California
Yosemite is the park that taught America what a national park could be: a seven-mile glacial valley walled by El Capitan and Half Dome, threaded by the Merced River, and fed by some of the tallest waterfalls on the continent, with the oldest giant sequoias in the Sierra Nevada standing an hour to the south.
This guide plans it properly — the first view through the Wawona Tunnel, the walk to the foot of Yosemite Falls, the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall, the Valley Floor Tour that explains it all in two hours, the Mariposa Grove before its shuttle stops for winter, and Glacier Point when the road is open — and then adds the season most visitors never see: Badger Pass, the original California ski hill, and skating under Half Dome at Curry Village. It is honest about the logistics that now shape every trip, from the 2026 nonresident fee to winter chain rules and seasonal road closures, and it matches you to the right base, from the Ahwahnee's granite and timber to Fish Camp cottages and Groveland lodges, because in a park this big, where you sleep decides how much of it you actually see.
Tunnel View and Bridalveil Fall
The view that defines Yosemite — El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall framed in one sweep from the mouth of the Wawona Tunnel — followed by a short, accessible walk to the base of the 620-foot fall that flows all year.
Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
Over 500 mature giant sequoias near the South Entrance, including the roughly 3,000-year-old Grizzly Giant and the walk-through California Tunnel Tree — by free shuttle through November, then on foot, snowshoe or ski.
Valley Floor Tour
Two hours, every icon, no driving — the concessioner's narrated loop of Yosemite Valley from Yosemite Valley Lodge, in a heated, big-windowed coach in winter, with photo stops at the classic viewpoints.
Badger Pass Ski Area
California's original ski area, inside the national park — five lifts, ten gentle runs, a ski school teaching since 1928, snow tubing, and the Nordic Center for cross-country skiing and snowshoes, with a free shuttle from the valley.
FreeThe view that defines Yosemite — El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall framed in one sweep from the mouth of the Wawona Tunnel — followed by a short, accessible walk to the base of the 620-foot fall that flows all year.
FreeNorth America's tallest waterfall at 2,425 feet in three tiers — seen best from the easy, paved one-mile loop to the foot of Lower Yosemite Fall, or earned on the steep switchbacks of the Upper Yosemite Fall Trail.
FreeThe world's most famous big wall — 3,000 feet of sheer granite above El Capitan Meadow, where you can watch climbers through binoculars — linked to the rest of the valley by the mostly level Valley Loop Trail.
FreeYosemite's signature waterfall hike — a steep climb from Happy Isles to the Vernal Fall footbridge and up hundreds of granite steps beside the 317-foot fall, with Nevada Fall above for the ambitious.
FreeThe balcony over Yosemite Valley — Half Dome straight ahead, Vernal and Nevada Falls below, and the valley floor 3,000-plus feet down. A summer-and-fall drive; in winter, a ski or snowshoe destination from Badger Pass.
FreeOver 500 mature giant sequoias near the South Entrance, including the roughly 3,000-year-old Grizzly Giant and the walk-through California Tunnel Tree — by free shuttle through November, then on foot, snowshoe or ski.
Yosemite's quiet sequoia groves near Crane Flat — about two dozen big trees each, reached by short but steep downhill walks, and an easy add-on for anyone entering from Groveland on Highway 120.
Two hours, every icon, no driving — the concessioner's narrated loop of Yosemite Valley from Yosemite Valley Lodge, in a heated, big-windowed coach in winter, with photo stops at the classic viewpoints.
California's original ski area, inside the national park — five lifts, ten gentle runs, a ski school teaching since 1928, snow tubing, and the Nordic Center for cross-country skiing and snowshoes, with a free shuttle from the valley.
An open-air rink at Curry Village with Half Dome and Glacier Point overhead — skate rentals, a fire pit and s'mores, and the most romantic winter evening in Yosemite Valley.
Historic logging steam trains on a narrow-gauge line through the Sierra National Forest at Fish Camp, just south of the park — daytime Logger rides, Moonlight Special dinner trains, holiday and Halloween specials.
FreeYosemite Valley's flooded twin — granite walls and waterfalls rising from the reservoir behind O'Shaughnessy Dam, with a walk across the dam and through a tunnel to Wapama Falls, at lower elevation and with far fewer people.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
$$$$Yosemite Valley (east, near Yosemite Village)
Yosemite's grand 1927 hotel — a National Historic Landmark of granite and timber beneath the Royal Arches, with the soaring Dining Room, the Great Lounge's giant windows and Half Dome views from the lawn.
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$$$Yosemite Valley (near Yosemite Falls)
The practical heart of a valley stay — modern lodge rooms steps from Lower Yosemite Fall, the Mountain Room restaurant, Base Camp Eatery, the tour desk for the Valley Floor Tour and the free shuttle at the door.
