One of the most popular visits in a trip to the west coast of the United States is the Yosemite National Park, California.
In this park you will find lush forests, where you will have the opportunity to see the gigantic sequoias that can be seen in various areas of California.
In this regard, I remind you that you also find these impressive trees in the sequoia national park.
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Also, in Yosemite The great granite rocky mountains are also protagonists, the most famous being the so-called El Captain.
And if you decide visit Yosemite in spring, you can enjoy mighty waterfalls, of course, which in summer significantly reduce their volume of water until they almost disappear.
Below I detail different helpful tips to take into account for visit Yosemite National Park.
All the information in detail
- 1 Where is and how to get to Yosemite in California
- 2 What is the best time to visit Yosemite?
- 3 The best things to see and do when visiting Yosemite
- 3.1 Yosemite Valley, the heart of the national park
- 3.2 How to see El Capitan, Yosemite's iconic rocky mountain
- 3.3 Waterfalls in Yosemite
- 3.4 Mirror Lake, the Half Dome viewpoint
- 3.5 Tunnel View in Yosemite
- 3.6 Glacier Point, the best panoramic views of Yosemite
- 3.7 Mariposa Grove, where to see giant sequoias in Yosemite
- 3.8 Tioga Road Route in Yosemite
- 4 Yosemite National Park Entrance Fees
- 5 How to take a Tour from San Francisco to Yosemite
- 6 Map: how to get to Yosemite
Where is and how to get to Yosemite in California
Yosemite is located east of San Francisco, towards the interior of california.
In your California car trip, the usual thing would be to access from San Francisco awarded by the 49 Route, but if you come since the Angeles, you should go to Ash, and then take the 41 Route that will take you to the park.
Another option when plan the route to visit the Yosemite National Park is to consider it an intermediate stage in the travel between San Francisco and Las Vegas.
This option can take you to cross the national park along the route called Tioga Road, and then take the 345 Route that leads you to the national park death Valley (Death Valley), already on the way to Nevada.
Esta route along Tioga Road It is only viable in spring and summer because during the winter the high mountain road will be closed due to snow.
What is the best time to visit Yosemite?
Precisely when planning your Yosemite visit, it is important to know that circumstances change depending on the time of the year.
You have to keep in mind that in a large part of it you do not have access to some of the most interesting areas due to the Road closures due to inclement weather.
Specifically, the aforementioned mountain road of Tioga Road or the area of Mariposa Road, also located at altitude and where the sequoias are found.
The best things to see and do when visiting Yosemite
Yosemite National Park has various areas that are susceptible to your visit.
Yosemite Valley, the heart of the national park
The central area of Yosemite National Park is called Yosemite Valley, whose access is located to the west of the park.
After entering the park at 49 Route, you will find a gazebo from which you will enjoy the first panoramic views of the Yosemite Valley.
How to see El Capitan, Yosemite's iconic rocky mountain
From this first viewpoint, in the distance you will already see the rocky promontory known as El Captain.
On your route to the center of the valley, where the Yosemite National Park Visitor Center, you will have the opportunity to pass by El capitán and check the majesty of the 914 meter high rock.
Waterfalls in Yosemite
From the Visitors Center, in spring it is worth taking a path and approaching the Yosemite waterfalls, which in three different waterfalls complete a height of 740 meters.
Don't be surprised if you travel in August or in later months that you will find these waterfalls already dry.
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Mirror Lake, the Half Dome viewpoint
From the Visitors Center You can also go to the place known as Mirror lake.
It is a small lake that is the best place to contemplate the Half dome, the other iconic rocky promontory of Yosemite, which rises 1.500 meters above the base of the Yosemite Valley.
Tunnel View in Yosemite
When you leave the Yosemite Valley and you head south along the 41 Route, on the way to Fresno, right at the exit of the valley is the gazebo tunnel view.
It is possibly from this enclave where you have the best panoramic views of Yosemite Valley.
Glacier Point, the best panoramic views of Yosemite
Shortly after leaving the valley, you can take the road that turns left to ascend the so-called Glacier point.
From this location you will have beautiful panoramic views of the Yosemite Valley, including those mentioned Rocky Mountains El Captain and the Half dome.
And from there you can also see the waterfall Nevadaa, whose most spectacular moment occurs in the month of May.
Mariposa Grove, where to see giant sequoias in Yosemite
Before arriving at the Yosemite National Park South Exit, be sure to come to the place called butterfly grove.
Going up to this enclave will take you to a large and leafy forest where you will see the spectacular giant sequoiasWithout a doubt, one of the main attractions of visiting Yosemite National Park.
Tioga Road Route in Yosemite
In the northern part of the Yosemite Valley There is the road that crosses the entire national park at the top of the mountains.
In this Tioga Road route, and as we approach the east exit of Yosemite, you will find Tulumne Meadows, a large meadow in the highlands that shows the visitor a beautiful landscape of the national park, as it is very flowery in spring.
Tuolumne Meadows is located 90 kilometers from Yosemite Valley, which amounts to an hour and a half through Tioga Road.
This large meadow in the Yosemite highlands is located at 2.600 meters above sea level, so it is only open to visitors from mid-May until the first snows of November, as happens along the entire route of Tioga Road.
The great meadow of Tulumne Meadows It is crossed by the Tuolumme River and is surrounded by large peaks with a height of more than 4.000 meters.
When we arrived at Tuolumne Meadows we found a campground, a visitor center, and some shops and restaurants. This meadow is also accessible in winter to practice Nordic skiing.
This route is only accessible from spring to fall.
Yosemite National Park Entrance Fees
El entrance fee to visit Yosemite It is $35, and it includes access to a car with all its occupants, as many times as you want for seven consecutive days.
