Yosemite National Park: The Ultimate Guide

Yosemite Valley

Lodging:

There are a variety of lodging options within Yosemite National Park, each with their own unique characteristics and style. All lodging within the park's borders are managed by the Yosemite Hospitality group and range from small, canvas style tents to more modern style, deluxe rooms. With the ever increasing popularity of the U. S. National Parks, reservations well in advance are strongly recommended. Reservations for most National Park accommodations are available 366 days in advance of your stay. Often times, rooms book up within the first day or so of availability, especially during the late Spring through early Fall months, as well as around most of the holidays. The list below includes all Yosemite National Park lodging options. For further details regarding each location, click here which will take you to a more detailed page with descriptions of each accommodation.

1. Yosemite Valley Lodge

2. The Ahwahnee

3. Yosemite Village Campground (Curry Village)

4. Wawona Hotel

5. Housekeeping Camp

6. White Wolf Lodge

7. Tuolumne Meadows Lodge

8. High Sierra Camps

9. Glacier Point Ski Hut

Day Hikes:

The best way to see what the park has to offer is by taking an adventure down the many trails which can be found throughout Yosemite. Whether it's a relaxing stroll down some of the mild hiking trails or a more strenuous challenge up the likes of Half Dome and El Capitan, you will leave Yosemite feeling both amazed and accomplished. Listed below are some of our favorite and highly recommended hikes. For more details regarding each of these hikes click here which will link you over to our post "Hiking Yosemite National Park: The Top 10 Trails You Must Not Pass Up"

1. Lower Yosemite Falls

2. Bridalveil Falls

3. Mirror Lake Loop

4. Taft Point/Sentinel Dome Trailhead

5. Valley Loop

6. Vernal Falls & Nevada Falls

7. Yosemite Falls

8. Snow Creek

9. Half Dome (check out our separate post on the Half Dome Trail & hike here)

10. El Capitan

Amenities:

- Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza

Entering the park from the south will bring you through to the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza. Here you can meet some of the park rangers, get your maps, learn about the park, fill up your water, and use the restrooms.

- Village Center

Yosemite Village is a rather bustling center considering you are in the middle of the wilderness in the heart of Yosemite Valley. Here you will find a convenience store, a restaurant, a bar, gift shops, the park's headquarters, main visitor center, a lounge, as well as a fire station and post office. The Yosemite Lodge is located on the west end of the village near Yosemite Falls while The Ahwahnee Hotel is a few blocks to the north.

- Water fill stations, restrooms, and picnic areas

Picnic areas are scattered throughout the park. Be sure to clean up after yourself and to not leave any trash behind for the safety of the wildlife as well as yourself and others who utilize these picnic areas. Some of the most essential stops during your trip to Yosemite will likely be finding the nearest water fill stations and restrooms. Be sure to check the map which you can ask for at the entrance station or visitor centers so that you know where your closest fill stations and restrooms are located. These will be very important when planning out your day, especially for your hikes!

Additional Sights:

Beyond the lodges, hikes, and amenities listed above, there are a handful of additional sights that are a must to see while at Yosemite. We've listed them here below:

- Glacier Point

- Washburn Point

- Tunnel View

- Yosemite Valley

- Tuolumne Meadows

Additional Activities:

In addition to the obvious hiking and sight seeing listed above, there are many other activities abound throughout the park such as:

- Horseback Riding

- Camping

- Water Sports

- Stargazing

- Rock Climbing

- Winter Sports

- Fishing

- Birdwatching

- Biking

Reservations and Permits:

Park entry:

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, many services are limited and locations may be closed. For safety and to help limit excessive overcrowding in the park, a reservation is required to drive into Yosemite through at least September 30, 2021. You must display your permit on your dashboard at all times while inside the park. Reservations can be found at recreation.gov. There is a small, $2 fee. A reservation is needed for each vehicle (car, RV, motorcycle, etc). An occupant of the arriving vehicle must be the reservation holder (with photo ID). Day-use permits are valid for three consecutive days for unlimited entries. If you are staying at one of the lodges or camp sites listed above, you do not need an additional reservation for park entry. You still pay the $35/car entrance fee upon arrival unless you have an annual or lifetime pass.

Wilderness or Half Dome Permits:

The cables of Half Dome

If you have a wilderness permit reservation for backpacking or a Half Dome permit, you do not need an additional reservation or permit as detailed above. If you have a wilderness permit, you may enter the park a day before the date listed on your wilderness permit. The Half Dome permit only provides same day use access to Yosemite between the hours of 5 AM to 11 PM.

Half Dome permits are required to hike to the top of Half Dome. The cables are normally up the Friday before Memorial Day and stay up through the day after Columbus Day (although these dates can change dependent upon weather and trail conditions). No more than 300 hikers are allotted permits each day to go beyond the base of Subdome to where the cables begin. Of those 300 permits, 225 are for day hikers while the remaining 75 are saved for backpackers. Day hiker permits are distributed via a lottery system.

Check out some of our related posts down below for further information regarding Yosemite National Park, Half Dome, and other hiking essentials...