Yosemite Itinerary: 1, 2 and 3 Days in the Park
One day is Yosemite Valley: Tunnel View, Lower Yosemite Fall, and the Mist Trail as far as the top of Vernal Fall. Two days adds Glacier Point for the view down onto Half Dome, and Mariposa Grove for the sequoias. Three days adds Tioga Road, Olmsted Point and Tuolumne Meadows, which sit under snow until late spring. Waterfalls are at their loudest in May and largely gone by August, so the month you come changes the park more than the number of days you have. Our Yosemite 3 day itinerary has the full version with lodging.
One day in Yosemite
Park once and use the free valley shuttle. Start at Tunnel View at sunrise, when the light comes up the valley and the coaches have not arrived. Then the Mist Trail from Happy Isles: 2.4 miles round trip to the top of Vernal Fall, on stone steps that are genuinely wet in spring, or 5.4 miles if you continue to Nevada Fall. Afternoon on the valley floor loop past El Capitan Meadow, where you can watch climbers through binoculars, and Lower Yosemite Fall, which is a paved mile. Finish at Cook's Meadow for the classic Half Dome view. Our Yosemite Valley hiking guide has the trail detail.
Two days
- Day 1: the valley as above.
- Day 2: Glacier Point, an hour from the valley when the road is open, roughly late May to October. Stand at the railing and Half Dome, Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall are all below you. Walk the four mile Trail down if you can arrange a lift back up, or take the Sentinel Dome and Taft Point loop, 5 miles with a fissure you can look straight down. Afternoon at Mariposa Grove for the Grizzly Giant and the California Tunnel Tree, reached by a shuttle from the welcome plaza in summer.
Three days
Day three goes high. Tioga Road climbs to 9,945 feet at Tioga Pass and it is a different park up there: granite domes, meadows and thin air.
- Olmsted Point for the back of Half Dome.
- Lembert Dome in Tuolumne Meadows, 2.8 miles, all slickrock at the top.
- Cathedral Lakes if you want a full day, 7 miles on the John Muir Trail to one of the best lakes in the Sierra. See our John Muir Trail section for the longer version.
- Tenaya Lake for a swim, if late July has warmed it to merely cold.
Tioga Road usually opens between late May and early July depending on the snowpack, and closes in November. If your dates are outside that, use day three for Hetch Hetchy instead, which is open all year and holds Wapama Falls at 5 miles round trip.
What to book before anything else
- Entry reservations. Yosemite has required peak hours entry reservations in most recent summers. The rules have changed nearly every year, so check the park page as soon as your dates are set.
- Lodging. In park rooms release 366 days ahead. The Ahwahnee, Yosemite Valley Lodge and Curry Village all go quickly. Outside the park, El Portal is closest, then Mariposa, Groveland and Oakhurst.
- Half Dome. The cables need a permit from a March preseason lottery plus daily lotteries in season. Details in our Half Dome trip guide.
- Wilderness permits for any overnight, released on a rolling window. See Yosemite backpacking permits.
Which month you come matters more than the plan
- April to early June: waterfalls at maximum. Yosemite Falls thunders, the Mist Trail soaks you, and Tioga and Glacier Point Roads are probably still closed.
- Late June to August: everything open, warm, and the valley is at its most crowded. Falls fade through July.
- September and October: the best balance. Quiet after Labor Day, high roads still open into autumn, and the light is better.
- November to March: valley only, and beautiful in snow. Chains may be required on any approach road. Firefall light on Horsetail Fall lands in the second half of February.
Getting there
Four hours from San Francisco and six from Los Angeles. Highway 140 through Mariposa is the lowest and safest winter approach, Highway 120 from the west is the fastest in summer, and Tioga Pass from the east side is closed half the year. There is also a train and bus option: Amtrak to Merced, then the YARTS bus straight into the valley, which means no parking problem at all. Route detail in our San Francisco to Yosemite road trip guide.
Have us plan your Yosemite days
Give us your dates and we will tell you which roads will be open, then lay out the days around the entry reservation and the permits you can get. Planning is free, and we earn only if you book through us.
Yosemite Itinerary: 1, 2 and 3 Days in the Park FAQs
Two is the sensible minimum: one for the valley and one for Glacier Point. Three days lets you add Tioga Road and Tuolumne Meadows in summer, or Hetch Hetchy the rest of the year. One day covers the valley floor and one waterfall hike.
Tunnel View at sunrise, the Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Fall, then the valley floor loop past El Capitan Meadow and Lower Yosemite Fall, finishing at Cook's Meadow. Use the free shuttle and park once.
May, with April and early June close behind. Yosemite Falls typically drops to a trickle or dries out entirely by August, and Bridalveil and Vernal run longer because they carry more of the snowmelt.
Usually between late May and early July, depending on how much snow fell, and it closes in November. Glacier Point Road runs on a similar schedule, opening a little earlier.
In most recent summers, yes, for daytime arrivals during peak season. The specifics have changed nearly every year, so check the park page once your dates are fixed rather than relying on last season's rule.
Yes. Amtrak runs to Merced and the YARTS bus continues into Yosemite Valley, and the free valley shuttle covers the trailheads. You lose Glacier Point and Tioga Road unless you book a tour bus.
