How To Spend 1 Day In Yosemite National Park (Itinerary)

Yosemite was one of the first national parks established in the United States, and in my opinion it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world.

If you only have one day in Yosemite National Park, the best way to spend it is in the valley, where you can enjoy the spectacular waterfalls, viewpoints, and hikes. Most of these are located pretty close to each other.

A side trip to the Mariposa Grove is also worthwhile to see the ancient Sequoia trees. Some of these giants are more than 3,000 years old!

You won’t see the whole park in a day, because it covers almost 1,200 square miles, but you’ll have enough time to see a lot of the main highlights.

We spent 2 weeks at Yosemite, and in this guide, I’ll show you all of the top sights to knock out on a short visit to the park!

About This Itinerary

Here’s a quick summary of all the places in this itinerary:

 
I’ll cover each of these places in detail, and then share a map and timeline you can follow for your itinerary.

Yosemite Falls reflection during the springtime flood

Best Things To See & Do

• Swinging Bridge Viewpoint

For your first stop in Yosemite, make a quick visit to the Swinging Bridge picnic area. This spot has one of the best views of Yosemite Falls in the park.

Better yet, when we visited in June, we were lucky to see an amazing reflection in the water because of the historic flooding. The Merced River had turned into a lake!

In most months you won’t see that, but it’s still worth a quick stop here to get your first good view of Yosemite Falls. This is the park’s biggest waterfall, and it’s one of the world’s tallest, at 2,425 feet (739 meters).

Another picture from the same spot at midday

• Mist Trail

Next, drive to the parking lot for the Mist Trail. This is one of the busiest hikes in Yosemite, so you’ll want to get there early to beat the crowds and secure a parking spot.

You can park at Curry Village or the Yosemite Valley Trailhead Parking. The latter is closer and saves you 10 minutes of walking, but the former has a cafe if you want to grab something to eat before or after the hike.

The Mist Trail is a wonderful hike with two big waterfalls: Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall. If you’re a fit hiker, it’s well worth going at least to the top of Vernal Fall. Otherwise, you can enjoy a nice rainbow below the waterfall.

Vernal Fall rainbow

Above Vernal Fall. There’s a safety fence so you can take pictures like this without worrying.

The Mist Trail is a moderate hike with plenty of elevation gain, even if you stop before Nevada Fall. If you’re not up for that, you can substitute this hike for Mirror Lake, which is all flat and easy.

When you reach the top of Vernal Fall, if you continue for a short distance you’ll get a nice peek at Nevada Fall and the Liberty Cap without adding much to the hike.

Or, you can hike up to Clark Point for an even higher view of Vernal Fall, and then circle back down to the start via the John Muir Trail. Either way, you’ll get a nice variety of scenery in 2 or 3 hours of total hiking.

Remember to bring water, snacks, and sturdy hiking shoes. A poncho can also be handy so you don’t get too wet at the waterfall. That’s how the Mist Trail got its name!

The Liberty Cap and Nevada Fall

Vernal Fall as seen from above near Clark Point. See the tiny people?

• Sentinel / Cook’s Meadow Loop Trail

After you finish the Mist Trail, it’s time to see more of the valley. Drive to the Yosemite Falls Vantage Point and find parking. Here’s a map.

From here, you can walk the Cook’s Meadow loop trail, which is flat, easy, and mostly paved or boardwalked, making it accessible for strollers and wheelchairs.

Anyone can and should do this trail, because it’s so relaxed and it has some of the best views of Yosemite Falls and the valley!

If you walk the whole trail, it takes up to 1 hour, but you’ll get to see some great scenery even if you turn back after 15 minutes. If you’re lucky, you might see deer or other animals along the way, like we did.

• Lower Yosemite Fall

It’s time to go see another waterfall up close! Drive to the Lower Yosemite Fall trailhead, park, and hike to the waterfall.

As you’ll notice, Yosemite Falls is actually a three-part waterfall, with upper, middle, and lower falls. This hike gives you a great view of the bottom waterfall.

It’s another short, flat, easy, and accessible hike, and it takes about 30 minutes roundtrip. Anyone can do it.

Along the way, you’ll get peeks of the Upper Yosemite Fall through the trees, and the hike ends at the Lower Fall, which you can see up close.

Yosemite Falls peeking through the trees

Lower Yosemite Fall

• Yosemite Valley Lodge

If you need to grab lunch at this point in the itinerary, you can do that at the nearby Yosemite Lodge Food Court, which is just a 2 minute drive or a 5 minute walk from where you parked for the lower falls.

