Best Places to Visit in Yosemite National Park
If you're looking for recommendations when you visit YNP, we have some for you.
This summer, we did a grand tour of California and enjoyed visiting several National Parks, including Kings Canyon and Sequoia. Our next stop was Yosemite.
And WOW! Was this place gorgeous!
We drove into the YNP from the south on Highway 41 and stopped at the Mariposa Grove visitor center for our first stop. We’d planned to take the shuttle down to the Mariposa Grove area, where the Grizzly Giant trail is, but unfortunately, the shuttle wasn’t running that day, and taking the shuttle or hiking are the only ways to get there.
Since this park was part of a much larger road trip, we planned to spend only one day there, so this hike was a little too long for the time we had. So instead of that, we took the Yosemite Wilderness Road up to Washburn Point and Glacier Point, which provided INCREDIBLE views of the whole Yosemite Valley.
The viewpoint areas up there were some of my favorite spots in the whole park, with amazing views no matter where you looked. There are big areas where you can walk around and enjoy exploring up at the top, and there are lots of parking spaces up there too.
After spending time at the top, we came back down from that area, drove into the valley, and through the Wawona Tunnel. The tunnel was pretty incredible, too. It’s the longest highway tunnel in California, just under a mile long. I couldn’t believe how long we were in there. lol! But the view once we crossed through — INCREDIBLE!
Driving down into Yosemite Valley is great because it’s basically just a big loop. You can drive the loop, stop near anything you want to explore, and then continue around the loop (assuming you find a parking space).
Our first stop was Bridalveil Falls. This area has a well-maintained parking lot, restrooms, and a lovely walking path along the creek and up to the falls. It’s a beautiful area and the sound of the rushing water is amazing!
One thing you do have to be aware of — the closer you get to the falls, the more likely you are to get drenched pretty quickly! ha! The spray from the falls is intense and goes quite a ways! 😉
Driving through the valley is surreal because you’re down in this flat area and there are just huge mountains and sheer cliffs right next to you. It’s an amazing sight. It was fun to look up and realize that we’d been way up there when we started our day in the park. And then driving toward El Capitan — and also realizing people CLIMB that thing…mind blowing!!
It sure is beautiful!
Once we made it to the east end of the loop, we stopped at the Yosemite Valley Welcome Center. Let me tell you, this place was hopping and was by far the busiest area in the entire park.
There’s a store nearby where campers can stock up on any food and supplies they need; there’s a visitor center where you can learn more about the park and get your passport stamped; and there are restaurants, restrooms, and a few shops, too. It’s a very cool spot to explore.
They also have a free shuttle bus that runs through Yosemite Valley and follows the loop road. You can jump on at any stop and get off wherever you’d like. We decided to walk over to Yosemite Falls from the welcome center, then take the bus to a couple of other points, so we didn’t have to worry about driving or finding a parking spot.
Yosemite Falls is the park's crown jewel.
Yosemite Falls consists of three parts — upper, middle, and lower falls — and is one of the tallest waterfalls in the world!
The falls result from snowmelt, so there is much more volume in spring and early summer, and as the snow diminishes, so does the waterfall. We were lucky to see it during peak season, so it was a pretty incredible sight! And just like the other falls, you will quickly get drenched if you’re anywhere near the falls. 😂
The spray goes really far from this one and you have to be super quick to see it (and snap your pic!) or end up soaking wet. Like we did. It creates a lot of wind through there, too, as you can see from my hair! lol!
This next part was probably the most exciting part of the day. Which is kind of crazy considering how majestic this park is and how in awe we were at every place we stopped to take in the view. But since we started traveling full-time in the summer of 2020, we have enjoyed visiting National Parks and looking for wildlife.
One of the things James has always wanted to see is a bear. We have been to SO many places that are known for bears and we have never seen a bear. Ever. (Well, never in the wild — we’ve seen them at the zoo and in captivity, of course.)
Lo and behold, our streak of bad luck finally ended on this day.
WE SAW A BEAR!
We happened to be riding the shuttle bus and had just dropped some people at a stop, and as we were slowly going through the parking lot, I looked out the window and was the first person to see it and yelled bear!
I was pretty proud of myself because I was the one who actually spotted it first. We were riding the shuttle bus, had just dropped off some people at a stop, and were slowly making our way through the parking lot when I looked out the window and saw it. Of course, I exclaimed, ‘There’s a bear!’
The bus driver heard me and stopped so we could watch him for a minute. Unfortunately, we weren't close enough to get a great photo, and thankfully, we were far enough so James couldn't run out to hug it, but we did get some pics.
After that, our day was made! We were so excited!
By that time, we’d made it most of the way around the loop and had seen all we’d planned to see, so we worked our way back to our truck to head out of the park and get to our campground for the night. On our way out, we discovered another tunnel and another waterfall at Cascades Creek. There was a parking lot off the road, so we got out to check it out before leaving.
Interestingly, we never saw a Yosemite National Park sign when we entered the park on the south side, but thankfully, as we were leaving on the west via Highway 120, there was one at the Big Oak Flat entrance. It was a pretty sign too.
I would love to go back here one day and spend several days in the park. There are plenty of campgrounds and lodges in the area, and lots of hiking trails you can explore, so it would be a lovely place to spend a good amount of time.
For now, I’m super thankful we got our day in the park to drive through and see all the beautiful sights.