Yosemite trip planner: Valley parking, seasons, 1- to 3-day itineraries and bear rules

Yosemite had 4,278,413 recreation visits in 2025. Most of those visitors head for one place, Yosemite Valley, which you can reach by car all year. This guide is about planning around that: when to arrive so you can park, which part of the park suits the season, how to spend one to three days, and the bear, water and road rules that catch first-timers out. Every fact comes from a National Park Service page, all checked on Oct. 26, 2026 and listed at the end.

Which part of Yosemite?

The park has no single address. Driving times from Yosemite Valley, per NPS:

• Yosemite Valley (about 4,000 ft). This is the famous part, and you can reach it all year. Here you'll find Yosemite Falls, Mirror Lake, the main lodges and the park's medical clinic.
• Glacier Point, about an hour away. It's 30 miles from the Valley or from Wawona. Cars can usually reach it from about late May through October or November. Nearby Washburn Point gives a more direct view of Vernal and Nevada falls, plus Illilouette Fall.
• Wawona and Mariposa Grove, about an hour away. The grove is Yosemite's largest, with more than 500 mature giant sequoias. Wawona has the historic Wawona Hotel and the Yosemite History Center.
• Crane Flat, 30 minutes away. It's a forest-and-meadow stop on the way to Tioga Road.
• Tuolumne Meadows, about 1.5 hours away. This is a subalpine meadow on Tioga Road. The NPS lists the scenic drive from Crane Flat to Tioga Pass as 46 or 47 miles, depending on the page. There's no gas there, and services can be missing from September until the road closes.
• Hetch Hetchy, about 1.5 hours away. The NPS calls it one of the park's longest hiking seasons, at 3,900 feet. Its entrance is open only in daylight. Swimming and boating in the reservoir are banned, and pets aren't allowed on the dam or trails.

Parking and getting around the Valley

• The big rule. From spring through fall, arrive before 8 a.m. That's the traffic page's advice. The Valley page says 9 a.m. for day visitors, so treat 8 as the safe target. Once lots fill, traffic is redirected at El Capitan Crossover and can back up for miles.
• Where to park. Early arrivals can park at Yosemite Village, Curry Village and near Yosemite Falls. If you get a space, leave the car there for the day.
• Free Valley shuttles. The Valleywide route serves every stop, with a bus every 12–22 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The East Valley route covers Yosemite Village, Curry Village, the Pines campgrounds and east-Valley trailheads, with a bus every 8–12 minutes. On busy days you may have to wait for several buses.
• Bikes. The Valley has more than 12 miles of paved bike paths, with a 15 mph limit. You can rent at Curry Village, Yosemite Village and Yosemite Valley Lodge, or use the bike share (2-hour limit). Helmets are required by law for under-18s. E-bikes under 750 watts are allowed wherever bikes are. Mountain biking and off-trail riding aren't.
• Traffic texts. When the park is extremely busy, text ynptraffic to 333111 for updates.
• Be ready for delays. Bring food and water, and use restrooms when you see them.
• Without a car. YARTS and Amtrak (train plus bus) reach the Valley all year. In July and August they also run limited service to Crane Flat, White Wolf and Tuolumne Meadows.

Sample days

Half day (Valley floor)

• Walk the Lower Yosemite Fall loop (1 mile) and Cook's Meadow loop (1 mile, flat).
• Add Bridalveil Fall (0.5 mile round trip).
• Watch the park film, "The Spirit of Yosemite." It's shown daily on the hour and half hour behind the Yosemite Exploration Center.

One day

• Morning: park early and ride the shuttle to the Mist Trail. The Vernal Fall footbridge is the short option (Vernal and Nevada fall trails run 1.6 to 8 miles round trip).
• Afternoon: bike or walk to Mirror Lake (2 miles to the lake and back, or 5 miles for the loop).
• Evening: if Glacier Point Road is open, drive up for sunset. It's about an hour each way, and overnight parking isn't allowed.

Two or three days

• Day 1: the Valley day above.
• Day 2: in season, go to Glacier Point and Washburn Point. Then head south to Wawona and take the shuttle to Mariposa Grove.
• Day 3: from late May or June to fall, drive Tioga Road to Tuolumne Meadows (fill up at Crane Flat first). Or take the quieter Hetch Hetchy trails, such as Wapama Falls (5 miles round trip, past Tueeulala Falls) or Lookout Point (2 miles round trip).
• Fit hikers can swap a day for the Yosemite Falls Trail (7.2 miles round trip, 2,700 feet of climbing), the Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point (4.8 miles one way, 3,200 feet) or the 13-mile Valley Loop.

