Yosemite National Park

Fire restrictions

Fees, passes, and hours

Entrance costs $35 per vehicle, $30 per motorcycle, and $20 per person on foot or bicycle, each valid 7 days. An annual pass for Yosemite National Park costs $70. Interagency (America the Beautiful) passes are accepted. The park takes no cash: pay by card or buy a pass online.

Yosemite National Park is open 24 hours a day, year-round.

Sources: nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/fees, checked 2026-09-29; nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hours, checked 2026-09-28.

Camping in Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park has 13 developed campgrounds. Reservations are taken in season; otherwise sites are first come, first served. All 13 campgrounds are on reservation April-October; in winter Camp 4, Wawona, and Hodgdon Meadow are first-come, first-served. Upper Pines stays on reservation year-round (as of September 29, 2026). 3 campgrounds stay open year-round. Camping outside campgrounds is not allowed.

Reserve a campsite

Source: nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/camping, checked 2026-09-29.

Pets

Pets are allowed in Yosemite National Park. They are not allowed on trails.

Source: nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/pets, checked 2026-09-28.

Scenic drives

• Glacier Point RoadpavedOpen: Usually open May to November, depending on conditions

Source: nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/glacierhikes, checked 2026-09-29.

Getting there

• The park warns that GPS and phone map directions can send you the wrong way: follow the park's own directions.
• Reachable by public transit.
• Tioga Road, Glacier Point Road, and Mariposa Grove Road close for winter each year. (as of 2026-09-29)

Source: nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/directions, checked 2026-09-29.

Trails

• Bridalveil Fall(0.5 mi round trip, easy)Short paved walk to the base of Bridalveil Fall; 80 ft elevation gain.
• Lower Yosemite Fall(1 mi loop, easy)Entire loop to the base of Lower Yosemite Fall; about 50 ft gain.
• Mirror Lake(2 mi round trip, easy to moderate)Lake and back (5 mi for the entire loop); about 100 ft to the lake.
• Valley Loop Trail(13 mi loop, moderate)Full valley loop; half loop is 6.5 mi; mostly flat.
• Yosemite Falls Trail (to Columbia Rock)(2 mi round trip, moderate)First section of Yosemite Falls Trail; about 1,000 ft elevation gain.
• Yosemite Falls Trail(7.2 mi round trip, strenuous)Top of Upper Yosemite Fall; about 2,700 ft elevation gain.
• Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall(5.5 mi round trip, strenuous)Mist Trail / John Muir routes; NPS lists 1.6-8 mi RT and 400-2,000 ft gain.
• Four Mile Trail(4.8 mi one way, strenuous) closed part of the year Yosemite Valley to Glacier Point; about 3,200 ft elevation gain.
• Half Dome(14 mi round trip, strenuous) closed part of the year Cables route; 14-16.4 mi RT and about 4,800 ft gain; day-hike permit required.
• Sentinel Dome(2 mi round trip, moderate) closed part of the year From Glacier Point Road; 400 ft gain to 360-degree granite dome views.
• Taft Point(2.2 mi round trip, easy to moderate) closed part of the year From Glacier Point Road; about 200 ft gain to cliff-edge overlooks.

Source: nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/valleyhikes, checked 2026-09-29.

What to see

• CanyonYosemite ValleyGlacially carved valley with granite walls, waterfalls, and the Merced River.
• PeakHalf DomeIconic granite dome; cables day hike requires a permit when cables are up.
• HighlightYosemite FallsOne of North America's tallest waterfalls; Lower Fall trail is an easy valley walk.
• OverlookGlacier PointOverlook about 3,200 ft above Yosemite Valley with views of Half Dome and the high Sierra.
• GroveMariposa Grove of Giant SequoiasGiant sequoia grove reached via the Wawona area; Mariposa Grove Road closes in winter.

Source: nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/directions, checked 2026-09-29.

Fishing and water

Tioga Lake fishing (0.7 miles outside the boundary): its fishing and stocking record on fishypedia.com.

Public lands next to Yosemite National Park

• Wilderness areaYosemite Wilderness lies inside Yosemite National Park.
• Wilderness areaYosemite National Park borders Ansel Adams Wilderness.
• Wilderness areaYosemite National Park borders Emigrant Wilderness.
• Wilderness areaYosemite National Park borders Hoover Wilderness.
• National forestYosemite National Park borders Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
• National forestYosemite National Park borders Inyo National Forest.
• National forestYosemite National Park borders Sierra National Forest.
• National forestYosemite National Park borders Stanislaus National Forest.

Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.