3 Day Yosemite National Park Itinerary: The Best Route For First Timers

2 months ago 36

With towering sequoias and colossal granite peaks, Yosemite National Park is satellite celebrated for its veracious landscapes and undeniable beauty.

If you’ve ever dreamed of hiking done heavy forests opening up to thundering waterfalls that could marque adjacent Niagara blush, oregon spotting a carnivore (from a harmless distance, of course), you’re readying the close vacation.

people hiking connected mountains successful yosemite

Yosemite is simply a vast, 1200 quadrate mile parkland successful the Sierra Nevada upland scope successful California, and arsenic such, it takes a portion to spot it all.

However, successful 3 days, you tin battalion successful a ton of adventure, and spot immoderate of the biggest highlights of the parkland specified arsenic the iconic El Capitan and Half Dome stone formations, arsenic good arsenic stumble connected immoderate secluded spots for introspection nether the elephantine sequoias.

If you privation to harvester some relaxation and adventure, this 3 time itinerary for Yosemite National Park has you covered.

So, drawback your binoculars and a consciousness of adventure, due to the fact that it’s clip to deed the road!\

The Ultimate 3 Day Yosemite Itinerary

We spent 3 days successful Yosemite National Park astatine an ambling pace, which allowed maine to soak up the views, the lukewarm Fall temperatures, and acquisition a fewer undiscovered experiences similar a Ansell Adam’s inspired photography circuit of Yosemite Valley.

In this guide, I person mapped retired however I spent 3 days enjoying Yosemite and connection immoderate suggestions for different activities you tin do, successful lawsuit you privation much escapade than I did!

If you request much ideas, I besides person this implicit usher connected things to bash successful Yosemite National Park, which details much of the highlight hikes, viewpoints, and more.

Day 1

Stop 1: Tioga Pass Road

As we were coming successful from Mammoth and the Eastern Sierras regions of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, we entered Yosemite by the little often visited Tioga Pass Road.

It’s the highest roadworthy successful California with an elevation range from 6,200 feet to 10,000 ft. The roadworthy is closed for fractional the twelvemonth owed to snowy conditions, but if you hap to beryllium visiting from precocious May oregon June until sometime successful November, this is the champion mode to scope the park.

It’s particularly beauteous during the Spring. This clip of twelvemonth is erstwhile the precocious snowfall up present melts and feeds astir of the waterfalls that volition gush down those Yosemite Valley walls, creating a mesmerizing sight!

The 39-mile scenic drive takes you through Yosemite’s precocious country, past forests, meadows, lakes, and granite domes. Tuolumne Meadows is a fashionable spot for adventure hikes to respective lakes and domes.

Stop 2: Olmsted Point

Olmsted Point is wherever you’ll find melodramatic panoramic vistas of the granite cliffs and boulders that signifier truthful overmuch of Yosemite and makes rock climbers around the satellite happy.

This is your archetypal presumption of Half Dome, the iconic, dome boulder that looks similar it’s been shaved successful half. This presumption shows the backside of it, which is precise antithetic to the Half Dome presumption you’ll spot throughout Yosemite Valley.

You tin spot it from the parking lot, but if you privation amended unobstructed views, instrumentality the short, paved way that goes down from the parking lot.

woman lasting connected a stone with mountains successful the background

The views present are 360 degrees, truthful beryllium definite to crook and instrumentality successful the views down you overlooking Tenaya Lake, which conscionable arsenic melodramatic and beautiful.

Stop 3: Tenaya Lake

Tenaya Lake tioga walk yosemite California

Tenaya Lake, besides known arsenic the Jewel of the High Country, was our picturesque archetypal halt on the Tioga Pass. There’s a bully sandy formation present with beauteous views of the surrounding glacially shaped domes that look snowfall covered, but is conscionable the granite sparkling!

Tenaya Lake was named aft Chief Tenaya of the Ahwahnechee people, who inhabited overmuch of Yosemite earlier their forced relocation successful the 1850s.

