Yosemite

Summer weekends and holidays are packed, and reservations may be required during peak periods — check current rules.

Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road close with snow (typically November to late May or June). Summer is hot in the valley, with wildfire smoke possible late in the season.

The iconic Yosemite summit, gaining 4,800 feet to a bare granite dome above the valley. The final 400 feet use fixed cables. Day-hike permit required — apply in the spring lottery.

The best waterfall hike in the park. Stone stairs beside Vernal Fall soak you in spray, then Nevada Fall opens up above. Most people stop at one or the other — do both.

Climbs 2,700 feet from the valley floor to the top of the tallest waterfall in North America. The views back down into the valley from Columbia Rock (halfway up) are worth the trip alone.

One of the best panoramas in the park for the least effort — a short hike to an exposed dome with a 360° view including Half Dome, El Cap, and the high Sierra. Perfect at sunset.

Flat loop through the valley floor connecting all the major icons: El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall, Half Dome reflections in the Merced River. Great for bikes or an easy full-day walk.

The only road that crosses the park east-west, cresting Tioga Pass at 9,945 feet. Connects Yosemite Valley to the Eastern Sierra and Mono Lake. One of the great drives in the American West.

Runs along the base of the Sierra Nevada from Mono Lake south through Bishop and Lone Pine. Ancient bristlecone pines, Alabama Hills, and Mount Whitney access — all within a day's drive of Yosemite's east gate.

The historic Mother Lode route through the Sierra foothills connects gold rush towns from Nevada City to Mariposa, where the Yosemite Valley Railroad once carried visitors to the park.