Tunnel View

If you only stop once in Yosemite, stop here. El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, Cathedral Rocks and Bridalveil Fall all line up in one view, and it costs nothing beyond the entrance fee.

Getting there

The viewpoint sits at the east end of the Wawona Tunnel on Highway 41, a nearly mile-long passage cut through granite in 1933. There is parking on both sides of the road; the main lot is on the south side as you emerge from the tunnel heading east.

It is a short paved walk from the parking area, and it is wheelchair accessible. There is a bronze tactile model for visitors with visual impairments.

What you are looking at

• El Capitan on the left — the granite monolith that made Yosemite a climbing destination.
• Bridalveil Fall on the right, 620 feet, one of only three major falls that run all year.
• Half Dome at the far end of the valley.
• Sentinel Rock and Cathedral Rocks filling the middle distance.

Timing

Sunrise and late afternoon are when the valley walls separate rather than flatten. Midday sun washes the granite out.

Season matters more than time of day for the waterfall. Bridalveil runs year-round, but peak flow is May or June. By late summer it is thin.

The lot is small and it fills. This is a stop most people make on their way in, which means it is busiest mid-morning. Coming back at the end of the day is usually easier and looks better.

Winter

Tunnel View is open year-round and is one of the few big Yosemite viewpoints that stays reachable in winter, when Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road are both closed. Snow on the valley walls with the falls running is arguably the best version of this view — but carry chains. Under R-3 conditions there are no exemptions of any kind, even in a 4WD, and the citation runs up to $5,000.

Pair it with

Bridalveil Fall is a few minutes down the road and is the natural next stop — you have just been looking at it. From there the Valley floor and the free shuttle loop open up.