YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
Best Time to Visit California
Yosemite Park, in the Central California, 190 miles / 300 Kms east San Francisco, is one of the world's great natural spectacles. Yosemite is best known for the spectacularity of its waterfalls, but it also offers magnificent valleys with ancient giant sequoias, cedar and oaks and an interesting wildlife.
See:
Best time to visit & travel to Yosemite
When not to go to Yosemite
What to visit in Yosemite
Hotels and flights to Yosemite
Yosemite travel data
MAIN GEOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES
WHAT TO VISIT IN YOSEMITE PARK
Yosemite Map
Explore the map below for details:
Larger Map
Yosemite Valley is the great travel reference in the Yosemite National Park.
All the three park roads end up in Yosemite Valley, and most of the most popular places are around it: trails as the Upper Yosemite Fall and the Mist Trail, or cliffs as El Capitan and Half Dome, or places like the Glacier Point where the visitors can enjoy the most spectacular views...
Yosemite Village (well in the center of Yosemite Valley) has a visitor center and is the the hub to the many tours in the Yosemite Park.
BEST TIME TO TRAVEL TO YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
The most popular period to visit Yosemite Park is undoubtedly Summer, when all the roads and facilities are open and tours are offered daily.
Yosemite Valley - the most popular reference for travelers - remains accessible by car all year, but the Tioga and Glacier Point Roads remain closed due to snow from November till May (or June, in some some years).
Winter is, due to road closures and to temperatures and ice, the off-season.
An alternative to Summer period or Winter closure of roads and freezing temperatures, is the period between mid-April and May, or the period between early September and mid-October, when there is less crowds and the weather is usually agreeable.
WHEN NOT TO GO TO YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
Summer is a busy period, but if you go to Yosemite out of weekends and holidays (the 4th of July is a particularly crowded holiday), you won't get long lines and delays.
Anyway, if you want to avoid crowds and higher accommodation prices, then you should avoid Summer. In this case, late Spring and early Autumn are good bets.
Unless you are an enthusiast of snow, avoid the Winter and early Spring. Heavy snows will cause road closures in the more remote areas.
YOSEMITE Weather Map
HOTELS, TOURS AND FLIGHTS TO YOSEMITE
Yosemite Park offers its own lodging and accommodation, but you should book rooms early and prices are relatively high. So, consider accommodation in motels around the park entrances.
