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This 2 day itinerary will help you visit some of the famous sites in Yosemite National Park. You’ll get to see El Capitan, Half Dome, Giant Sequoias, Vernal and Nevada Falls. Day 1 will give you the opportunity to drive around and see the sights, while Day 2 will take you on one of the most scenic hikes of your life. Hope you are ready to crush it!
Itinerary:
Day 1: Tour Yosemite Park
Activity: Driving Tour
Lodging: El Portal
Yosemite National Park is one of the oldest and most visited national parks in US history. Located in Northern California about 3 hours from San Francisco and 5 hours from Los Angeles, it is a great weekend roadtrip or an add-on to a longer California vacation.
The most popular time of year to visit Yosemite is between May and October. While Yosemite is open year-round, some of the attractions are inaccessible due to winter road closures.
I visited Yosemite once at the beginning of September and found that it was a great time to visit as everything is open and it was cool enough to not over heat on a hike.
Day 1 will focus on driving around Yosemite so you can visit several landmarks. If you have your own car that will be the easiest way to get around, if you don’t, you have the option of taking the bus into the park or you can book an organized tour.
When I visited, I took an organized tour with Incredible Adventures on their Giant Sequoias and Glacier Point tour. While the tour was amazing and our guide was super informative, the tours can be pricey so if you have the option to drive yourself that would be my recommendation.
I would suggest staying in the park if you can get a reservation or closely outside of the park. I’ve stayed at Cedar Lodge in El Portal which was very close to the Arch Rock entrance of the park and on the bus/tour route.
Lets assume you are staying in El Portal, plan to leave your lodging by 8am and arrive at Tuolumne Grove by 8:45am. Tuolumne Grove is home to numerous giant sequoia trees and the famous tunnel tree. The loop hike around Tuolumne Grove is about 2.5 miles and will take about 2hrs to complete. Its a relatively easy trail with a slight incline on the way back. This is a fun peaceful hike amongst giant trees and a great way to start exploring Yosemite.
After your walk around Tuolumne Grove head to Yosemite Valley. There are multiple parking lots around the Visitor Center that you can you can park at. From the Visitor Center you can grab lunch at the nearby deli or you can walk to the Yosemite Lodge for other food options. While you are walking around the valley floor make sure you stop at the Yosemite Falls Vantage Point for a view of the tallest waterfall in North America, Yosemite Falls.
Once you are done with lunch and walking around the valley floor, head to Tunnel View for one of the most breathtaking views of the park. Wawona tunnel is over 4,000 ft long and one of the longest highway tunnels in California. Driving up from the Valley Floor you will reach the famous overlook parking lot on your right.
If you are anxious to get the full tunnel view experience from your car you will have to drive through the tunnel and then make a u-turn to drive back through. If you can be patience you will get this view on the way back from Glacier Point.
Spend some time at the parking lot overlook at Tunnel View to take in an amazing view of El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Falls.
As you were driving into the park I’m sure you got your first glimpse of El Capitan, the 3,000ft granite wall and one of the most famous rock climbing spots in the world. If you have extra time in Yosemite you can actually hike up to the top of El Capitan, but we warned the hike is between 15 and 20 miles depending on the route
Half Dome is also a very famous site in Yosemite, visible from Tunnel View and several other locations throughout the park. Your next location at Glacier Point will give you a great view of the dome. You can also hike Half Dome but a permit is required as there is a steep cable climb required to reach the summit (not for the faint-hearted).
After Tunnel View, continue along Wawona Rd for a scenic drive to the Glacier Point Trailhead. There is a parking lot at the trailhead making this an easily accessible viewpoint (please note it can get very crowded so be patient for a spot).
Walk around the trail area and visit the Glacier Point Amphitheater for some unbelievable views.
Once you’ve taken in the view at Glacier Point trailhead, it will likely be time to head back to your lodging.
