Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

Information No overnight parking on Tioga & Glacier Point Roads

Overnight parking is not allowed on Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road, including all parking lots reachable from these roads.

Overview

Not just a great valley, but a shrine to human foresight, the strength of granite, the power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra. First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.

From the National Park Service

History

The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.

The Roosevelt connection

T.R. was here

What to see and do

Activities

  • Arts and Culture
  • Auto and ATV
  • Scenic Driving
  • Astronomy
  • Biking
  • Boating
  • Camping
  • Backcountry Camping
  • Climbing
  • Fishing
  • Food
  • Guided Tours
  • Hands-On
  • Hiking
  • Backcountry Hiking
  • Horse Trekking
  • Horseback Riding
  • Ice Skating
  • Living History
  • Paddling
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Tubing
  • Snow Tubing
  • Skiing
  • Snow Play
  • Snowshoeing
  • Swimming
  • Wildlife Watching
  • Birdwatching
  • Park Film
  • Museum Exhibits
  • Shopping
  • Bookstore and Park Store

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Yosemite National Park: Yosemite National Park is open 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Hetch Hetchy: Hetch Hetchy area is only open from sunrise to sunset (except for permitted backpackers). All day visitors must exit Hetch Hetchy by sunset. The road is also closed to all vehicles (including backpackers) from sunset to sunrise.

Fees and passes

  • Entrance - Private Vehicle — $35.00
  • Entrance - Motorcycle — $30.00
  • Entrance - Per Person — $20.00
  • Entrance - Non-commercial Groups — $300.00
  • Entrance - Education/Academic Groups
  • Commercial Entrance - Per Person — $20.00
  • Nonresident — $100.00
  • Commercial Entrance - Mini-bus — $200.00
  • Commercial Entrance - Motor Coach — $300.00
  • Annual Entrance - Park — $70.00

The America the Beautiful pass covers entrance fees at federal recreation lands across all four agencies.

Getting there

You can drive to Yosemite year-round and enter via Highways 41, 140, and 120 from the west. Tioga Pass Entrance (via Highway 120 from the east) is closed from approximately November through late May or June. Hetch Hetchy is open all year but may close intermittently due to snow. Please note that GPS units do not always provide accurate directions to or within Yosemite.

Visitor centers

  • Yosemite Valley Welcome Center
  • Wawona Visitor Center at Hill's Studio
  • Big Oak Flat Information Station
  • Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center

Campgrounds

  • Upper Pines Campground (236 sites) — reserve
  • Hodgdon Meadow Campground (100 sites) — reserve
  • North Pines Campground (81 sites) — reserve
  • Lower Pines Campground (74 sites) — reserve
  • Wawona Campground (95 sites) — reserve
  • Tuolumne Meadows Campground (289 sites) — reserve
  • Crane Flat Campground (148 sites) — reserve
  • Camp 4 Campground (61 sites) — reserve
  • White Wolf Campground (68 sites) — reserve
  • Porcupine Flat Campground (55 sites) — reserve
  • Yosemite Creek Campground (74 sites) — reserve
  • Tamarack Flat Campground (52 sites) — reserve
  • Bridalveil Creek Campground (110 sites) — reserve
  • Wawona Horse Camp (2 sites) — reserve
  • Tuolumne Meadows Horse Camp (4 sites) — reserve
  • Bridalveil Creek Horse Camp (3 sites) — reserve

Weather

Yosemite National Park covers nearly 1,200 square miles (3,100 square km) in the Sierra Nevada, with elevations ranging from about 2,000 feet (600 m) to 13,000 ft (4,000 m). Yosemite receives 95% of its precipitation between October and May (and over 75% between November and March). Most of Yosemite is blanketed in snow from about November through May. (Yosemite Valley can be rainy or snowy in any given winter storm.)

Phone: 209/372-0200

Whose lands these are

These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.

Photos

Upper Yosemite Fall and Merced River in spring
Upper Yosemite Fall and Merced River in spring · NPS Photo
A mountain reflecting in a lake.
Cathedral Peak and Lake in Autumn · NPS / Cindy Jacoby
A rainbow over a mountain in the distance.
Rainbow over Half Dome · NPS / Bob Roney
Cluster of tall trees with cloudy sky.
Giant Sequoia Trees in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias · NPS / Cindy Jacoby
Two tall waterfalls flowing down snow covered granite walls.
Yosemite Falls on a Winter Morning · NPS / Cindy Jacoby
A waterfall flowing down a granite cliff.
Lower Yosemite Fall · NPS Photo / Cindy Jacoby

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