If you only have one day in Yosemite Park, there’s still so much you can do!
I’ve been lucky to visit Yosemite in a day this summer right after all of the rainfall. The waterfalls were overflowing and breath taking. If you’ve been looking for a one day in Yosemite itinerary– I’ve got you covered!
This post shows you what to see in Yosemite in one day.
What is the closest airport to Yosemite National Park?
Just fly into Fresno (FAT) Airport like I did!
As a first-timer visiting Yosemite national park, there’s a few things you should know:
- Yosemite is HUGE, nearly the size of Rhode Island!
- It takes about an 1.5 hr to get to the center of Yosemite after you’ve reached the entrance
- It’s a $35 entry fee per vehicle (but it lasts the whole week!)
- You WILL be driving up and down the side of a mountain with no railings, so be sure to have a strong driver who feels comfortable doing so.
- Make sure you know what to bring to Yosemite.
Now that we have some of the basics down, let me tell you how I spent my day in Yosemite:
Arrive at Yosemite entrance at 7 a.m.- pay $35 fee
*Tip: Arrive early to beat the crowds and going on a weekday is ideal*
Drive to Yosemite Valley, first stopping at Tunnel View for a photo op.
Yosemite Valley is a great place to base yourself for one day. Find parking immediately and plan to leave your car there for the day.
Option: Rent bikes for the day, but just know, they go quick! So if you really want them- grab them NOW.
First stop: Yosemite Valley
Cooks Meadow
The meadow is so lush and beautiful, I was really excited to take photos here.
Second stop:
Hike up Lower Mist Falls
Now this area is where I did most of my “hiking.” In reality, I was climbing up rocks to get closer to the Lower Mist Fall. I recommend getting this out of the way early on in the day as it’s one of the most popular sites.
This area is pretty slippery and can easily get crowded quickly. If you’re not up to climbing, you can still take a nice picture of the waterfall from afar. This is how far I got before I decided the rocks were too wet & I wasn’t willing to risk twisting my ankle or something:
Third stop:
Walk the Mirror Lake Trail OR go to Cathedral Beach (both have water to swim in)
We opted to go to Mirror Lake which was about 2.2 miles roundtrip
Note: Make sure you have enough water as there isn’t any available along the trail.
Along the way you’ll pass bridges and creeks. Plus, the smell of the woods was amazing! If I could bottle that smell–I would!
Go for a dip at Lower Mirror Lake! (Funny thing-we thought this was mirror lake at first.)
Lower Mirror Lake is a refreshing pool/beach to cool off after walking in the hot sun. The water is freezing cold and the “sand” is more so made of little rocks.
I personally could only handle dipping my feet in for a few seconds at a time, but it definitely helped with my feet swelling from breaking in my hiking boots. We thought we’d be able to go for a swim (which many people did do) but it was just too cold for us! Here we stopped to have a little lunch under the shade.
After you’re done with lower mirror lake, keep walking to get to mirror lake and you’ll also see Half Dome. You might be surprised though- a lot of the water was dried up and mostly grassy! I’ve read that the water fluctuates depending on the time of the year or if it was a dry winter.
Fourth stop:
Check out Curry Village
Curry Village is a fun little campgrounds. Here you can stop to refill your water bottle, stop in to the gift shop, grab refreshments and food.
There’s also a raft rental area for $30.50 per person. Depending on how you plan to spend your day, I would suggest coming to rent a raft earlier in the day because they were already getting sold out midday.
Fifth stop:
Gift shop at Yosemite Village Center
Now you can either walk back or take one of the buses to get back to the village center. Unfortunately, we didn’t see where the bus stop was so we ended up walking back. Somehow, we did get a bit confused and there’s no service 😅 BUT we eventually made our way back and was going in the right direction.
At the gift shop I picked up a bunch of gifts for my family like hats, crewneck sweaters, mugs etc. They also sell food/drinks/snacks at this gift shop as well if you get hungry!
We ended our day at around 4pm because we didn’t want to drive back in the dark. I was surprised to learn we walked about 11 miles all in all for the day. It was great!
I can’t wait to visit Yosemite again some day, and what a treat it was that my first national park ever!! If you’re visiting that area of California, I would definitely make Yosemite a stop on your list!
FAQ
Can you do Yosemite in one day?
While it’s not possible to see ALL of the national park in one day, you can absolutely visit some must-see spots in one day and have a great time! If you’re looking to see more, you can easily spend anywhere from 3 days to a week in Yosemite.
Can you do a day trip to Yosemite from San Francisco?
Yes you can! Here’s a few tours below if you’d like your trip taken care of:
–>Book a day trip to Yosemite National Park and Giant Sequoias from San Francisco
Can you just drive around Yosemite?
You can drive into and around Yosemite like we did, but some roads may be closed depending on the time of year. Check www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/index.htm for updated information and alerts. There’s also public transportation to help you get around!
Do you need a guide for Yosemite National Park?
We didn’t need a guide for this one day trip, but it’s completely up to you! At the very least, stop at the info booth before you start your hike and ask any questions. Definitely grab a map! There’s no service at certain parts of the park depending where you are.
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