offwegooo.com
Travel guide
Yosemite
6 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to June, September to October
offwegooo.comPrint it, fold it, take it with you
Welcome
Yosemite, in a few days
An 11 km glacial valley hemmed in by 900-metre granite walls, El Capitan on one side, Half Dome at the far end, and waterfalls that drop 739 metres in spring. All around lie 3,000 km² of the Sierra Nevada: 3,000-year-old giant sequoias to the south, high meadows and lakes of polished granite to the north, along the Tioga Road.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 1 thing
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 1 thing
- D5 Day 5 1 thing
- D6 Day 6 1 thing
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Tunnel View · about 30 minAt the east end of the Wawona Tunnel, the valley opens up all at once, with El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall and Half Dome lined up in the view Ansel Adams made famous.
- Afternoon · El Capitan · about 1 hA granite monolith rising about 900 metres above the valley floor, the world's most famous climbing wall, where you can follow the roped teams through binoculars from El Capitan Meadow.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Yosemite Valley Lodge ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€300 a night
D2
Day 2
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- All day · Yosemite Falls · about 45 min (lower loop), a full day (top)Three tiers totalling 739 metres, among the tallest in North America, at full roar in May and June, with a flat loop to the base and a steep trail to the top.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Yosemite Valley Lodge ↗€300 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Glacier Point · half a dayAn overlook at 2,199 metres above a 975-metre drop to the valley, facing Half Dome and the stepped falls, with short walks nearby to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point.
- Late afternoon · Mist Trail · 3 h (Vernal Fall), 6 h (Nevada Fall)The park's busiest trail climbs the Merced River from Happy Isles to Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall, via a granite staircase drenched in spray from May to July.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Yosemite Valley Lodge ↗€300 a night
D4
Day 4
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- All day · Half Dome · 10 to 12 hA glacier-sliced granite dome at 2,693 metres, climbed on a long day hike that ends with two steel cables up a 45-degree slope, with a permit required by lottery.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Yosemite Valley Lodge ↗€300 a night
D5
Day 5
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- All day · Tioga Road and Tuolumne Meadows · a full dayA summer-only road across the high country to Tioga Pass at 3,031 metres, past Olmsted Point, Tenaya Lake and the vast subalpine meadow of Tuolumne ringed by granite domes.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Yosemite Valley Lodge ↗€300 a night
D6
Day 6
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Mariposa Grove · 2 to 3 hThe park's largest grove of giant sequoias, more than 500 mature trees, including the 3,000-year-old Grizzly Giant, reached by free shuttle from the south entrance in season.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Burgers and barbecue: brisket and ribs cooked low and slow, done differently in every state.
- Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl: the classic lunch on the San Francisco waterfront.
- Mexican food: tacos from a truck in Los Angeles, a Mission burrito in San Francisco.
- Pancakes and weekend brunch: a national habit, generous to the point of excess.
- Craft beer, and California wine from Napa and Sonoma.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Tipping is not optional: add 15 to 20% in restaurants and bars.
- Prices on menus and in shops exclude sales tax, which is added at the till.
- Do not plan more than four or five hours of driving a day: the distances are larger than they look on the map.
- Never travel without health insurance. A night in hospital can cost thousands of dollars.
- In summer, do not hike down into the Grand Canyon in the heat of the day: the climb back out is where people get into trouble.
Getting by
Words that help
🗣️ English is the main language here, so there is nothing to learn by heart.
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyUS dollar (USD, $)
BudgetAbout €190 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to June, September to October
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterSafe to drink
Tipping15 to 20%, expected
Emergency911
EntryUK, Australian and most EU passports need an ESTA, applied for online before departure, for stays of up to 90 days; a few EU countries sit outside the Visa Waiver Program and need a full visa. Canadians need neither, only a passport. Anyone who has been to Cuba since January 2021 cannot use an ESTA and must apply for a visa.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well off the tourist trail. In the desert parks, the heat is the real risk.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/yosemite
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.