Yosemite National Park is one of the most iconic parks in the country—and now I know why.
In June 2025, I took a research trip to Yosemite National Park to scope out the trails, hotels, restaurants, and logistics. It was my first visit to the park, and I hiked 20 miles, drove 1700 miles, and came away with over 50 pages of notes.
I explored Yosemite Valley, Mariposa Grove, Glacier Point, and Tioga Road (including Tuolumne Meadows and Tioga Pass – twice). I stayed outside the park and made long drives each day, visiting each gateway town (Groveland, Mariposa, Oakhurst, and even Lee Vining), researching the best hotels and best routes to the park.
Here’s how the trip went.
I left early in the morning and drove 12 hours from Utah to California.
Nevada. Nevada was wild – it’s sooo empty. I think more than Wyoming. It’s called the basin and range region because it’s one mountain range after another, with empty basins in between. From Wendover, NV (on the Utah-Nevada border to lure Utahns to gamble) to Benton, CA – across the entire width of Nevada, there are TWO towns: Ely and Tonopah.
Tonopah, Nevada. This was an interesting little old west town with some run-down buildings. They have rodeo grounds, a mining museum and tour, two cool old hotels, and the very strange Clown Motel – a fun and sort of creepy motel plastered with clowns all over it.
Tioga Road. I drove this road on the way into the park. It had just opened, which was fortunate. If it wasn’t, I would have had to drive all the way around the mountains.
It was raining, and I was in a hurry to see the valley, so I had already planned to delay seeing Tuolumne Meadows until the last day.
Bridalveil Fall. First stop in Yosemite! Absolutely gorgeous and towering waterfall. It’s about the same height as Multnomah Falls, around 620 feet. I loved being misted by the falls and finding a few spots to let visitors know not to miss.
Tunnel View. I drove to this famous sunset spot. Luckily, the clouds cleared up and allowed the sunlight to come through to the Valley. I got some good looks with the sun hitting the canyon walls, but didn’t stay until the very end because I had an hour drive to Mariposa and was already exhausted from the day’s drive.
Today was a deep dive into magical Yosemite Valley.
Mist Trail to Nevada Fall. The Mist Trail is a steep trail to the lower drawbridge, but the canyon views and seeing the Merced River is worth it.
From there, it’s more of a steep trail to the top of Vernal Fall, which sprayed mist on me as I walked up the stairs. I was glad I brought a poncho. Vernal Fall is 317 feet, which is about the same as Lower Yellowstone Falls. It’s a gorgeous waterfall and one of those “bucket list” national park experiences.
Nevada Fall is beyond Vernal Fall, and is a whopping 594 feet tall. The trail to Nevada Fall is even more strenuous than Vernal Falls, though. I did the trail clockwise to the top of Nevada Fall and back down on the John Muir Trail. I’m not sure which was worse – climbing the switchbacks or coming down the steep, knee-crunching trail. The fall was absolutely gorgeous, though. And one of the best parts was the Weeping Wall just south of Nevada Fall.
Curry Village. This place is a little hub of activity. It’s where you rent bikes and tubes, grab food (expect long lines), and attend ranger programs. There’s also a small grocery store, coffee shop, and walk-up grill. The tent cabins are crammed together but well-shaded.
Yosemite Village. I explored the village and found that there just wasn’t much that was interesting about it.
Ahwahnee Hotel. I was expecting to love this lodge, as I typically enjoy the national park lodges, and this is one of the most famous. But I found it to be a little stuffy. It’s no greater than other national park lodges, but they sure do act like it, and they price it a lot higher. Just felt unnecessarily arrogant.
Lower Yosemite Fall. In the afternoon, I visited Lower Yosemite Fall, which is best done clockwise so you’re walking toward the falls.
Shuttles. I rode the shuttles all day so I could learn about them and find tips and tricks for people. It was nice not to look for parking, though they were quite crowded.
Lodging. I explored lodging options on Highway 140 and in Mariposa. Mariposa is a nice little town.
Oakhurst. I explored lodging options in Oakhurst before driving Highway 41 into the park. Nice town, but not as much character as the other gateway towns.
Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. I arrived around 9:20 am, parked at the welcome plaza, and rode the shuttle to the grove. It was a peaceful walk to see the Grizzly Giant, with packed dirt trails and plenty of benches to sit and look up in awe.
Taft Point & Sentinel Dome. These two hikes share a trailhead. Taft Point is easier and leads to sheer drop-offs with views of El Capitan. Sentinel Dome involves a moderate climb, including a scramble up the dome at the end—but the panoramic views of Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and Nevada Fall are spectacular.
Glacier Point. If you only visit one overlook in Yosemite, make it this one. The paved path to the point is easy, and the view of Half Dome flanked by two valleys is probably one of the best views in America. I grabbed a snack at the small concession stand and just took it all in.
Cathedral & Sentinel Beaches. On the way back into the valley, I stopped at Cathedral Beach, a peaceful spot along the river with views of El Cap. Then I swung by Sentinel Beach, the put-out spot for tubers. Both are great picnic/swimming areas.
Yosemite Chapel. I happened upon a wedding at the chapel—the pastor told me it was built in 1870 and is open 24 hours a day. It’s a great little photo op.
Cook’s Meadow. This was a dream walk through an open meadow with views of Yosemite Fall.
Today was crazy driving.
Groveland. I started by driving to Groveland to scope out the lodging options there. What a cute little town – my favorite of the gateway towns to the park.
Tioga Road. On my way out of the park, I returned to Tioga Road to finish exploring.
Tenaya Lake was a gorgeous alpine mountain lake. If I were visiting with my kids, I would certainly bring them here to play in the water.
Tuolumne Meadows was still waking up for the season. Bugs were insane, but the scenery was wild—streams, boulders, open meadows, and towering peaks. I thought this was heaven on earth!
I finished my whirlwind research trip by driving back across Nevada, finishing up 1700 miles of driving (!) and 20 miles of hiking. Whew!
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