The champion presumption is meant to beryllium the westbound end, which is accessed by the Clouds Rest / Sunrise Lakes trailhead.

Stop 4: Ansel Adams Photography Workshop

When you deliberation of Yosemite, 2 renowned artists and naturalists names travel to mind: John Muir and Ansel Adams, some advocates for persevering peculiar places successful nature.

A unsocial acquisition you tin bash successful Yosemite National Park is to locomotion successful the footsteps of Ansel Adams connected a photography workshop, which are operated by the Ansel Adams Gallery.

Yosemite was Ansel’s main root of inspiration for astir of his life, and his photos of Yosemite would go treasured astir the world.

He spent galore years successful Yosemite moving arsenic a High Sierras photography circuit guide, placing the half dome cable strategy each twelvemonth for hikers, and arsenic caretaker of the Sierra Club’s LeConte Memorial Lodge in Yosemite Valley.

Our usher and avid photographer, Blake, shared the communicative of Ansel and his photography travel arsenic we walked done the meadows of Yosemite Valley.

We’d halt on the mode to look astatine immoderate of his photos, perceive the communicative down them, and larn a fewer photography techniques: however to support standard for position to springiness photograph justness to existent life, however to usage acheronian and gangly structures to distract and artifact wandering eyes, and however Ansel developed the Zone strategy for achromatic and achromatic photography which grew successful the histogram strategy we present usage connected our integer cameras.

Practicing Perspective

The pursuing 2 images were our position signifier – changing wherever we stood to adhd abstraction betwixt the histrion and the Cathedral Rock. Something truthful tiny tin wholly alteration the representation captured.

Tell maine successful the comments which representation you prefer.

cathedral stone rising up from yosemite valley

cathedral stone rising up from yosemite vale wider perspective

Chamonix 45 4×4 View Camera

The item for everyone was Blake mounting up a Chamonix 45 4×5 presumption camera connected the Swinging Bridge. It was a camera akin to what Ansel would person used.

man looking astatine Chamonix 45 4x5 presumption camera

It was enlightening to spot the clip and effort that went into capturing 1 photograph with small country for error. I don’t deliberation anyone successful our modern days with our automatic captures and overused delete fastener would person had the patience to seizure anything. No wonderment it was a occupation for the existent artists.

It costs Blake astir 5- 6 dollars to nutrient conscionable 1 photograph from this camera!

man taking photograph connected chamonix 45 4x 5 presumption camera

Ansel Adam’s was a soundless but persuasive dependable successful getting Kings Canyon to go a national park in 1940, done his images from the Muir Trail that President Roosevelt loved.

It was present that Ansel realized his photos could beryllium utilized for thing greater than his ain payment of sharing photos.

I connected to this communicative truthful profoundly arsenic it was that benignant of reasoning that led maine to question blogging – allowing my stories from a beingness of question to beryllium utilized for thing greater than conscionable my ain enjoyment of them.

I decided to start a question blog to larn the lessons and animate others to prosecute lives and experiences that assistance them pat into (and grow through) joy, awe, and wonder.

And arsenic a Kodak colour movie tester, we tin accidental Ansel was the archetypal “influencer” and Blake assures america helium would person been precise accepting of however photography has evolved since his achromatic and achromatic presumption camera days.

To observe photography tours, cheque successful with the Ansel Adam’s Gallery to spot what benignant of photography tours are disposable to you during your visit.

Stop 5: Wander (or bike) Yosemite Valley

person walking connected boardwalk done Yosemite Valley California

Craig and I hired bikes backmost successful 2006 to rhythm astir the vale floor, which I loved. When we visited with our daughters, we spent small clip exploring the valley’s meadows and viewpoints arsenic we were hiking to waterfalls instead.

On this travel successful September the waterfalls didn’t person overmuch h2o left, arsenic they are mostly snowmelt fed, and they thin to adust up by the extremity of summer.

So this was the cleanable accidental to rotation the vale level and conscionable bask the waterless, yet inactive beauteous views and gentle walks.

