Things to Do at Yosemite National Park
Yosemite Valley
A glacier-carved canyon surrounded by sheer granite cliffs. All major facilities are here, including the visitor's center, store, restaurants, hotels. This guide summarizes everything you can do in the valley.
Glacier Point
This view point, far above the Yosemite Valley, affords the best views of Half Dome and the valley floor. Especially beautiful at sunset or on a full moon night.
Half Dome
You can see Half Dome from many places around Yosemite Valley. Our guide includes information about the infamous Half Dome hike.
Hetch Hetchy
This drowned valley was once as beautiful as the Yosemite Valley before the Tuolumne River was dammed up to form a water supply for the San Francisco Bay area. It's a pretty spot still, with two waterfalls cascading into the lake in spring.
Mariposa Grove
This is where the big trees are, about 500 mature giant sequoias to be exact. It's an easy hike around them in summer, but during winter, you'll have to walk, snowshoe, or ski up the road to get in. In summer, you can also take a guided tram tour to Mariposa Grove from the valley.
Hite Cove Trail
It's outside the park boundaries, but because the Hite Cove Trail is one of the best wildflower walks anywhere, we thought you should know about it. Find out how to get there, get some trail tips and learn when the wildflowers are in bloom
Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad
Everybody seems to enjoy a ride on an old-fashioned steam train. This one runs through the forest, just a few miles outside the Yosemite west entrance on Hwy 41.
Tioga Pass
It's the highest place you can drive to in Yosemite at 9,941 feet elevation, on the east side of the park, 6 miles east of Tuolumne Meadows and one of the few places where you can get across the Sierras, but it's closed in winter. This guide includes how to get there and how to find out if it's open.
Easy Walks and Short Hikes in Yosemite Valley
Any of these easy walks and short hikes in Yosemite Valley will take you to see something special - and some are quite flat.
Rock Climbing
At one of the world's finest mountaineering schools.
Skiing at Badger Pass
Skiing is one of the popular winter Yosemite activities. Fun for the whole family!
Tuolumne Meadows
Tuolomne Meadows is an 8,575-foot-high, sub-alpine meadows surrounded by granite peaks and domes. You'll find it outside the valley on Tioga Pass Road. Use this guide to find out how to get there and what you'll see.
Yosemite Trails Pack Station
It might sound like a place you should visit before you start your trip, but actually, it's a great place to go on a horseback trail ride, enjoy a cowboy barbecue or take a winter sleigh ride. They're in Fish Camp, near the Western entrance to Yosemite.
More Yosemite Activities
The National Park Service offers a ton of things you can do and this list summarizes them all.