Best trails in Yosemite National Park
With over 3.5 million yearly visitors from throughout the world, the iconic Yosemite National Park is known for some of the most beautiful hikes and landscapes in the United States. There are over 800 miles of trails to explore through Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows, and Wawona. Yosemite has so much to see including the sequoias, the flower-filled meadows and valleys left behind from the glaciers, the highest waterfall in the United States, and the spectacular Half Dome and El Capitan.
Top trails
Visitor info
A reservation will be required to drive into or through Yosemite National Park Saturday, May 24, through Monday, May 26, from 6 am to 2 pm.
A reservation will be required to drive into or through Yosemite National Park every day from 6 am to 2 pm from June 15 through August 15.
A reservation will be required to drive into or through Yosemite National Park Saturday, August 30, through Monday, September 1, from 6 am to 2 pm.
An educational fee waiver is available for educational and scientific groups that are accredited or tax-exempt for educational purposes planning a trip for educational or scientific purposes related to Yosemite that is not primarily recreational.
This fee is valid for three consecutive days for a non-commercial motorcycle (cost is per motorcycle, not person).
The per-person fee is $20 to a maximum of $300 per vehicle. People 15 years and younger are free
This fee is valid for three consecutive days for people entering on foot, a bicycle, a horse, or a non-commercial bus or van. People 15 years and younger are free.
This fee is valid for three consecutive days for a non-commercial car, pickup truck, RV, or van with 15 or fewer passenger seats. This fee covers the vehicle and everyone inside of it.
Annual pass providing free entrance to Yosemite for 12 months from the date of purchase.
Join millions of people who enjoy our National Parks with the "America the Beautiful" National Park & Federal Recreational Lands Pass, otherwise known as the Interagency Annual Pass. The pass is valid for a year's worth of visits from the month of purchase at more than 2,000 federal recreation sites across the country.
No entrance pass required on these days:
Monday, January 20 — Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Saturday, April 19 — First day of National Park Week
Thursday, June 19 — Juneteenth National Independence Day
Monday, August 4 — Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
Saturday, September 27 — National Public Lands Day
Tuesday, November 11 — Veterans Day
The Interagency Access Pass is accepted here.
The Yosemite Valley Visitor Center is accessible to visitors using mobility equipment or strollers and has wheelchair accessible restrooms and drinking fountains. Orientation films include closed captioning.
Loaner wheelchairs, electric scooters, a tandem bicycle, and a hand-cranked bicycle are available at Yosemite Valley Lodge. Assistive listening devices, telecoil neck loop couplers, audio descriptions, tactile exhibits, and Braille and text materials are available.
Many ranger-led programs have ASL interpreters available by reservation. To make a reservation, please call 209-379-5250 (voice/text) or email yose_deaf_services@nps.gov at least two weeks in advance.
Additional information about accessibility at Yosemite National Park can be found on their website: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm.
Reservations are required for all cars entering the park, including Access Pass holders.
All shuttle buses in the park are wheelchair accessible and can fit chairs under 46 inches long and 24 inches wide. The YARTS bus service from Merced or Mariposa is equipped with lifts, but advanced notice is required. Please call 1‐877‐989‐2787 at least 48 hours in advance to make a reservation for the YARTS bus.
Temporary disabled parking placards are available at the park entrance stations or visitor centers for those without a state-issued permit or who do not have one with them.
Other-Power-Driven Mobility Devices (OPDMDs) such as Segways are allowed in the park only for those with a mobility disability.
The Yosemite Valley Visitor Center is accessible to visitors using mobility equipment or strollers and has wheelchair accessible restrooms and drinking fountains. Orientation films include closed captioning.
Food service facilities in the park are wheelchair accessible except for partial accessibility in the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, which has stairs.
The Ahwahnee, Yosemite Valley Lodge, Curry Village, White Wolf Lodge, and Wawona Hotel have wheelchair accessible rooms.
The Lower Yosemite Fall, El Capitan, Sentinel Beach, Swinging Bridge, Church Bowl, the Cascades and Arch Rock, Yosemite History Center, and Soldier Flat Picnic Areas are wheelchair accessible with packed, level paths and surfaces and accessible restrooms or vault toilets.
There are accessible restrooms at the following trailheads: Yosemite Village Parking, Lower Yosemite Fall, Camp 4, Housekeeping Camp, Happy Isles, and Bridalveil Fall.
The Lower Pines, Upper Pines, and North Pines Campgrounds have individual wheelchair accessible camping sites and accessible restrooms.
Service animals must be on-leash throughout the park.
Trail reviews for Yosemite National Park
Super intense hike, but worth every second of it. If you’re an experience hiker or are up for a challenge while in Yosemite, definitely go on this trail. It’s incredible and there’s barely any people on the trail with yo
This is the second hardest hike I’ve done in Yosemite. It’s two solid sections of going up on the way out, and one solid one coming back. Started a little before 7am and was out till close to 2pm. As in previous reviews, the trail is closer to 15 miles, not 12 according to my phone/ watch. One of if not the coolest views in the park hands down. The end of the trail is a bit narrow if you’re not a big fan of heights.
Yosemite Valley Loop was an awesome trail. We hiked about a 9 mile section from our hotel at the Yosemite Valley Lodge to the Pizza Deck in Curry Village. It was most flat and very dry. The views were spectacular. The trail was virtually empty from 9am to 2pm on a Monday 8/19. This was a great way for us to get some highlights of the valley. I found a little place to propose to my girlfriend in front of El Capitan. No one was around so we had some nice privacy. The route is a mix of sun and shade. Pack at least 2L of water on a hot day. No crowds until we got closer to Curry Village. Also, the sections of trail we hiked were far enough from the road to not be bothered by cars. The last mile leading into Curry Village was a bike path next to the road. In the future, I would skip that section.
Magnificent trail. When these permits were still available I thought the trail might not be as interesting as some others in the park. Fortunately, this was not the case. Not sure if we got lucky with the permits or if this is a more hidden gem but regardless this was the highlight of our Yosemite visit. The reveal after that last tough uphill is amazing. We ended up staying at May Lake but kind of wish we stayed at Ten Lakes as the elevation change made things just a little more uncomfortable than desired. There's far more solitude to be found at May Lake, though, so it depends what you're looking for. Great trail!
Incredible trail! Runs along the river so lots of places to fill up, and bring food- I didn't eat and was exhausted the final third of the way back. So many waterfalls, and they're still flowing. White Cascade was flowing more on the way back but had a few people fishing, but I started early so had all the falls to myself- Tuolumne Falls, White Cascade, California, LeConte, and Waterwheel Falls. There's lots of smaller unnamed falls too that are awesome, there's so many I had to stop taking video lol. Awesome trail, my favorite in Yosemite! Here's a video of my hike https://youtu.be/GYu3_D_3hes?si=UFjtcIFKImtkOFOJ
Iconic hike. Camped at Little Yosemite and started up to the dome from the campground around 4:30 am to avoid crowds on the cables. No bugs. Swim in the river.