Yosemite Valley is celebrated for its stone formations, monolithic cliff faces and plunging waterfalls, including Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall successful North America.

It’s unfastened year-round and is wherever you’ll find galore hiking trails and parkland amenities similar wide stores, visitor centers, cafes, Starbucks, accommodation, campgrounds, cabins, museums, and the Ansel Adams Gallery.

If you are hiking, my favorite hike is the Mist Trail up to the apical of Nevada Fall – and if you person longer than 3 days, spell disconnected the beaten way astatine the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.

Most radical take to locomotion the Yosemite Valley Loop Trail, which is an 11 mile loop way astir the vale level which fundamentally takes you to spot each the iconic viewpoints, specified arsenic of Eagle Peak, Colombia Rock, Bridalveil Fall Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls, Nevada Falls, The 3 Brothers, Cathedral Rock, Half Dome, Sentinel Rock and of course, El Capitan.

Don’t miss the presumption of Half Dome from Sentinel Bridge. If the upwind is not blowing, you volition get large reflections successful the Merced River.

There are besides plentifulness of sandy banks on the Merced River to soak up the rays, including the blissful Sentinel Beach. I saw immoderate radical floating successful tubes, and Swinging Bridge is besides different fashionable viewpoint and spot to bask the river.

man taking photos of merced stream and mountains successful yosemite

We hired bicycles for the 2 hours and loved cycling each the mode to the stunning and fashionable The Ahwahnee Hotel.

Stop 5 Alternative: Hike to Vernal Fall footbridge connected the John Muir Trail

If you privation a shorter hike than the Yosemite Valley Loop, see hiking a tiny information of The John Muir Trail (JMT), a long-distance trail that passes done Yosemite, on with a fewer different nationalist parks successful California.

The Yosemite information of the way is 300 miles long, and truthful it’s not imaginable to hike the full way successful a 3 time itinerary. However, you tin hike a tiny and beauteous conception of it which hugs the Merced River and takes you to the Vernal Fall footbridge, wherever you tin spot epic views of Vernal Fall.

After the footbridge, the proceedings splits successful 2 and you tin either proceed connected the John Muir Trail oregon instrumentality the Mist Trail for a person look of Vernal Fall. If you hike from the trailhead to the footbridge, it’s a mean 1.5 hr hike.

If you proceed connected the John Muir Trail, you tin scope the apical of Nevada Fall for astonishing views of Liberty Cap. This volition marque your full hike astir 5 hours.

You tin work much astir these trails here.

Day 2

Hike (or climb) El Capitan

The sheer stone look of El Capitan is tremendous and each encompassing. It’s 1 of the apical attractions successful Yosemite, particularly if you are a stone climber.

If you don’t privation to standard the gigantic, sheer cliffs of the granite monolith, El Capitan, 1 of the astir celebrated stone climbs successful the world, you whitethorn privation to basal astatine the viewing spot connected the vale level and spot if you tin spot them climbing 3,593 feet to the summit.

If you ever needed a consciousness of standard successful Yosemite, this is it. They are achromatic specks against the snowy achromatic walls.

There are astir one 100 ways to get to the top, and portion immoderate person managed to contention up it, adjacent without equipment, astir bash it successful 2 days, sleeping tied to the stone look overnight.

Note: I was rather cranky to aboriginal larn determination is simply a squad of rangers whose occupation it is to ascent the walls (perhaps erstwhile a week oregon each 2 weeks) and cleanable up aft the rock climbers who permission their rubbish tucked into the stone crevices. What a TERRIBLE usage of resources. If you tin transportation your nutrient up the walls with you, you tin transportation your trash backmost out. I was truthful shocked to perceive of this arsenic my presumption was rock climbers would beryllium 1 of the astir protective of our precious earthy resources with what I thought would beryllium a earthy affinity with nature.

Of course, if you don’t privation to ascent El Capitan, which is astir apt excessively large of an escapade for astir travelers, you tin instrumentality the agelong mode astir which is to hike.

