Best Things to Do in Yosemite National Park

Yosemite offers an unmatched range of experiences, from flat boardwalk strolls across wildflower meadows to vertical granite hikes. Here are the ten experiences that define a visit.

1. Stand at Tunnel View, walk to Bridalveil Fall & spot climbers on El Capitan. Exit the Wawona Tunnel to see the world's most famous mountain vista, feel the spray at the base of 189-metre Bridalveil Fall, and use binoculars in El Capitan Meadow to spot big-wall climbers sleeping on portaledges.
2. Stroll the flat loop to Lower Yosemite Fall & across Cook's Meadow. Stand at the base of North America's tallest waterfall (739 metres total) and walk the wooden boardwalks framing both Upper and Lower Falls together.
3. Hike the granite steps of the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall & Nevada Fall. Climb 600 hand-laid granite stairs through rainbow waterfall spray right to the lip of 97-metre Vernal Fall and 181-metre Nevada Fall.
4. Look eye-to-eye with Half Dome at Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome & Taft Point. Drive or take the tour bus 975 metres above the Valley floor for a bird's-eye view of three waterfalls and the High Sierra.

5. Walk among 3,000-year-old trees in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. Stand beneath the colossal branches of the Grizzly Giant and walk right through the 1895 California Tunnel Tree.
6. Rent a bike to pedal the 19-Kilometre Yosemite Valley Bike Path to Mirror Lake. Skip traffic completely on car-free paved bike trails and see Half Dome mirrored in the seasonal pool of Tenaya Creek.
7. Drive high-alpine Tioga Road to Olmsted Point, Tenaya Lake & Tuolumne Meadows. Cross the 3,031-metre Sierra crest past glacially polished granite domes and crystal-clear alpine beaches.
8. Tour the historic 1927 Ahwahnee Hotel, Ansel Adams Gallery & Yosemite Museum. Admire the Great Lounge fireplaces and original Ansel Adams prints in Yosemite Village.

9. Float the Merced River or relax on Sentinel Beach. In summer, rent a raft at Curry Village to drift past Half Dome and El Capitan reflections.
10. Witness February's Horsetail Fall 'Firefall' or hike to Wapama Falls in Hetch Hetchy. Explore quiet Hetch Hetchy in spring.