While you’re at it, there’s also a gift shop and Starbucks, so you can pick up a shirt, mug, magnet, or other souvenirs from the park.

If you packed a picnic lunch for the day, there are plenty of spots in the valley where you can enjoy your meal with a view. The next one you’ll pass driving west is the El Capitan picnic area.
 

• Cathedral Rocks Viewpoint

This is an unmarked and unnamed viewpoint, but I have to mention it because it’s worth stopping for pictures.

As you continue driving west on the valley loop road, after you pass the El Capitan picnic area, and before you reach a curve in the river called the Devil’s Elbow, there’s a pull-off spot with epic views of the Cathedral Rocks.

I’ve marked the coordinates on the map here. There’s a small parking space with room for a few cars.

Cathedral Rocks viewpoint

Incredible cliffs

• El Capitan Meadow

The El Capitan meadow is right by the road, and it’s one of my favorite spots in the whole park.

It has beautiful views of the Cathedral Rocks across the meadow, and you can look straight up at El Capitan, the sheer granite monolith that was climbed by Alex Honnold without any equipment in the Free Solo documentary.

People like to come here with lawn chairs so they can sit and watch the climbers going up the side of El Capitan. It’s a great place to visit in the afternoon.

El Capitan Meadow

El Capitan

• Yosemite Valley View

This is another viewpoint that’s right by the road, and it’s one of the last places you’ll stop in the valley.

It has excellent views of the Merced River, El Capitan, Cathedral Rocks, and Bridalveil Fall. We even saw a big rainbow at Bridalveil in the afternoon.

Yosemite Valley View

Bridalveil Fall rainbow

• Tunnel View

The Tunnel View is one of the most iconic views of Yosemite because you can look straight through the valley, all the way to Half Dome.

So why save it until later in the day? Simple: early in the morning, it’s completely backlit and hard to take photos. Afternoon is the perfect time to see it.

Yes, there will be crowds, but parking is usually easy to find because there’s a lot of turnover. People snap their pictures and leave pretty quickly.

Tunnel View

• Washburn Point

Now that you’ve seen the Yosemite valley from below, it’s time to see it from above!

Drive out of the valley and up to Glacier Point, the best overlook of the park. The drive from Tunnel View to Glacier Point will take about 45 minutes.

Along the way, you’ll pass Washburn Point, which is worth a stop too. It has similar but slightly different views of the park, and you can see the whole Mist Trail from above, including Vernal and Nevada Falls.

Views of Yosemite on the way to Glacier Point

• Glacier Point

Up next is Glacier Point, where you can see more of the famous Yosemite icons from above!

This overlook has great views of Yosemite Falls and the sheer face of Half Dome, which almost seems close enough to reach out and touch. You won’t be able to see the hikers scaling the cables on Half Dome since that’s all on the opposite side of the peak.

If you want to do more exploring at Glacier Point, there are some great hiking trails here, such as Taft Point or the Panorama Trail.

Half Dome as seen from Glacier Point

• Big Trees Loop Trail

The last stop on this itinerary for Yosemite is the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, where you can see some of the world’s oldest and biggest trees.

From Glacier Point, it’s a 1 hour drive to the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza, where you can hop on one of the free shuttle buses that runs every 15 minutes. The shuttle ride to the sequoia grove only takes 5 or 10 minutes.

Here, you’ll want to hike at least part of the Big Trees loop trail, which is spectacular. It’s also relatively flat and easy.

Bachelor And Three Graces

Roots of the Fallen Giant

If you’re short on time, you should hike at least as far as the Grizzly Giant and the Tunnel Tree, which takes about 1 hour roundtrip. Most people turn around at this point.

These are two of the most notable and impressive trees in the park. The Grizzly Giant is the oldest sequoia in the grove, and one of the oldest trees in the world. It’s currently estimated to be more than 3,000 years old!

The Tunnel Tree is a short distance past the Grizzly Giant, and it’s a fun photo op since the base is hollow. That was done in 1895 so horse drawn stagecoaches could pass through the tree.

This is the end of your itinerary for one day in Yosemite National Park. You’ve seen many of the best highlights of Yosemite!

The Grizzly Giant is a huge tree

Grizzly Giant

Tunnel Tree

Map Of Things To See & Do

Here’s a map of all the sights and activities listed in this Yosemite itinerary. You can click on the icons for directions and other information.

