THE EARNEST TRAVELER
Yosemite has scrapped timed-entry reservations for all of 2026. You pay the entrance fee and drive in. Everything on this page is free once you are through the gate.
Most of what makes Yosemite famous costs nothing once you are inside. A family of four can see the headline sights for the price of one $35 vehicle pass.
Tunnel View
Free · Paved · Wheelchair accessible · Open year-round
El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, Cathedral Rocks and Bridalveil Fall in a single frame. A short paved walk from the parking area at the east end of the Wawona Tunnel, a nearly mile-long passage cut through granite in 1933. There is a bronze tactile model for visitors with visual impairments.
Bridalveil Fall
Free · 0.5 mi round trip · 80 ft elevation · Easy
620 feet, and one of only three major falls that run all year. The rehabilitated western trail to the base is paved and wheelchair accessible. The trailhead lot fills quickly in summer; there is alternative street parking a short distance east on Southside Drive. In winter the surfaces get icy and very slick.
Lower Yosemite Fall
Free · 1 mi loop · ~50 ft elevation · About 30 minutes
The closest you get to the base of North America's tallest waterfall on an easy walk. Worth knowing before you drive out: this fall is often dry from late July or August through October.
Cook's Meadow Loop
Free · 1 mi loop · Flat · Easy
Flat boardwalk and path through the middle of the Valley, with Yosemite Falls on one side and Half Dome on the other. The best low-effort payoff in the park.
Sentinel Bridge
Free · Roadside · Paved sidewalk
Half Dome reflected in the Merced River, best at sunset. The reflection is strongest in fall and winter when the water runs lower and calmer. Small parking area, reachable only from the northbound lane of Southside Drive.
Mirror Lake
Free · 2 mi round trip to the lake, 5 mi full loop · 100 ft · Easy to moderate
Manage your expectations: it is often called Mirror Meadow by late summer, when the water is gone and the grasses take over. Come in spring or early summer while Tenaya Creek is running. The first mile is a paved service road open to leashed pets, bicycles and strollers.
Valley Loop Trail
Free · 7.2 mi half loop (2.5–3.5 hrs) or roughly 11.5–13 mi full loop (5–7 hrs) · Mostly level
The honest way to see the Valley without fighting for parking all day. Note that the Park Service publishes two different figures for the full loop — 11.5 miles on the dedicated trail page, 13 miles in the day-hike summary. Plan for the longer number.
The Valley shuttle
Free · 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily · No ticket needed
Two routes, Valleywide and East Valley, running roughly every 22 to 32 minutes. Useful stops: #6 Lower Yosemite Fall, #7 Yosemite Valley Lodge, #11 Four Mile Trailhead, #16 Happy Isles for the Mist Trail, #17 Mirror Lake. Park once and leave the car alone — this is the real answer to Valley parking.
Glacier Point — seasonal
Free · 300 yd round trip, paved · Road opened May 9 in 2026
3,214 feet directly above Curry Village, with the Valley, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and the high country laid out below. A one-hour drive from the Valley or from Wawona. See the Glacier Point page for the seasonal detail.
Peak runoff is May or June. By August, Yosemite Falls — the one everybody comes for — is often a trickle or completely dry. It only flows roughly November through July. Only three of the big falls run year-round: Bridalveil, Vernal and Nevada. If you are coming in August, September or October, plan around those three.
Paved trails, hard granite glare, and a lot of walking.