2 to 3 Days in Yosemite: Yosemite Valley Icons, Mist Trail, Glacier Point, Sequoias & Tioga Road

This itinerary follows Yosemite's golden traffic rule: on Day 1 you park once early in the morning and explore Yosemite Valley on foot, bike and shuttle; on Day 2 you hike the Mist Trail early before driving to Mariposa Grove and Glacier Point for sunset; and on Day 3 you explore high-alpine Tioga Road (or Hetch Hetchy in spring). Read our parking and shuttle guide first.

Day 1: Yosemite Valley Floor, Yosemite Falls, Cook's Meadow, Mirror Lake & Tunnel View

• Early Morning: park at the Yosemite Village or Yosemite Falls Car Park. Walk the 1.6 km loop to Lower Yosemite Fall, then cross onto the boardwalks of Cook's Meadow Loop to Sentinel Bridge.
• Late Morning & Lunch: explore Yosemite Village (the Ansel Adams Gallery, Museum & Indian Village), grab sandwiches at Degnan's Kitchen, and tour the 1927 Ahwahnee Hotel.
• Afternoon: rent a bike at Yosemite Valley Lodge or Curry Village to ride the Valley Bike Path to Mirror Lake beneath Half Dome, cooling off at Sentinel Beach on the return.
• Late Afternoon to Sunset: drive the western loop, stopping at El Capitan Meadow to spot climbers, walking to Bridalveil Fall, and finishing at Tunnel View for sunset.

Day 2: The Mist Trail, Giant Sequoias & Sunset at Glacier Point

• Morning: park early at Curry Village and walk to Happy Isles (Stop #16) for the Mist Trail. Climb the 600 granite stairs to Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall, returning via the John Muir Trail loop for lunch on the Curry Village Pizza Deck.
• Afternoon: drive south on Highway 41 to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias to walk the 3.2 km Grizzly Giant Loop past the Grizzly Giant and California Tunnel Tree.
• Late Afternoon to Sunset: turn onto Glacier Point Road to hike to Taft Point or Sentinel Dome and watch sunset at Washburn Point and Glacier Point.

Day 3: High-Country Tioga Road or Hetch Hetchy

• Summer & Autumn, Tioga Road: stop at the Tuolumne Grove, Olmsted Point, Tenaya Lake, and Tuolumne Meadows (Soda Springs & Lembert Dome).
• Spring When Tioga Road Is Closed: hike across O'Shaughnessy Dam to Wapama Falls in Hetch Hetchy.