Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is located within California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. This park is most famed for its enormous and ancient sequoia trees, and for Tunnel View, the iconic vista of towering Bridalveil Falls. The two granite cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome are also major attractions.
It was John Muir who lobbied for national park designation in 1890 and who introduced its wonders to then president Theodore Roosevelt in 1903.
Places to Stay at Yosemite National Park
There are a number of towns nearby Yosemite that may have lodging options (either Airbnb/VRBO, hotels or resorts).
- Foresta, CA (13 miles away)
- El Portal, CA (15 miles)
- Yosemite West, CA (16 miles)
- Wawona, CA (27 miles)
- Fish Camp, CA (35 miles)
- Groveland, CA (48 miles)
VISIT Yosemite National Park:
Park Details
Yosemite National Park was established on October 1, 1890, and has a total area of 761,748 acres (1,190 square miles, or 3,084 square kilometers).
| Address | 9039 Village Drive, Yosemite, CA, 95389 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 209-372-0200 |
| Hours | Open 24 hours per day, 365 days a year |
| Entrance Fee | $35 per vehicle, valid for 7 days |
| Learn More | Official Website |
When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation
Yosemite National Park is the 20th most visited park in the country.
The absolute best month to visit Yosemite National Park is September. September sees the least amount of visitors out of all the summer months, the weather is still gorgeous and all the roads and trails are still open (they begin to close in October).
Using Historical Data to Predict
We crunched 30 years of historical weather and/or park service data to find the best months to visit Yosemite National Park. We looked for the optimal temperatures, the least amount of snow and rain, and stayed away from peak visitation months if we could help it. All this data then helped us paint a picture as to what the absolute best time to visit Yosemite National Park is.
Our data shows the best months to visit Yosemite National Park are April, May, June & September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Visits | 116,746 | 111,665 | 173,610 | 297,207 | 393,004 | 496,625 | 717,462 | 703,153 | 584,664 | 448,939 | 230,598 | 149,188 |
| Precipitation | 83 | 95 | 74 | 40 | 49 | 40 | 43 | 29 | 25 | 30 | 46 | 81 |
| Avg Temp | 35 | 34 | 38 | 45 | 54 | 64 | 72 | 70 | 64 | 55 | 44 | 36 |
| Max Temp | 47 | 46 | 50 | 59 | 67 | 75 | 79 | 77 | 73 | 67 | 58 | 49 |
| Avg Temp | 20 | 18 | 22 | 27 | 35 | 43 | 52 | 50 | 44 | 35 | 27 | 20 |
| Min Temp | -2 | -2 | 3 | 10 | 19 | 26 | 40 | 38 | 27 | 18 | 7 | -2 |
Yosemite National Park Road Trips
Many family vacations consist of stringing one or more national parks together during a week-long trip. Creating these types of trips is our specialty! Here are the road trips we've created where Yosemite National Park is visited.
| Trip Name | Trip Miles | Trip Days |
|---|---|---|
| Visit Yosemite in One Day from San Francisco | 380 | 1 |
| Lake Tahoe Ski Trip | 214 | 7 |
| Death Valley, Sequoia, Kings Canyon to Yosemite | 858 | 10 |
| Yosemite, Kings Canyon to Sequoia National Parks | 543 | 9 |
Other Nearby National Park Sites
From national monuments, to historic sites to seashores and more, here are the other parks closest to Yosemite National Park.
| Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Devils Postpile National Monument | 29 mi |
| Kings Canyon National Park | 83 mi |
| Sequoia National Park | 102 mi |
| Manzanar National Historic Site | 106 mi |
| Pinnacles National Park | 123 mi |
| Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site | 133 mi |
| Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial | 134 mi |
| John Muir National Historic Site | 139 mi |
| Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park | 151 mi |
| San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park | 154 mi |
Nearby Campsites & RV Parks
If you are looking to pitch a tent or park an RV at a campsite near Yosemite National Park, here is a list of the closest campsites in the surrounding area. They all have slightly different amenitites, so its best to check them all out instead of just chosing the first on the list.
