Yosemite

For waterfalls, May and June: peak runoff usually comes then, and Yosemite Falls is often a trickle or dry by August. For fewer people with every road usually still open, October, when visits run at about 72% of the July peak — at the cost of low or dry falls.

The access row matters more than the weather. Tioga Road (to Tuolumne Meadows and the east entrance) and Glacier Point Road close for snow each winter, and when they open in spring varies by up to two months from year to year. Yosemite Valley itself is open every day of the year.

One full day covers the Valley floor: the famous views and the short waterfall walks. Two days add the south side — the giant sequoias of the Mariposa Grove and the view from Glacier Point. A third day adds a longer trail and, in summer, the high country along Tioga Road.

Every stop below is a place the park documents on its own site; the distances and times are the park’s. In spring through fall the park asks drivers to be parked in the Valley before 8 a.m., and to leave the car once parked: the free Valley shuttle serves the stops marked Shuttle.

Inside the park if you can: The Ahwahnee, Yosemite Valley Lodge and Curry Village are in Yosemite Valley itself, so you skip the drive in and the entrance lines. They book up to 366 days ahead through Yosemite Hospitality. The campgrounds are on Recreation.gov. Both links below are the official booking pages; Maplia earns nothing from them.

Outside the park, pick the town on the road you will use. Each sits on a different highway and entrance, so the best choice depends on which part of the park you plan to see and whether Tioga Road will be open.

Most visitors drive. Merced (MCE) is 2 hours from Yosemite Valley; Fresno (FAT) is 1.5 hours from Wawona and 2.5 hours from the Valley; San Francisco (SFO) is about 4 hours from the Valley. When Tioga Road is open, Mammoth (MMH) is an hour from Tuolumne Meadows; when it is closed, the park says to allow about seven hours from Mammoth to the Valley.

You do not need a car to reach Yosemite Valley. YARTS buses run to the Valley all year on Highway 140 from Merced and Mariposa, and in summer from Fresno, Sonora and Mammoth Lakes. Inside the Valley the free shuttle runs from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Beyond the Valley, public transport is seasonal or a paid tour: without a car you cannot reach Hetch Hetchy at all.

If you drive: there is no gas in Yosemite Valley or Tuolumne Meadows; fuel is available 24 hours at Wawona, Crane Flat and El Portal. Tire chains may be required on park roads from about October to April. The park advises against relying on GPS: where a device and a road sign disagree, follow the sign. On busy days, parking in the Valley fills and cars are turned back near El Capitan; the park suggests texting ynptraffic to 333111 for traffic updates.

Check the alerts first. Fire, smoke and closures change week to week. As this page was built, the Dome Fire had closed Glacier Point Road and trails south of the Ostrander Lake Trail.

Store every scented item from bears. Yosemite is home to hundreds of black bears, and they break into cars for food. “Food” means anything with a scent: drinks, toiletries, trash, even an empty cooler. After dark it goes in a food locker, never your car; in campgrounds and tent cabins it goes in the locker at all times. The rules carry federal fines of up to $5,000.

The two most common ways to die in Yosemite are in a car and in water, according to the park. Drive at or below the limit. Never swim or wade above a waterfall, even where the water looks calm; stream-polished rock is slippery wet or dry, and snowmelt rivers in early summer are powerful and cold.

Keep your distance from all wildlife. Squirrels and deer injure far more people than bears or mountain lions, and rodents can carry plague and hantavirus. Never feed or approach an animal.

Rockfall and lightning. Several rockfalls happen in Yosemite Valley each year; take care on and immediately below cliffs. Lightning is common on summer afternoons; the park asks hikers to watch for changing conditions and have a plan if a storm approaches.

Altitude and cold. The park runs from about 2,000 ft to 13,000 ft. Tuolumne Meadows sits at 8,600 ft, where the average low is 33°F in June and 32°F in September.

Cell service is patchy. Expect coverage mainly in eastern Yosemite Valley, and none you can rely on in Tuolumne Meadows; the nearest reliable service is in Lee Vining. Download maps and confirmations before you arrive.

Drones are prohibited everywhere in the park, and the park does not issue permits for them.