Discover Your Ultimate Guide to Yosemite National Park - Best Things to See There
Make the most out of your visit to Yosemite National Park by using this all-in-one park guide and top attractions list!
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📍- Yosemite National Park
No landscape is quite as iconic, nor national park more famous, than Yosemite. The awe-inspiring, granite-lined Yosemite Valley is recognizable for its dramatic waterfalls, unique towering rock structures, and wildflower-peppered meadows that softly ripply in response to the mood of the wind. Here, sheer marbled cliff faces lie in wait, begging to be climbed, and abundant forms of wildlife constantly forage along the valley floor, only occasionally stepping out onto a clearing for visitors to survey.
The babbling of waterfall-fed streams collides with birdsong in every corner of Yosemite National Park, overlaid in the daytime with a collision of voices. The assembly of different dialects from all areas of the globe provides proof, if you were ever in any doubt, that people from all over the world assemble here for the opportunity to see the epicness of Yosemite in person.
Perhaps you are a hopeful visitor of Yosemite National Park and are searching for the tools that will make your future visit here as magical as mother nature will allow. Today, I am pleased to report that you needn’t search any further. Consider the following blog post to be your keys to the Yosemite kingdom.
During our week-long trip to the most celebrated valley in the world, we learned what makes Yosemite one of our nation’s greatest treasures as well as some secrets to ensure that you enjoy your experience there. If that sounds like knowledge that you need, keep reading to find your ultimate guide to Yosemite National Park as well as what we consider to be the best things to see there.
About Yosemite National Park
Different Regions of Yosemite
How to Prepare
Don’t walk away from your backpack on the trail to take a photo. Even if there is no food currently in your bag, bears associate backpacks with other food rewards they have gotten and they are quick to snatch unattended personal items.
Hike with someone else, or consider hiking with a bell attached to your bag to avoid surprising a bear in the wilderness. If you do see a bear, remain calm, speak firmly as you tell it to leave, and try to make yourself and your group look as large as possible as you slowly back away. Do not run as this can trigger a predator-prey instinct from the bear and you will not be able to outrun it.
While we typically recommend bringing bear spray with you, it is actually not allowed in Yosemite National Park, so leave this item at home.
Other activities that require pre-arranged permits within the park include the famous hike atop Half Dome, as well as any backpacking trips that require overnight camping in the Yosemite wilderness.
Best Things to See in Yosemite National Park
Without a doubt, if I could recommend one place to see in all of Yosemite National Park, I would tell you to go to Glacier Point. In a typical year, Glacier Point is easily accessed via a shuttle system. In 2022, the road leading up to Glacier Point was closed for construction, and the only way up to the lookout was via a strenuous, 10-mile, roundtrip hike counterintuitively named the Four Mile Trail. While this hike is a challenge for most people, hikers are rewarded for their efforts with breathing views of Yosemite Falls, Royal Arches, and Half Dome for most of the trip, giving them the encouragement to continue their journey.
You’ll likely reach the summit sweaty and out of breath, making the sweeping view of the complete Yosemite Valley all the more striking as you conquer this unmissable hike
If you’re up for a challenge, then the trail to Upper Yosemite Falls requires a 7-mile trek that gains 2,700 feet of elevation. We didn’t get the chance to do this particular hike but have heard nothing but great things about it.
We hope you enjoyed this guide to the iconic Yosemite National Park. If you have any questions or want to share a tip for other travelers I may have missed, please comment below!
Thank you for joining us at Discovery Detour, where the destination is always unknown.