| Name | Details | Miles Away |
|---|---|---|
| Upper River - Yosemite National Park | CA more | 1 miles |
| Lower Pines - Yosemite National Park | Yosemite Village, CA more | 1 miles |
| North Pines - Yosemite National Park | Yosemite Village, CA more | 2 miles |
| Upper Pines - Yosemite National Park | Yosemite Village, CA more | 2 miles |
| Porcupine Flat - Yosemite National Park | CA more | 5 miles |
| Yosemite Creek - Yosemite National Park | CA more | 6 miles |
| Bridalveil Creek - Yosemite National Park | CA more | 6 miles |
| Tamarack Flat - Yosemite National Park | CA more | 8 miles |
| White Wolf - Yosemite National Park | Lee Vining, CA more | 9 miles |
| Crane Flat - Yosemite National Park | Crane Flat, CA more | 11 miles |
Nearest Ski Resorts
For those of you who are the diehard outdoors type, visiting a national park on a ski trip can be quite the adventure. Here are the ski resorts within 100 miles of Yosemite National Park:
| Name | Location | Summit | Difficulty Score™ | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June Mountain | June Lake, CA | 10,090 ft | 68% | 28 mi |
| Mammoth Mountain | Mammoth Lakes, CA | 11,053 ft | 70% | 32 mi |
| Dodge Ridge | Pinecrest, CA | 8,200 ft | 54% | 36 mi |
| Big Bear Mountain | Big Bear Lake, CA | 8,805 ft | 50% | 52 mi |
| Kirkwood | Kirkwood, CA | 9,800 ft | 68% | 70 mi |
| Sierra-at-Tahoe | South Lake Tahoe, CA | 8,852 ft | 53% | 78 mi |
| Heavenly | South Lake Tahoe, CA | 10,067 ft | 73% | 84 mi |
| Homewood | Homewood, CA | 7,880 ft | 58% | 97 mi |
Nearest Airports
When visiting a National park, many people are faced with either a very long drive across country, or a much shorter flight. For those of you looking to fly into Yosemite National Park, we've listed the closest airports in the area.
Large Airports
A large airport has scheduled major airline service with millions of passengers per year. This type of airport always accepts international flights. Here are the closest large airports to Yosemite National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reno–Tahoe International Airport | RNO | Reno, NV | 121 mi |
| Sacramento International Airport | SMF | Sacramento, CA | 126 mi |
| Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport | SJC | San Jose, CA | 130 mi |
| Oakland International Airport | OAK | Oakland, CA | 143 mi |
| San Francisco International Airport | SFO | San Francisco, CA | 152 mi |
| Los Angeles International Airport | LAX | Los Angeles, CA | 271 mi |
| Harry Reid International Airport | LAS | Las Vegas, NV | 271 mi |
Medium Airports
A medium-sized airport has scheduled regional airline service. This type of airport may or may not accept international flights. Here are the closest medium-sized airports to Yosemite National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno Yosemite International Airport | FAT | Fresno, CA | 67 mi |
| Sacramento Mather Airport | MHR | Sacramento, CA | 108 mi |
| Monterey Peninsula Airport | MRY | Monterey, CA | 147 mi |
| Meadows Field | BFL | Bakersfield, CA | 162 mi |
| Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport | STS | Santa Rosa, CA | 182 mi |
| San Luis County Regional Airport | SBP | San Luis Obispo, CA | 183 mi |
| Santa Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field | SMX | Santa Maria, CA | 202 mi |
Credits: Campground data provided by USCampgrounds.info. Map shapes from CartographyVectors. Weather data from NOAA. Airport data from OurAirports.com. Images from Unsplash, Flickr and Parks&Trips. All data has also been updated and augmented by Parks&Trips.