Plan Your Yosemite Trip
By Brian D. Russ · How I Research These Guides
Open, with seasonal closures
Tioga Road is temporarily closed due to snowy and icy conditions; No overnight parking on Tioga & Glacier Point Roads
Checked November 5, 2026. See alerts and current conditions
Yosemite takes more planning than people expect, and most of that planning is about where you'll be and when. Reservation rules come and go by season, Glacier Point and Tioga Road close for months, and the Valley's famous sights are only close together if you've worked out the shuttle.
Start with your month, since that decides which roads you'll have. Then choose your trails and where to stay. Everything I've written about the park is collected below.
When to Go
Month by month, with what's open and whether the trip is worth it.
- Visiting Yosemite National Park in November 2026: What to Expect
- Yosemite National Park in December 2026: Snow, Chains, and What's Open
- Visiting Yosemite National Park in Winter: What to Expect
Camping
How to get a site, and what to do if you can't.
Wildlife and Plants
Where and when to look. Nothing here is guaranteed, so treat a sighting as a bonus.
- Yosemite Bog Orchid: The Rare (and Smelly) Orchid of Yosemite National Park
- Where to See Black Bears in Yosemite National Park in the Fall
With Kids
What works with children, where to stay, and what to skip.
Day Trips
Drive times and routes from nearby cities.
Road Trips Through Yosemite
Longer routes that include this park.
- Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia Road Trip: The Sierra Nevada Loop
- West Coast National Parks Road Trip: Olympic to Death Valley
The Guide
When you're ready to plan the days themselves, my Yosemite guide has nine ready-made itineraries for one to three days at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort. You can read a sample from it first.
This page is independent. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.