When to go

• Precipitation. 95% falls between October and May.
• Elevation. It runs from about 2,000 to 13,000 feet, so conditions differ hugely across the park.
• Spring (April–June). This is waterfall season. Peak runoff is usually in May or June.
• Summer. Everything is open, but expect hour-plus entrance delays and extremely limited parking.
• Fall. Most areas stay open through October, sometimes into November. Short snow closures can happen. Waterfalls are very low, and Yosemite Falls may be dry. (The NPS said it was dry in its latest conditions update.) Vernal, Nevada and Bridalveil run all year but slow to a trickle. Deciduous trees are showiest around mid-October. Tioga Road has no services after September and no overnight parking after Oct. 1.
• Winter. The Valley and Wawona stay open by car. Tioga Road usually closes sometime in November, and after that no vehicles are allowed between Crane Flat and Tioga Pass. Late December to early January can be very busy. Badger Pass Ski Area (base 7,200 feet) usually runs from mid-December through March, with a free shuttle from the Valley.

Driving rules that catch people out

• GPS. The NPS does not recommend GPS for directions in and around Yosemite.
• Gas. It's sold 24 hours a day by card at Wawona, Crane Flat and El Portal. There's none in the Valley or Tuolumne Meadows.
• Chains. Chains may be required on open roads from about October through April. Under chain controls, every vehicle must carry them, including 4WDs and rentals. A trailer with brakes needs chains on its braking wheels. The Wawona Road, Big Oak Flat Road and Badger Pass Road need chains more often than El Portal Road. You can buy a limited selection at the Village Garage and the Wawona gas station.
• Speed. Driving is one of the two most common ways to die in Yosemite, and the top way animals are hurt. Signs mark places where bears have been hit.
• Sleeping in your car. It's allowed only in a campsite you're registered for.
• Road work. Expect 15-minute weekday delays at El Capitan Bridge and on Big Oak Flat Road (see our park page alerts).

Bears and wildlife

• Food storage is federal law. Breaking the rules can mean your food or car is impounded, a fine of up to $5,000, or removal from your campsite.
• Cars. Bears break into cars for anything that smells or looks like food, and "food" includes anything with a scent. You may leave food in a car, out of sight with the windows closed, during daylight only.
• Distance. Stay at least 50 yards from bears in forests and meadows. If a bear approaches you or is in a developed area, such as a campground, parking lot or lodge, scare it away. Stand together if you're in a group.
• Small animals. The NPS says squirrels and deer injure far more people than bears and mountain lions. A Curry Village bat tested positive for rabies in May 2026. Never feed or handle wildlife.

Water and hiking safety

• Water. Drowning is the other most common way to die in Yosemite. There are 15–20 water-related rescues a year. Rocks near rivers are slippery even when dry. Before entering water, look downstream to see where you'd be swept.
• Mist Trail. Through October, the stretch from the John Muir Trail junction to the top of Vernal Fall has limited weekday hours. Check current conditions.
• Half Dome. The cables are down for the season. When they're up, a permit is required to the top.
• Pack. Carry at least 1 quart of water for every 2 hours of hiking, plus food, a headlamp, a map and layers. Tell someone your plan.

Sleeping and eating

• Lodging. In-park lodging, from High Sierra Camp tent cabins to The Ahwahnee, is run by Yosemite Hospitality. You can book up to 366 days ahead, and the NPS strongly recommends it. The NPS points to the gateway communities of Mariposa, Groveland, Mono County and Oakhurst for more options.
• Campgrounds. There are 13 popular campgrounds, all on reservations from April through October. Non-lottery sites release at 7 a.m. Pacific on Recreation.gov and sell out within minutes, and many release five months ahead on the 15th. In winter, Camp 4, Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow are first-come, first-served, and Upper Pines takes reservations all year.
• Wilderness. Every overnight backpacking trip needs a wilderness permit.
• Food. Yosemite Valley Lodge's food court and The Ahwahnee's dining room are open year-round.
• Internet. Wi-Fi is for registered guests at the main lodges. The small county library branches in the Valley and Wawona have public computers.

Pets

• Where pets can go. They're allowed on fully paved roads, sidewalks and bike paths on a leash of 6 feet or less. That includes the Bridalveil Fall and Lower Yosemite Fall trails, the paved Cook's Meadow path and the paved road to Mirror Lake. The Wawona Meadow Loop is also open to pets.
• Where they can't. Pets aren't allowed on other trails, including the trail to Vernal Fall, even if carried. They're also banned anywhere in Mariposa Grove and on shuttles.

Common mistakes

We're an independent site, not the National Park Service. Conditions change fast, so confirm on nps.gov before you go.

• Arriving in the Valley at 10 a.m. on a Saturday and hunting for a second parking space.
• Leaving a cooler or groceries in the car overnight.
• Heading for Tioga Pass or Glacier Point after the first big snow.
• Running low on gas in the Valley, which has none.
• Trusting GPS instead of NPS directions.
• Wading into a "calm" river above a waterfall.