If you go by motorcycle the price is 30 dollars per vehicle with its occupants, and if you go by bicycle...or on foot, the entrance price is 20 dollars per person.
Now, if in your trip along the west coast of the United States you are going to visit several national parks, you can consider the option of purchasing the Annual Pass.
It is a tourist pass valid annually for $80 for a vehicle and four passengers, which allows you to access the vast majority of the aforementioned parks.
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How to take a Tour from San Francisco to Yosemite
If instead of driving on your own you prefer to sign up for a organized excursion To visit this national park, you have the option of tour from San Francisco to Yosemite.
This 14-hour excursion will allow you to spend 5-6 hours in the national park, where in a single day you will see its most notable corners.
Distances to Yosemite National Park in California
It will be useful to know the driving distances from Yosemite National Park to notable places in the West Coast of the United States:
- Distance from San Francisco to Yosemite: 304 kilometers, three and a half hours
- Distance from Los Angeles to Yosemite: 497 kilometers, five hours
- Distance from Las Vegas to Yosemite: 793 kilometers, eight hours
- Distance from Death Valley to Yosemite: 468 kilometers, six and a half hours
More information about Yosemite National Park
- Official website of Yosemite National Park
- El Capitan Rocky Mountain in Yosemite National Park
- Giant sequoias at Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park
- Road closure times due to inclement weather in Yosemite
- Tour in Spanish from San Francisco to Yosemite in one day
Map: how to get to Yosemite
On this map you have the location of the Yosemite National Park in California, and you can see how to get there from San Francisco by car.
Do you still pay $35 per van, regardless of the number of people?
Can I get a guide in the park, where is it hired and how much does it cost?
They have WIFI?
Hello, good afternoon, in the first days of May, 10 people are going to visit Yosemite. I understand that there is a tour to walk within Yosemite that lasts approximately 6 hours (I want you to reconfirm this for me). On the other hand, since we are going with two older adults, I want to know if there are special tours for them or any type of special help for seniors.
I wait for your comments about it . Thank you in advance for your help.
Greetings.
Good afternoon, in the month of August I am going to San Francisco. I wanted to go to Yosemite for a whole day (from morning to night, returning to San Francisco. Is there a bus? Can I go around without a tour?
How is the month of February, mid-approx. to visit Yosemite?
And what accommodations are worth it?
Family group with small children…
Thank you!
For February you will have to dress warmly and know that certain accesses are closed due to frost.
The park has very large dimensions and you must be clear about what you want to see to know that after an hour by car you will find routes on foot that will take another hour to see any of the points, remember to plan it well
I just arrived two days ago and I haven't been able to see much.
for fires
Hello everyone, I have doubts. We are going from Las Vegas to Death Valley and from there to Mammonth Lake where we will sleep at the Shilo Inn hotel and then in the morning we will go to Yosemite where we will sleep at the Wawona hotel and then heading to San Francisco. My question is: which is better to go to San Francisco, cross the Yosemite or go around it??? Or is there a quick route? I await your answers. thank you
Hello Jose Luis. I am organizing our vacation with arrival in Los Angeles on July 4 at night and departure back from Los Angeles on July 18 at night. We have already booked the first 3 nights in West Hollywood, July 7th in Watsonville – Monterrey and July 8th in San Francisco. The idea was to complete the circuit passing through Yosemite and Grand Canyon parks, then Las Vegas, and ending in San Diego. But I have seen on the website that Mariposo Grove is going to be closed starting July 6, so I am considering adding Sequoia Park. Another issue I see is that it is too far from Yosemite or Sequoia to Grand Canyon, so it would be better to do Las Vegas before Grand Canyon. For example, July 9 in a town near Yosemite coming from San Francisco, on the 10th in another town between Yosemite and Sequoia, on the 11th and 12th night in Las Vegas, on the 13th night in a town near Grand Canyon (we want to do the rafting and exploring the sights by car, I don't know if one night is enough), and the rest of the nights San Diego.
Hello José Luis, we are thinking of leaving San José for Yosemeri. What could you say about food? They sell meals nearby.
Hello Jose Luis, I plan to visit the west coast of the United States in the last week of May and the first week of August, starting with Las Vegas and then by car to Concord (1 hour from San Francisco) I am traveling with 02 other people and I wanted to know your opinion about what is best for us to visit Yosemite, the first option is to take a tour that leaves from SF and lasts about 14 hours, it is not so bad because according to what I read, the most important thing is that in almost 04 hours we would be in the park . The second option is to leave from Las Vegas, stop and sleep 1 night in Yosemite (here I need your help, I don't know if you have links or know where I can see where to stay, even if it's a tent) I also wanted you to answer a question for me, if we go for our Can we visit all the points they say on the tours? Is everything in the same area? The truth is that our trip is very close and I will greatly appreciate your response.
Thank you and may the successes continue.
regards
Hello, I would like to know if the month of July would be appropriate to visit the Yosesmite park, I would also need to know to visit it if there are places for accommodation since I continue traveling north to the Seatlle region. Thank you, I await your responses carefully.
Cristian, July is a good month to visit Yosemite, although it is already high season and there will be many tourists.
Regarding accommodation, more than in the park itself, the advice is that you organize the visit so that you can stay in nearby locations.
The closer it is, the more expensive and difficult it will be to find, so look for it at a distance.
Hello Jose Luis, very good information that helps me a little more to plan the trip I will take in May, I wanted to ask you a question, if I am driving from Las Vegas, can I access a tour once I have arrived in Yosemite? the other plan was to take a tour from San Francisco.
What do you recommend me?
Saldusp