If you are doing good on time I would suggest a stop at Taft Point. The Taft Point Trailhead is right on Glacier Point Road making it an easy extra stop on your way out. Taft Point and The Fissures is a 2.3 mile out and back trail and should take about an hour to walk. Taft Point has amazing views of El Capitan, Yosemite Falls and the Valley. Do watch your step as the fissures (cracks in the rock) can be unexpected.
Get a good night sleep as tomorrow will be a full day worth of hiking!
Day 2: Hike Yosemite Park
Activity: Hiking
Lodging: El Portal
Yesterday was all about driving through the park to see the famous sites, today you are going to be hiking the park. Today’s hike will be about 7 miles and has an elevation gain of over 2,000ft. If this is outside of your physical abilities I would suggest spending the day driving to other viewpoints throughout the park (Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Falls, Sentinel Bridge, Olmsted Point and Tenaya Lake).
The Vernal and Nevada Falls via Mist Trail is going to bring you up close and personal to two waterfalls (Vernal and Nevada Falls) with spectacular views of the park. You will walk up the Mist Trail and back down on the John Muir Trail.
This hike will take around 6 -7 hours depending on your pace and how many breaks you take to admire the view. I would suggest packing a lot of water as well as lunch and snacks. There are some restrooms and water filling stations at the beginning of the hike but make sure you bring enough supplies to last you the whole day. Depending on the season I would also recommend an extra pair of socks, shoes and a rain jacket, if Vernal Falls is pumping you are likely to get very wet, they don’t call it the Mist Trail for no reason!
I’m by no means a seasoned hiker and I was able to complete this hike with no issues, so don’t get scared off by the stats, just make sure you are prepared.
You can park at the Yosemite Valley Trailhead parking lot. From the parking lot its about a 1.5 mile walk to the Vernal Falls Bridge. The bridge will offer your first glimpse of Vernal Falls.
Once you cross the bridge you will head up the Mist Trail. The Mist Trail is 600 steep granite steps that are likely to be wet and slippery, so be careful. The steps will lead you to the top of Vernal Falls.
Depending on the conditions you can walk along the side rocks to get a closer view of the pool below the falls
After you reach the top of Vernal Falls you will see the Emerald Pool and Silver Apron, great place to stop and have a snack and take in the view.
The walk from Vernal to Nevada Falls is ~1.5 miles with the trail switchbacking up the side of the falls. I found this part more grueling than the steps up the Mist Trail. Don’t worry, it will be well worth it once you reach the top of Nevada Falls.
At the top of Nevada Falls you can turn around and go back down the Mist Trail, but I would recommend crossing to the other side of the falls and taking the John Muir Trail down. It's a great way to get a different view and not have to try and walk down the Mist Trail stairs while people are walking up.
Its about 4 miles down the John Muir Trail to the Happy Isles Trailhead. If you have any energy left feel free to walk around Yosemite Valley Floor or pick another area in the park to explore before heading back to your lodging.
Please note I did this hike in September of a drought year so the waterfalls weren’t heavy volumes, your experience might be different given the time of year. When I was there, there was also a nearby wildfire that started to impact the air quality in the park and made the sky look apocalyptic. Make sure you check the NPS.gov website for the latest information on Yosemite or any national park.
I hope you enjoyed your time exploring Yosemite. Crushed it!
Timetable:
Day 1: Drive Around Yosemite
8:00am - 8:45am drive from Cedar Lodge to Tuolumne Grove
8:45am - 11:00am Tuolumne Grove hike
11:00am - 11:45am drive from Tuolumne Grove to Yosemite Valley Visitor Center
11:45am - 1:00pm walk around Yosemite Valley and have lunch
1:00pm - 1:30pm drive from Yosemite Valley to Tunnel View
1:30pm - 2:00pm Tunnel View
2:00pm - 3:15pm drive from Tunnel View to Glacier Point
3:15pm - 4:00pm Glacier Point
4:00pm - 5:15pm drive from Glacier Point to Cedar (or add a stop at Taft Point)
Day 2: Hike Yosemite
8:00am - 3:00pm
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