Hiking is 1 of the apical things to bash successful Yosemite, and if you’re going to bash one, marque it a afloat time hike that encompasses the champion of the parkland and finishes astatine the highest of the astir celebrated acme of El Cap!

There is simply a strenuous, 13 mile way that starts astatine Camp 4 connected the Valley Loop Trail, and ends astatine the acme of El Cap. You bash request to beryllium successful highest carnal fittingness to bash it, and poles are recommended, but it is good worthy it.

The way passes Columbia Rock and different phenomenal viewpoints, overlooking Upper Yosemite Falls. There is besides a detour to Eagle Peak, though this volition marque the full hike astir 8-10 hours, truthful you determine whether you privation to bash it.

You tin presumption the way for this way here.

Day 3

Stop 1: Valley View

views of h2o and granite cliffs successful yosemite vale view

A apical Yosemite presumption not to miss down in Yosemite Valley is Valley View.

It gives you the champion presumption of Bridalveil Falls (if running) and the vale from the bottommost up. Take your gazing up astatine the vale photos and past beryllium backmost to sorb the existent view. This is 1 of a kind. As is the pursuing view.

Stop 2: Tunnel View

woman posing successful beforehand of Tunnel View Yosemite National Park

One of my favourite views successful the USA is of the Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View. As the waterfalls barely travel during the Fall, the presumption was somewhat little caput glowingly beauteous than the Spring.

But, inactive beauteous astatine immoderate moment. All I consciousness erstwhile I look down this lush vale bordered by these steep granite walls is implicit heavenly bliss. And erstwhile you spot the peregrine falcons flying done the vale each I consciousness is state (and immoderate envy of their quality to soar)

Tunnel View is pristine perfection.

And past successful Spring – conscionable look astatine however those walls are crying with the waterfalls teaming down them each on the vale connected some sides.

waterfalls cascading down cliffs into yosemite valley

Tip: The airy is champion successful the afternoon.

We could not access Glacier Point Road by autobus connected this Yosemite trip. It’s 1 of the champion views successful Yosemite, and the lone 1 I haven’t yet done! The Sentinel Dome and Taft Point hike is 1 of the astir fashionable successful this country with melodramatic 360 views.

Stop 3: See the Sequoias astatine Mariposa Grove oregon Tuolumne Grove

The champion spot to spot elephantine sequoia trees in Yosemite Valley is at Mariposa Grove near the South entrance of the park. Walk the Grizzly Giant loop way present and you’ll beryllium enveloped successful sequoia and each their glory.

The lone mode you tin get to the grove from the parking batch is by shuttle bus, unless of people you hike the 2 miles in.

Another large spot to spot them is successful Tuolumne Grove successful the occidental country of Yosemite connected the Tioga Road. It’s not arsenic good known oregon visited arsenic Mariposa and with lone 25 sequoias, has a overmuch smaller sequoia grove, but it was worthy a sojourn to spot these largest surviving trees.

family lasting successful beforehand of elephantine sequoia tree

woman lasting wrong spread successful elephantine sequoias astatine tuolumne grove yosemite (2)

person walking done spread successful sequpia successful tuolumne grove sequoias

Even though I person hugged those bigger sequoias astatine Mariposa, I inactive enjoyed hugging the Tuolumne Grove sequoias arsenic well. I cognize galore first-time sequoia gazers are thrilled by this experience.

What makes Tuolumne Grove unsocial is the passageway done the sequoias, and determination are besides a fewer redwood trees successful this conception excessively – the largest trees successful the world.

The hike is astir three miles return and loops astir the grove astatine the bottom. You’ll person an accidental to locomotion done the passageway of a dormant giant sequoia and adjacent crawl done the trunk of a dormant 1 present sleeping connected the ground.

woman lasting beside elephantine sequoia

And the gnarly roots of the upended sequoias adds a antithetic constituent of texture to explore.

Sequoias don’t person agelong roots, but they person beauteous sturdy, intertwined wide reaching roots which thin to usage up astir of the resources and truthful stops different flora from increasing here.

Note that it is rather a steep ascent coming backmost retired of the grove.

Where to Stay successful Yosemite National Park: Tenaya Lodge

swimming excavation astatine tenaya lodge

Every clip we sojourn Yosemite National Park, we enactment astatine Tenaya Lodge. We stayed present for 4 nights with the girls antecedently and loved it, truthful we marque definite to spell backmost each time. It’s 1 of the champion places to enactment adjacent Yosemite.

It does instrumentality astir an hr to get to Yosemite from here, but owed to constricted accommodation successful the park, and astir different accommodation is outside, it’s inactive 1 of the champion options.

It has comfy accommodation, with an fantabulous restaurant, relaxed ambiance, outdoor swimming pool, spa, and different convenient amenities.

There are amusive things to bash connected the property, similar nighttime guided walks, an archery course, and prima gazing, and determination are adjacent hiking trails, including 1 to a waterfall. You tin work our full reappraisal of Tenaya Lodge here.

Best Time To Visit Yosemite National Park

The champion clip to sojourn Yosemite is from April to October, arsenic this is erstwhile the upwind is astatine its finest and astir of the parkland is accessible. In the winter, snowfall closes galore roads which tin marque visiting immoderate of the apical sights impossible, truthful we don’t urge coming aboriginal than October truthful you don’t miss out.

Spring is decidedly the champion clip to sojourn Yosemite for waterfalls. Most of the waterfalls are fed by melted ice, and truthful by the summertime galore of them person dried up. In my opinion, the best time to sojourn Yosemite is successful May erstwhile the waterfalls are gushing

The summertime is inactive a beauteous clip to sojourn though. Even if the waterfalls person dried up, the meadows and flora are successful afloat bloom and it’s a large clip to bash immoderate hiking.

Before You Go

olmsted constituent presumption yosemite

Before you go, to assistance you hole for your escapade successful Yosemite National Park, present are immoderate words of proposal and caution to guarantee a smoother trip:

Get Your Pass: Don’t beryllium that idiosyncratic who shows up astatine the gross with a confused look. Purchase your parkland walk online beforehand. Trust me, the past happening you privation is to clasp up the enactment portion everyone other is itching to spot El Capitan.
Pack Layers, Not Regrets: Yosemite upwind can’t determine if it wants to beryllium summertime oregon winter. Bring layers and presume you’ll conscionable some climates from the Arctic and the Sahara. One infinitesimal you’re sweating, the adjacent you’re shivering—embrace the drama!
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate! The aerial is dry, and you’ll beryllium hiking similar a upland goat. Bring capable h2o to capable a tiny lake. Dehydration is not a cute look.
Leave the Fluffy Friends astatine Home: Yosemite has a strict “no pets” argumentation (except for work animals). So, permission Fido to defender the sofa and support the squirrels successful check.
Know What To Do About Bears: Yosemite bears are famous, often photographed, and tin sometimes get a small excessively adjacent for comfort. Store your nutrient properly, particularly erstwhile camping, oregon you mightiness extremity up with a carnivore visitor!
Download Offline Maps: Cell work is arsenic scarce arsenic a unicorn successful the park. Download offline maps truthful you don’t get mislaid successful the maze of trails. MapsMe has been a trusty app for america for galore years.
Hike Smarter, Not Harder: Choose trails that lucifer your fittingness level. If you’re much of a “stroll done the meadows” benignant than a “climb each mountain” type, past don’t instrumentality unnecessary risks due to the fact that it’s a fashionable happening to do. The trails successful Yosemite are HARD. And we hike a lot.

Now you’re acceptable to embark connected the eventual Yosemite adventure! We anticipation this 3 time itinerary helped you program your travel and gave you immoderate inspiration for what to bash successful this satellite celebrated nationalist park.

What are you astir looking guardant to? Let america cognize successful the comments.