Yosemite

Overview

Yosemite Valley is seven miles long, a mile wide, and carved 3,000 feet deep by glaciers into the granite heart of the Sierra Nevada. The valley's sheer walls host some of the most iconic rock formations in the world: El Capitan, a 3,000-foot vertical granite monolith that is the proving ground of modern rock climbing; Half Dome, the park's signature bisected granite dome rising 4,737 feet above the valley floor; and Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America at 2,425 feet. Spring is Yosemite's most dramatic season, when snowmelt fills the waterfalls to their thundering peak. Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Fall, and dozens of smaller cascades pour over the valley rim, filling the air with mist and sound. By late summer, most falls slow to a trickle or dry completely, revealing the granite walls in their full stark beauty. The Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Fall, where hikers climb granite stairs through clouds of spray, is the park's quintessential hike. Beyond the valley, Yosemite encompasses nearly 1,200 square miles of high Sierra wilderness. Tuolumne Meadows, at 8,600 feet, opens a gentler alpine landscape of polished granite domes, subalpine meadows, and the Tuolumne River. The Tioga Road crossing the park over 9,945-foot Tioga Pass connects the valley to the eastern Sierra, and the backcountry — accessible by permit — holds hundreds of miles of trail through granite basins, alpine lakes, and groves of giant sequoias in the Mariposa Grove.

Things to Do

• Hike the Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls
• See Yosemite Falls from the valley floor
• Climb Half Dome via the cables route (permit required)
• Watch climbers on El Capitan through binoculars
• Visit Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias
• Drive Tioga Road to Tuolumne Meadows
• Photograph Tunnel View, the classic Yosemite panorama
• Rock climb on world-famous granite walls

Wildlife

Keep an eye out for these animals during your visit:

Weather & Best Time to Visit

Valley floor summers are warm (85-95°F) with dry conditions. Higher elevations are cool. Winter brings snow to the valley and heavy snow above 7,000 feet. Spring snowmelt drives the famous waterfalls.