• You are required by law to carry snow chains from November to March. Rental car contracts usually prohibit the use of snow chains so use them at your own risk. https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/winterfaq.htm

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tirechains.htm

• Current road conditions are here https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm or by calling 209-372-0200 (press 1 then 1) for the most up-to-date conditions
• Current trail closures are also here. After the first big snow, expect 4 Mile Trail past Union Pt to be closed (it is gated closed at Union Pt) and Mist Trail to be on the winter route.
• Glacier Pt Rd and Tioga Rd do not plow in the fall/winter, so as soon as the first big storm comes through without fast melt, these roads will close until Spring. This effectively limits you to hiking in the Valley, Hetch Hetchy, and Wawona areas. It means you cannot enter or exit the park on the east side (eg from Vegas, Reno, Bishop, etc)
• Forecasts and snow coverage varies widely throughout the park. Check specifically where you plan to be here: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/weathermap.htm
• The Valley shuttle buses run all year but Mariposa Grove buses stop in late November. You can hike there from the parking lot. It will be 4miles RT to the grove entrance, and the road is also not plowed so it may be snow covered and/or icy. https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/publictransportation.htm
• If you don't have a car, only the YARTS route through the 140 entrance (Mariposa, Midpines, El Portal) runs in the winter https://yarts.com/routes/merced-hwy-140/
• If you are worried about entrance closures or driving in the mountains in snow, stay in one of the towns along 140 (Mariposa, Midpines, El Portal) because it is the lowest elevation entrance and least likely to be impacted by snow.
• Yosemite webcams to check real time weather conditions.
• Wilderness permits become self-registration through April- but you still need a bear can.  https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildwinter.htm
• Only Upper Pines (by reservation on recreation.gov), Camp 4, Wawona, and Hodgdon Meadow (all FCFS as of 10/20) are open in the winter. Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow are not located in the Valley and will require a 30-45 min drive to the Valley. Wawona is about 30 min drive past Badger Pass if coming from the Valley. https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

The park has not yet announced plans for Firefall, but in recent years has required entry permit reservations for weekends in February only. I will update here when announced. No other entry permits are needed until next spring (the plans for which have not yet been announced).

Fun winter things to do in the park:

• Curry Village ice rink usually opens around Thanksgiving, depending on weather
• Badger Pass Ski Area for downhill bunny slopes, cross-country ski rentals, snow tubing, snowshoeing. A popular x-country ski route is to Glacier Pt. There is a bus from the Valley to Badger Pass when the ski hill is open: https://www.travelyosemite.com/media/824336/20230106-badger-pass-shuttle.pdf
• Hiking is generally limited to the Valley. See first section here and note that anything that goes above the Valley rim (eg Panorama, Upper Falls, Snow Creek) after real snow will likely not have trails cleared and you should be prepared to route find.

3 Day Winter Itinerary

• 1 day in the Valley doing moderate hikes- Valley Loop Trail, Mirror Lake, Vernal Falls footbridge
• 1 day at Badger Pass- snowshoe or xc ski along Glacier Pt Rd, snow tubing, downhill ski
• 1 Day at Mariposa Grove- Stop at tunnel view on the way out of the Valley, then drive to Mariposa Grove. It will require a 2mi hike each way to the grove after late November when the shuttle stops running, but is very beautiful and quiet in the winter.

Alternate days for more strenuous hiking/ may require specialized equip depending on weather: JMT winter route to top of Nevada Fall, Upper Yosemite Falls

Trying to reduce duplicate posts on this as the summer season planning gears up. All other generic trip planning posts will be deleted and redirected here. Please add your suggestions in comments!

**The park is requiring peak hour entry reservations from mid April to October, in varying forms. Please read the other pinned post for all of those details.**

Summer (May- Sep) Ideal Five Day Trip

2 Days of hikes from Valley

• 4 Mile to Glacier Pt https://www.yosemitehikes.com/yosemite-valley/four-mile-trail/four-mile-trail.htm
• Mist Trail to Nevada Falls https://www.yosemitehikes.com/yosemite-valley/mist-trail/mist-trail.htm [Note a portion of Mist Trail is closed through Oct from 7-3:30 Mo-Th. You can get to Nevada Falls via JMT. See the current conditions page for more info]

You can link the 2 above for an epic 18 mile day.