Timeline For Your Visit

Here’s a timeline you can follow for your itinerary in Yosemite.

This park is extremely popular and usually starts to fill up by 8 AM, so I’d highly recommend starting early in the morning. This will allow you to secure parking and beat the worst of the crowds, and the valley is also extra nice at dawn.

You can start an hour or two later than this, but you might have to spend a chunk of your day fighting for parking.

• 6:00 AM – Leave Oakhurst or Mariposa and drive to Yosemite National Park.
• 8:00 AM – Arrive in Yosemite valley and start hiking the Mist Trail.
• 9:30 AM – Reach the top of Vernal Fall on the Mist Trail, and start hiking back to the parking.
• 10:30 AM – Finish the Mist Trail and arrive back at the parking lot. Drive to the Yosemite Falls Vantage Point and find parking.
• 11:00 AM – Walk the Sentinel / Cook’s Meadow loop trail.
• 11:30 AM – Drive to the Lower Yosemite Fall trailhead, park, and hike to the waterfall.
• 12:00 PM – Grab lunch at the nearby Yosemite Lodge Food Court.

Mirror Lake lives up to its name

• 12:30 PM – Continue driving the loop road, stopping at the viewpoints for the Cathedral Rocks, El Capitan Meadow, and Yosemite Valley View, in that order, and then stop at the Tunnel View on the way out of the valley.
• 1:30 PM – Exit the valley and start driving to Glacier Point. Along the way, stop at Washburn Point for the views.
• 2:30 PM – Arrive at Glacier Point and look around at the viewpoint.
• 3:00 PM – Start driving to the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza.
• 4:00 PM – Arrive at the Mariposa Grove and grab a shuttle to the grove.
• 4:15 PM – Hike the loop trail as far as the Grizzly Giant and the Tunnel Tree, then back to the shuttle area.
• 5:15 PM – Grab a shuttle back to the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza.
• 5:30 PM – Arrive back at the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza. Leave the park and start driving back to Oakhurst or Mariposa.
• 6:00 / 6:30 PM – Arrive back at your accommodation in Oakhurst or Mariposa in time to grab supper.

Other Tips For Visiting Yosemite

• Reservation: Check the NPS page to see if reservations will be required during your visit.
• Entrance Fee: A park pass is required at Yosemite. You can find more info on the NPS page.
• Navigation: The road inside the valley is a loop road, and it’s not always easy to backtrack if you miss something. You’ll want to plan your route ahead of time to maximize how much you can see and do in a day.
• Parking: Parking can be a big challenge, especially during peak season. The valley has a free shuttle system, but we found it to be pretty slow and inefficient. If you start early, you can drive your car everywhere on this itinerary and the shuttle won’t be needed.
• Clothing: Dress in layers. Even summer mornings are chilly in Yosemite, but the weather warms up during the day.
• When To Visit: In my opinion, the absolute best time to visit Yosemite is in the spring months of May and June. The waterfalls are big because of the ongoing snowmelt, the weather is still cool, and the crowds aren’t at their peak yet. We went in June and it was perfect. I wouldn’t change anything.
• Where To Stay: The best hotels are in the valley, at The Ahwahnee or Yosemite Valley Lodge. If those are out of your budget then you can try to secure camping in the valley, or there are hotels in Oakhurst and Mariposa, outside the park. We stayed in Oakhurst.

A view of Half Dome from Yosemite Valley

How To Spend More Than One Day In Yosemite National Park

If you have more than one day in Yosemite, there are lots of other great things to do, especially if you’re a hiker.

For the second day, do the strenuous hike to Upper Yosemite Falls and Yosemite Point. Even if you don’t go all the way, it’s still a great way to see the waterfall up close. Better yet, try to get permits for the Half Dome hike, which is the most thrilling hike in the park.

For the third day, go to any places in the valley you missed on the first day, such as Bridalveil Fall and Mirror Lake. Both of these are short and easy hikes. Then do the scenic drive on Tioga Road to see Olmsted Point, Tenaya Lake, and the Tuolomne Meadows.

Upper Yosemite Falls is an awesome hike, especially in the springtime when it’s raging like this!

More Travel Guides For Yosemite National Park

Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoyed this itinerary for how to spend one day in Yosemite National Park.

I’m working on more travel guides for the U.S. national parks, so don’t forget to check back later.