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Exploring Yosemite in one Day

Yosemite National Park is known for its incredible natural beauty, giant sequoia trees, iconic vistas, gushing waterfalls, green meadows and the towering granite giants of El Capitan and Half Dome cliffs.

Set within California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range a day exploring Yosemite was our next stop after Monterey Bay. But what if you’ve only got one day in Yosemite to explore…

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Tunnel View, Yosemite

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Yosemite is a must do on any California national parks itinerary. This was the national park that I’d been looking forward to visiting most since we first started planning our US road trip.

Yosemite is a place that needs to be seen first-hand to be truly appreciated. Soak up nature’s glory, breathe deep the pine-scented air and feel very small amid the grandeur of Yosemite’s great outdoors.

How to see the best of Yosemite in one day

Of course, Yosemite in one day is nowhere near long enough to explore almost 1200 square miles of this vast National Park. In fact it only scratches the surface, but it was that or nothing so we spent our time wisely and took one of the ranger-led tours.

The Yosemite Valley Floor Tour is a two-hour tour and although the valley is only a small part of the park there are some spectacular views during its 26-mile route. It’s the perfect tour if you only have one day in Yosemite or if it’s your first visit and want to get your bearings before exploring in depth.

Here are my tips for visiting Yosemite in one day together with some of my favourite Yosemite pictures.

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Sentinel Meadow

Best Time to Visit Yosemite

Yosemite is one of the most visited national parks in America and is open 365 days a year welcoming over 3.7m tourists annually. Summer is peak season meaning Yosemite will be heaving with visitors from late May to early September.

We were savvy and waited until 18 September when the kids were back to school and the crowds had died down at bit – although at this time of year the waterfalls, as well as the crowds, have dwindled.

The best time to visit for the falls is late April and early May when the water’s roaring and the weather is fair. During the winter any snowfall means that many roads are impassable.

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Half Dome

Exploring Yosemite Valley

As we were visiting in September our ranger tour of Yosemite Valley departed in an open-top tram – perfect for getting some fabulous views and photos of Half Dome and El Capitan. In autumn and winter, a heated coach is used.

We booked at the visitor centre in the valley and paid $38 each which goes towards the upkeep of the park. You can also book online or by phone.

Our guide was Kate Kinsella who been a ranger for two years and ‘loves nothing better than cruising backwards predicting scenery’ (she sat facing us at the front of the tram). Kate kept an ongoing commentary throughout peppered with fascinating facts about the history of the park, the geology of the rock formations and the wildlife within the park. It’s a fantastic way to explore the best of Yosemite in one day.

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Young Buck in Yosemite National Park

I was captivated throughout the tour both by the commentary and the views.  We passed beneath towering monoliths of pale granite and journeyed alongside sparkling streams under the shade of thousand-year-old trees. We stopped at many of the breathtaking viewpoints en-route for photos.

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Valley View, Yosemite National Park

El Capitan

The scale of El Capitan was quite incredible. To give you an idea you can just see a climber, wearing blue, in the right-hand shot to the right of the two small shadows. Look closely at the full picture and you can see the larger shadow right in the centre of the rock face. Puts things into perspective doesn’t it!

Climbers have been scaling El Capitan since 1958 – the fastest ascent so far was 2 hours, 23 minutes and 26 seconds. I was happy just to gaze up at it. El Capital is a must-see if you only have one day in Yosemite National Park.

After you’ve taken the tour you can choose to take another one-hour tour up to Glacier Point – a perfect sunset vantage point. If the water’s flowing check out the waterfalls – Bridalveil falls were a mere trickle when we were here but are quite stunning during Spring. You can stop off at Bridalveil falls on arrival after entering from the south or west gates.

Mariposa Grove is packed with Giant Sequoia Trees – this was closed when we were there for maintenance work but there are two other groves of majestic Sequoia trees in the valley. All of this should fill your day at Yosemite nicely and with time for lunch.

Giant-sequoia-trees

Where to stay when visiting Yosemite

If you plan to stay in Yosemite park itself you’ll need to book months ahead. We decided to stay nearby in Oakhurst and we had no trouble booking rooms over the phone the day before. 

To get to Yosemite from Oakhurst we took Highway 41 to the South Gate. The drive to Tunnel View took just over an hour and then another half an hour to the valley floor itself. Check out accommodation rates and availability in Oakhurst and Yosemite West.

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Yosemite Reflections

Bears in Yosemite

If you camp within the park you’ll need to be ‘Bear Aware’ – do not bring food with you unless you remember to store it in one of the bear-safe lockers located around the site. The bears have an excellent sense of smell and will sniff out the smallest morsel.

Even the rubbish has to be locked away in bear-safe bins for your own safety and that of the bears. The bears break into around 100 cars every year in their search for a bite to eat.

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Tunnel View

How to get around Yosemite

On arrival head for the visitor centre where there’s plenty of day-long parking. From here it’s a short walk to the centre where there are free shuttle buses which you can hop on and off to get around Yosemite Valley. Other buses go to Tuolumne Meadows or Glacier Point.  

Yosemite Map

Here’s the Yosemite Valley Shuttle Bus Route Map which includes the extended El Capitan loop, available June through September or download the complete Yosemite park map.

Well, that’s just scratching the surface of what to see in Yosemite in a day but if that’s all the time you’ve got you can still see some awesome sights.  I hope you’ve found some useful tips to get the most out of your day. Have you visited? Share your tips for visiting Yosemite in the comments below…

Next stop on our road trip was Lone Pine and crossing Death Valley with temperatures going up to 106 degrees. From there we visited Las Vegas, Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon West Rim. We got our Route 66 kicks and kitsch in Seligman and hunted for vortexes on our final stop in Sedona.

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H. F. Bailey

Sunday 31st of July 2016

We are planning a trip to Yosemite in a few months. Great post!! :) I'm so excited to visit.

Suzanne Jones

Monday 1st of August 2016

You'll have an amazing time! Great time to go in the National Park's big anniversary year...

Danika Schultz

Thursday 5th of May 2016

Yosemite is one of California's biggest gems. I loved reading your post, you gave some great tips as to how to see Yosemite!

Suzanne Jones

Monday 9th of May 2016

Thanks Danika, Yosemite was one of our favourite stops on our road trip :)

Mark Bennett

Friday 5th of February 2016

If there is one place to visit on the west coast Yosimite has to be in, This is a fantastic park and I spent three days there and need to come back not I have a family. Every image reminds me of the view from the top of half dome, my run to the top of inspiration Point or the climb up El Capitan.

This valley is a reminder of my youth and will remain one of my favourite destinations in the world, even now 22 years on...

Suzanne Jones

Saturday 6th of February 2016

Glad to hear I helped to jog some happy memories. Thank you for dropping by :)

Ayla

Tuesday 26th of January 2016

It just looks so stunning Suzanne and your pics really do it justice. I cannot wait to see this part of the US and I'm excited to be camping too. Although I am a little worried about those bears!

Suzanne Jones

Tuesday 26th of January 2016

I so want to go back and spend more time there. Not sure how I'd feel about coming face to face with a bear either!

Jackie De Burca

Saturday 9th of January 2016

It looks absolutely amazing Suzanne. I love the photo of the young buck, and all the moments of glorious nature that you've captured. It is great to see how to get the best out of it in a short time period, but I can imagine that you will enjoy even more with more time.

Suzanne Jones

Monday 11th of January 2016

It was a mere taster of a day that's made me want to return as soon as possible...

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