Best Day Hikes in
YOSEMITE
NATIONAL PARK
Yosemite Falls, Glacier Point, Half Dome. From the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees to Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows, here are my favorite tales—along with the best trails to Yosemite’s world-renowned natural wonders and to memorable but less visited destinations.
Why Go : Great granite cliffs, enormous waterfalls and giant Sequoias, Yosemite it everything a national park should be and then some.
Before You Go : Learn more about the park’s stunning natural attractions and colorful history.
South Entrance
Wonderful one-way sojourn down Panorama Trail to Yosemite Valley.
These magnificent sequoias inspired creation of the national park.
Small elevation gain yields far-reaching vistas of Yosemite’s icons.
The stars here are The Fissures – deep cracks in the granite that drop hundreds of feet straight down to the valley floor.
Lovely meadow circled by a rare year-round trail.
Yosemite Valley
A long pilgrimage to Yosemite’s icon summit.
Reflections of a changing environment.
Vernal and Nevada falls from Mist Trail and John Muir Trail.
Ascend in awe to the top of North America’s highest waterfall.
Heart of the valley walkabout with vistas of its most famed attractions.
Classic Four Mile Trail ascends to the point from Yosemite Valley.
Big Oak Flat Entrance
Even flooded, this valley is something to behold.
Discover Yosemite’s smallest and most remote sequoia grove.
Visit some of the largest living things and Dead Giant, too.
Tioga Pass Road
A sanctuary of lakes and the lofty spires of Cathedral Peak.
The John Muir Trail carries you into a realm where granite spires reflect in still water and alpine silence has a music of its own.
Climb to where the clouds rest, Yosemite’s largest granite face.
From Yosemite’s highest trailhead to two lakes and the Great Sierra Mine.
Looks impossible to climb, but a trail leads to the great granite summit.
Historic trail, historic pass, stirring eastern Sierra vistas.
A climb to remember to the top of Yosemite’s second-highest peak.
Some hikers claim the dome provides the park’s best panorama.
A real looker that must not be overlooked.
Mesmerizing passage along the Tuolumne River to a remote cascade.
Largest and most famous subalpine meadow in the High Sierra.
