemite is quite different than what I’m used to. The trees on the west coast are so much bigger! Yosemite is a tie with Arches NPS for my favorite national park…both are definitely must-sees!
This is the one national park I have yet to visit. Your photos make me want to go as soon as possible!
Thank you! It’s hard to take bad pictures here. There’s beauty everywhere you look!
Love this post. Yosemite is definitely on my list of National Parks to see, and your blog post here is very helpful.
Thank you.
Glad you liked it. We sure loved Yosemite. Thank you for checking it out!