Every Trail Tells a Story

Yosemite National Park

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

  • From Glacier Point

    Wonderful one-way sojourn down Panorama Trail to Yosemite Valley.

  • Mariposa Grove

    These magnificent sequoias inspired creation of the national park.

  • Sentinel Dome

    Small elevation gain yields far-reaching vistas of Yosemite’s icons.

  • Taft Point

    The stars here are The Fissures – deep cracks in the granite that drop hundreds of feet straight down to the valley floor.

  • Wawona Meadow

    Lovely meadow circled by a rare year-round trail.

Yosemite Valley

Big Oak Flat Entrance

  • Hetch Hetchy

    Even flooded, this valley is something to behold.

  • Merced Grove

    Discover Yosemite’s smallest and most remote sequoia grove.

  • Tuolumne Grove

    Visit some of the largest living things and Dead Giant, too.

Tioga Pass Road

  • Cathedral Lakes: Cathedral Lakes Trail

    A sanctuary of lakes and the lofty spires of Cathedral Peak.

  • Cathedral Lakes: John Muir Trail

    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.

  • Clouds Rest

    Climb to where the clouds rest, Yosemite’s largest granite face.

  • Gaylor Lakes

    From Yosemite’s highest trailhead to two lakes and the Great Sierra Mine.

  • Lembert Dome

    Looks impossible to climb, but a trail leads to the great granite summit.

  • Mono Pass

    Historic trail, historic pass, stirring eastern Sierra vistas.

  • Mt. Dana

    A climb to remember to the top of Yosemite’s second-highest peak.

  • North Dome

    Some hikers claim the dome provides the park’s best panorama.

  • Tenaya Lake

    A real looker that must not be overlooked.

  • Tuolumne Falls

    Mesmerizing passage along the Tuolumne River to a remote cascade.

  • Tuolumne Meadows

    Largest and most famous subalpine meadow in the High Sierra.