Yosemite
National
Park
Getting there
If you’re flying to visit Yosemite National Park, you have several airport options:
- Fresno -Yosemite International (FAT) – 2.5 hours to Yosemite Valley
- Oakland International (OAK) – 3.5 hours to Yosemite Valley
- Sacramento International (SMF) – 3.5 hours to Yosemite Valley
- San Jose International (SJC) – 4 hours to Yosemite Valley
- San Francisco International (SFO) – 4 hours to Yosemite Valley
- Reno/Tahoe International (RNO) – 4.5-5.5 hours to Yosemite Valley (depending it Tiago Road is open)
This visit to Yosemite started with 3 days in Lake Tahoe and ended with 2 days in Napa Valley. To see the full 10-day itinerary, click here.
3 days at Yosemite
Day 1 at Yosemite started with Tunnel View sunrise. Cam and I were staying at an Airbnb inside of Yosemite and woke up in the dark to make the drive before the sun peaked. Check the current sunrise time when you visit so that you won’t miss it! At the end of May, the sun started to peak through the mountains right around 6:00 AM.
After the most gorgeous sunrise, we drove to the Mirror Lake trailhead. The lake, like many of the falls, will be dry by the end of summer. We didn’t see any other people on this trail and soaked in the peacefulness. Then we drove along the Northside Drive Meadow for a great view of Half Dome.
Alltrails stats for Mirror Lake Paved Trail: Length – 2 miles; Elevation Gain – 108 ft; Route Type – out & back; Difficulty – Easy
Next on our list were Lower Yosemite Falls and the Sentinel Meadow Cook’s Meadow Loop trail. We lucked out on the weather and could not believe how gorgeous this park was. We took far too many pictures and just sat and enjoyed at certain parts. These loop trails were great for kids and those who are not equipped for moderate to hard hikes.
Alltrails stats for Lower Yosemite Falls: Length – 1.2 miles; Elevation Gain – 55 ft; Route Type – Loop; Difficulty – Easy
Alltrails stats for Sentinel Meadow Cook’s Meadow Loop: Length – 2 miles; Elevation Gain – 78 ft; Route Type – Loop; Difficulty – Easy
After our time in the meadow, we drove back to our rental house to change and pack a picnic. Then made our way over to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. Along the trail, we found 3 stumps that we used for our picnic setup – pretzels, pimento cheese dip, dark chocolate, prosciutto, cheese, crackers, and mini bottles of champagne. You can imagine the looks we received… but what better way to enjoy a snack than surrounded by amazing sequoias!
To get to the grove, you can park and hike (1.9 miles each way) or you can catch the shuttle bus. We hiked there and rode the shuttle bus back.
Alltrails stats for Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias (if you hike the entire thing): Length – 6.7 miles; Elevation Gain – 1,217 ft; Route Type – Out & Back; Difficulty – Moderate
Experiencing the grove was the perfect ending to an incredible first day at Yosemite.
Day 2 initially included some disappointment because I had tried in the pre-season and daily lotteries to get permits to hike Half Dome during our time at the park. I was confident that my odds were better visiting on a Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but I did not succeed.
We went with the backup plan and started our day hiking Vernal and Nevada Falls via the Mist Trail. To this day, Alltrails says that this is a 6.4-mile trail. But both mine and my husband’s watches (mine Apple, his Garmin) logged 9 miles. Both falls were beautiful and we loved the hike, but those 3 extra unplanned miles had us whipped. **You do not have to hike to see Vernal Fall – there is a great viewing platform at the bottom.
Alltrails stats for Vernal & Nevada Falls via Mist Trail: Length – 6.4 miles; 2,208 ft; Route Type – Loop; Difficulty – Hard
After the long hike, we went to the Valley to get lunch. Since Half Dome wasn’t happening, we had more time than originally planned. Cam called a few local rafting companies to see if any had availability for the afternoon. Zephyr Whitewater Expeditions did and took us on a great 1/2 day tour of the Merced River! This was my first time white water rafting and I can’t wait to go again.
Day 3 was our final day and we chose to hike Upper Yosemite Falls. But once we got to the viewpoint of the falls, we decided that our feet were done. When we made it back down to the car, we started our drive to Napa (about 4 hours). But not without a few final turnouts for pretty views.
Alltrails stats for Upper Yosemite Falls: Length – 6.6 miles; Elevation Gain – 3,254 ft; Route Type – Out & Back; Difficulty – Hard
Tips for visiting Yosemite
- Download the offline park map on your Google Maps app – this will work when you don’t have service in the park
- Pack bear spray
- Pack binoculars
- Pack a hot/cold bag to store lunches in the car
- Do NOT approach wildlife
- Follow the 7 principles of Leave No Trace
Additional hikes
Alltrails has 382 hikes listed for Yosemite National Park:
- 43 rated Easy
- 122 rated Moderate
- 217 rated Hard
271 have a review rating of 4.5+
Things to do
- Winter sports – ski and snowshoe
- Water activities – rafting, fishing, swimming
- Stargazing
- Rock climbing
- Horseback riding
- Wildlife viewing
- Biking
- Tours
Food in Yosemite Valley
- The Awahnee Dining Room (fine dining)
- The Awahnee Bar
- Base Camp Eatery (food court)
- Mountain Room (upscale casual)
- Mountain Room Lodge (light fare)
- Village Store (groceries – where we shopped for our picnic!)
- Degnan’s Bakery
- The Loft at Degnan’s
- Village Grill
- Curry Village Pavilion
- Curry Village Pizza Patio & Bar
- Meadow Grill
