Yosemite National Park

Top 9 tips for visiting Yosemite National Park

95% of visitors only see 5% of Yosemite.

Explore the less visited and uncrowded areas outside the Valley Floor – like Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias.

Go early in the morning

avoid park entrance traffic between 10am and 12pm.

Visit the park October through April

when it is much less crowded, and you’ll get the best of fall colors and beautiful winter scenes.

Take alternate transportation

like Y.A.R.T.S., local transportation, or tour guide providers (see page 9) in the busy summer months.

Purchase your Park Pass ahead of time

from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Call the Tuolumne County Visitors Center for location: 209-533-4420 or purchase online at www.recreation.gov/sitepass/74296. Plan ahead and reserve area lodging for peak season and weekends early. While in Yosemite Valley,

once parked, travel around by foot, free shuttle, or bike (bike rentals available seasonally).

Dogs are allowed on paved trails,

roads, in campgrounds (except walk-in campgrounds), and in parking lots where indicated. Dogs must be on a leash at all times and picked up after. Do not leave dogs unattended.

GPS is unreliable in and around the park;

utilize paper maps to get around.

Plan Your Trip!

Park Information & Roads: 209-372-0200 Lodging Reservations: 888-413-8869 Camping Reservations: 877-444-6777 TDD Device for the Deaf: 877-833-6777 PO Box 577, Yosemite nps.gov/yose

Over half of Yosemite National Park is located in Tuolumne County—it’s the least crowded half too. Walk amongst majestic towering trees in the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias or explore the unmatched scenery of Tuolumne Meadows and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.

Highway 120 leading into the park is designated by the State of California as the Northern Yosemite Highway and is the shortest and most direct route to Yosemite from the San Francisco Bay Area and all points north. The route is open year-round into Yosemite Valley. As you head towards Yosemite, be sure to stop in Groveland at the Groveland Yosemite Gateway Museum. Open year-round, the museum is a great place to learn about the area’s cultural and natural history and to pick up some souvenirs. Accommodations are available along Highway 120 in Groveland and beyond.

YARTS (YOSEMITE AREA REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM)

877-989-2787 369 W 18th St, Merced yarts.com

YOSEMITE GATEWAYS

Find out about traveling to Yosemite National Park through Yosemite’s four spectacular gateways. yosemitegateways.com

Tuolumne Meadows Credit: Beth Holland Photography

Wapama Falls, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Yosemite

Lower Yosemite Falls Credit: Kim Carroll Photography/Evergreen Lodge