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$$Yosemite Valley (east, beneath Glacier Point)
The budget way to sleep in Yosemite Valley since 1899 — canvas tent cabins (heated in winter), wood cabins and motel-style rooms beneath Glacier Point, with the ice rink, casual dining and trailheads close by.
Check rates →Fish Camp (near the South Entrance)
The full-service resort just outside the South Entrance in Fish Camp — lodge rooms and suites, cottages and Waybound cabins, eight dining spots, the Ascent Spa and an Explore Yosemite team for guided tours.
Check rates →Highway 120 near Groveland (Big Oak Flat Entrance)
A modern mountain lodge on Highway 120 just outside the Big Oak Flat Entrance — hillside rooms and villas, a heated saltwater pool and hot tubs, a tavern, a spa and a full program of guided hikes and evening s'mores.
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$$$Evergreen Road near Groveland (Hetch Hetchy)
A historic 1920s resort of cabins in the woods on the road to Hetch Hetchy — rustic-chic cabins, a classic tavern, a restaurant, a recreation center and the quietest corner of the park on your doorstep.
Check rates →Midpines, near Mariposa (Highway 140)
Design-forward glamping on Highway 140 near Mariposa — custom Airstream suites and cabin-style tents under the oaks, a mid-century clubhouse, fire pits, and the year-round route into the park via El Portal.
Check rates →El Portal, Highway 140 (Arch Rock Entrance)
The closest full-service lodge to the park on Highway 140 — about two miles from the Arch Rock Entrance on the bank of the Merced River, with kitchenettes in nearly every room, multiple pools and spas, and a YARTS stop at the door.
Check rates →El Portal area, Highway 140 (Merced River canyon)
A budget-friendly riverside lodge in the Merced River canyon about eight miles below the Arch Rock Entrance — indoor and outdoor pools, a family-style restaurant and a hidden river beach on Highway 140.
Check rates →Oakhurst, Highway 41 (South Entrance)
Oakhurst's big, dependable all-rounder on Highway 41 — 133 rooms including family suites, indoor and outdoor pools, an on-site restaurant and bar, and an easy run to the South Entrance and the Mariposa Grove.
Check rates →Fish Camp, Highway 41 (South Entrance)
A small, rustic inn in the pines at Fish Camp, minutes from Yosemite's South Entrance — rooms opening onto wraparound porches, a creekside trail, an on-site restaurant and a seasonal pool.
Check rates →Groveland Main Street, Highway 120
A historic inn on Groveland's Main Street — an 1849 adobe and a 1914 Queen Anne building joined into one hotel with individually decorated rooms and a restaurant — the classic characterful stay on Highway 120.
Check rates →Groveland Main Street, Highway 120
A family-run 1921 hotel on Groveland's Main Street, founded by an Italian immigrant on the site of an old livery stable — simple rooms, a tapas bar and beer garden, and morning coffee on the house.
Check rates →Mariposa, Highway 140
A practical, well-run motel at the edge of Mariposa on Highway 140 — free breakfast, a pool and hot tub, in-room fridges and microwaves, and a YARTS bus stop nearby for car-free days in the valley.
Check rates →Downtown Mariposa
Mariposa's oldest motel, reborn as a small, colorful inn in the historic downtown — a handful of rooms and suites, a deli cafe, a garden patio with a fire pit, and a short walk to the YARTS stop.
Check rates →The orientation every first visit needs — how the park is laid out, the 2026 entrance and nonresident fees, which roads close in winter, the free valley shuttle, bears and safety, and how to fit Tunnel View, Yosemite Falls, the sequoias and Glacier Point into a short trip.
How to choose your Yosemite base — the three valley lodgings and what they cost you in money and flexibility, and the gateway communities of Fish Camp, Oakhurst, Mariposa, El Portal and Groveland, with the trade-offs of each entrance in every season.
A three-day plan that opens with Tunnel View and the Valley Floor Tour, spends a day on the Mist Trail and Yosemite Falls, and finishes among the giant sequoias and at Glacier Point or Badger Pass depending on the season.
What changes when the snow arrives — which roads close, chain rules, the Mariposa Grove after the shuttle stops, Badger Pass and the Nordic trails, skating at Curry Village, the ski hut closure for 2026-27, and why winter may be the best time to see the valley.
The money and logistics guide — 2026 entrance fees and the new nonresident charge, which pass to buy, fee-free days, getting there by car, YARTS, Amtrak or a guided day trip, and how to keep a Yosemite trip affordable.
A deep guide to Yosemite's waterfalls and classic photo spots — what flows when, from Yosemite Falls to Bridalveil, Vernal, Nevada and Horsetail; the best viewpoints at Tunnel View, El Capitan Meadow and Glacier Point; and how the seasons change the light.