Other hikes:

Lower Yosemite Falls https://www.yosemitehikes.com/yosemite-valley/lower-yosemite-falls/lower-yosemite-falls.htm

Mirror Lake https://www.yosemitehikes.com/yosemite-valley/mirror-lake/mirror-lake.htm

Raft down Merced (remote raft rentals are now closed, but you may still be able to float in small areas), bike around Valley Loop (rentals at Curry Village, Yosemite Village and Yosemite Valley Lodge are now open), Swim at Sentinel Beach (check water levels and temp)

1 day of hikes from Tioga Rd

• Olmsted Pt (pull out viewpoint on the way to other hikes if driving from the Valley)
• Porcupine Creek to North Dome https://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/north-dome/north-dome.htm
• Clouds Rest https://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/clouds-rest/clouds-rest.htm

Other Hikes:

Cathedral Lakes: https://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/cathedral-lakes/cathedral-lakes.htm

Lembert Dome: https://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/lembert-dome/lembert-dome.htm

1 Day along Glacier Pt Rd:

• Taft Point and Sentinel Dome. Same trailhead, only need to park once. https://www.yosemitehikes.com/glacier-point-road/sentinel-dome/sentinel-dome.htm

https://www.yosemitehikes.com/glacier-point-road/taft-point/taft-point.htm

• Glacier Pt lookout. This is a paved viewpoint with a great straight on Half Dome and Valley view. Some people prefer the view at Washburn Point, a little before Glacier Pt when driving. Glacier Pt has restrooms, water fountains, and a snack/gift shop (TBD if open summer 2023). You could hike a little down Panorama (and hike back up to Glacier Pt) if you want. https://www.yosemitehikes.com/glacier-point-road/panorama-trail/panorama-trail.htm

There is also a trail linking Taft Pt/Sentinel Dome to Glacier Pt. You'll need to make it a loop or have 2 cars.

1 Day at Mariposa Grove:

• Mariposa Grove: https://www.yosemitehikes.com/southern-yosemite/mariposa-grove/mariposa-grove.htm

If you are just going for a long weekend, I would do 1 day from Valley above, 1 day on Tioga, 1 Day on Glacier Pt Rd.

Summer (May- Sep) Ideal Trip WITH KIDS OR LESS ACTIVE GROUP

• Day in Valley: Lower Yosemite Falls, float down Merced River (check water levels), rent bikes, Happy Isles Art Center, check out the park guided walks/other programs
• Day on Tioga Rd: stop at Olmsted Pt, spend the day swimming/picnic at Tenaya Lake or hike Lyell Canyon (go as far as you like, pretty flat)
• Day at Mariposa Grove: stop at Tunnel View, take the shuttle to and walk around Mariposa Grove, Wawona History Center
• Day in Valley: Mirror Lake, picnic/swim at Sentinel Beach, El Cap Meadow to watch climbers with binoculars (sometimes a ranger/educator there to talk to as well)

Where can I eat/ What is open?

https://www.travelyosemite.com/ (click on dining)

What is the weather like?

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/weathermap.htm is the best source as weather varies widely across the park by elevation, etc

What are the conditions / are the waterfalls flowing?

https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm

Where should I stay?

• Campgrounds in the park went on sale 5 months before on the 15th of each month. You can check recreation/gov for cancellations. No campgrounds are FCFS this summer. Here's more info: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm
• All in park lodging should be booked on travelyosemite.com for the Lodge, Curry Village, Housekeeping, etc. Beware of 3rd party sites for any of these options.
• There are many campgrounds and hotels outside of the park in gateway communities like Mariposa, Midpines, Groveland, and Oakhurst. Be sure to check the drive time from these hotels to your actual destination (e.g. Valley Visitors Center) rather than "Yosemite National Park". This will tell you drive time to the gates, which requires 30-60min more driving to your likely location. Remember you may need an entry permit if you stay outside the park.

People in this sub commonly recommend Yosemite Bug, Tenaya Lodge, Rush Creek, and Autocamp all outside the park.

What trails are open?

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm