World-renowned as one of the best national parks in the United States, Yosemite National Park in central California often tops the list of “must-visit” destinations for national park lovers, hiking enthusiasts, and outdoor connoisseurs. Famous for its iconic rock formations El Capitan and Half Dome, Yosemite National Park offers breathtaking views and endless hiking opportunities. While it can become very oversaturated with visitors, Yosemite still remains a top contender for travel destinations in the U.S.A.
With an average of 4 million visitors per year, Yosemite National Park consistently ranks among the top five most-visited national parks within the U.S., alongside the Great Smoky Mountains, Zion, the Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone (which is firmly on my list of “will visit one day”). The park is located near Fresno, California – home of the closest major airport – and is relatively easy to get to. Although it requires some driving (about 1.5 hours from the airport to the entrance, then another hour to Yosemite Valley), the journey is well worth it once you arrive.
While Yosemite is best known for its towering granite formations, it also holds a special place in history for helping to create the National Park System, dating back to Abraham Lincoln. In 1864, after conservationists lobbied to protect Yosemite Valley from urban development throughout the 1800s, Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant, designating the valley as federally protected land. Twenty-six years later, naturalist John Muir (often called the “Father of the National Parks”) led a successful movement to push Congress to establish Yosemite Valley and its surrounding areas as a national park. This milestone ultimately helped lay the foundation for the entire National Park System.
Years later, in 1984, Yosemite was designated a World Heritage Site, but its history stretches back thousands of years. Originally home to the Ahwahnechee people, who lived in the area 7,000 years ago, the valley began attracting tourists in 1855, when entrepreneur James Mason Hutchings, artist Thomas Ayres, and two companions became its first outside visitors. Tourism surged after the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, which made access far easier than the previously required long horseback ride. A second boom followed in the mid-1870s with the construction of three stagecoach roads. Today, Yosemite National Park welcomes about 4 million visitors from around the globe each year.
With a park as vast as Yosemite, there are many possibilities for exploration. You can drive to Glacier Point for a breathtaking, up-close view of the iconic Half Dome. Or hike the Mirror Lake Trail, where you’ll find yourself wandering through open fields beneath the back of Half Dome towering over you, before cooling off with a swim in the lake or Merced River. If Mirror Lake isn’t your style, you can spend a relaxing afternoon at Cathedral Beach. Afterward, head to El Capitan Meadow to explore the trails around the world-famous monolith before dipping in the Merced River again. For those looking for more of a challenge, you can tackle the Four Mile Trail, which climbs from the valley floor to Glacier Point. And when hunger sets in, stop by one of the Curry Village locations, east or west, for various dining options.
While visiting Yosemite was a magical experience, and a major life bucket-list item checked off, it didn’t come without its hiccups. The biggest issue? The suffocating number of people (all of my strategically taken pictures do NOT do it justice). This was the 17th national park I’ve visited, and, by far, one of the most crowded, rivaled only by Zion National Park when we visited in July 2022. We planned our trip for a Monday and Tuesday at the beginning of August, hoping that the timing on weekdays, just before back-to-school season, would mean fewer visitors. Ha! Wishful thinking.
We got lucky on Monday, as it was a “free entry day.” All we had to do was show our reservation (more on that just below), and we drove right in – no traffic, no lines 🙌🏼. This seemed to ease the hordes of cars on the roads and at popular viewpoints. Tuesday, however, was a completely different story. We were perplexed about why our drive from our Airbnb in Oakhurst, California, took an extra hour than the day before… but quickly discovered why. We had to sit in line for over an hour just to reach the entrance booths, where every car had to stop to show its reservation AND pay.
Once inside, we found ourselves trapped behind long lines of slow-moving cars, battling for scarce parking, and facing overwhelming wait times at food areas that left us skipping lunch altogether. Finding an open spot to enjoy the river felt like searching for the lost city of Atlantis – something that did not exist. It was perplexing how the bottleneck at the entrance set off such a domino effect that impacted the rest of the day within the park.
Due to these overwhelming crowds, Yosemite is now among the national parks requiring a prepaid reservation. I recommend reserving at least four weeks before your trip. Without booking this far in advance, you risk finding no availability during your visit. Reservations are made per vehicle (not per person) and are required most days from May 24th through September 1st, between 6 am and 2 pm. There are occasional dates within this period when reservations aren’t needed, so it’s best to check the NPS website while planning your visit: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/reservations.htm
Once inside the park, reaching the most popular spots takes about an hour. The main highlights are within Yosemite Valley, home to El Capitan, Horsetail Falls, Mirror Lake, and more. Another must-see is Glacier Point, offering the best view of Half Dome without requiring the strenuous two-day, 12-mile hike (and a permit). Although the two areas are close in mileage (38.5 miles), driving between Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point takes, at minimum, 1 hour due to the 35 mph speed limit, winding roads, and frequent gridlocks from drivers devolving into lookey-loos and going well under the 35 mph speed limit. Both areas can easily be visited in a single day, but be prepared to spend about an hour on the road between them.
The viewpoints within Yosemite Valley are a different story and much easier to access, as most are close to one another. The park also offers a shuttle system, allowing you to park near the Visitor Center (for free!) and ride to the main stops. We did this on both days, and I highly recommend it, since finding parking near popular spots like El Capitan is nearly impossible. That said… depending on what time of year you go, be prepared to be stuffed into the shuttles like a can of sardines. With so many visitors, bus drivers often pack the buses to over-capacity to standing room only, which makes for a rather uncomfortable ride, especially if you’re on the bus for multiple stops. We endured this several times on our second day, squeezing in with people practically sitting in our laps. Fun times.
Overall, while I have absolutely no regrets about finally visiting one of the most famous and iconic national parks within the United States, I would do things slightly differently if I could do it again. Mainly, I’d choose a different time of year to go, ideally September or October. The weather would be cooler, the fall colors would be stunning, traffic would be much lighter, and the crowds would be far more breathable. We wouldn’t be forced to book a reservation, endure excruciatingly long lines at the entrance booths, or find ourselves struggling to access food. Having visited the Grand Canyon and Zion in both summer and fall, the experience at these two national parks during these seasons is drastically different. I imagine Yosemite is no exception. Thus, my main advice to anyone reading this blog: if you want to truly enjoy this epic, beautiful, and iconic national park, avoid visiting during the summer!
