Best Hikes in Yosemite National Park

Yosemite hikes at a glance

Distances are round trip from NPS.gov trail pages. NPS does not publish a time for every trail, so times for a few short walks are estimates at an average pace.

Most of the famous hikes start in Yosemite Valley at about 4,000 feet. Glacier Point Road trails start near 7,000 feet, and Tioga Road and Tuolumne Meadows trails start at 8,000 to 8,600 feet, where you will feel the altitude.

Easy Valley walks: Lower Yosemite Fall, Bridalveil Fall and Mirror Lake

Lower Yosemite Fall is a 1-mile loop with 50 feet of gain that ends at the base of the lower fall. Take the free Valley shuttle to stop 6. The eastern 0.6 mile of the loop is paved and wheelchair accessible, though the path and bridge can be wet in spring.

Bridalveil Fall is a 0.5-mile round trip with 80 feet of gain from the parking area at the west end of the Valley. Mirror Lake is 2 miles to the lake and back (100 feet of gain) from shuttle stop 17, or 5 miles if you walk the full loop around the lake basin.

In fall, temper expectations: as of October 10, 2026, NPS reports Yosemite Falls dry and Vernal, Nevada and Bridalveil Falls low. These walks are best from April to June.

Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls

This is Yosemite's signature day hike. Start at Happy Isles, shuttle stop 16; there is no trailhead parking, so park at Curry Village, under a mile away. It is 1.6 miles round trip and 400 feet of gain to the Vernal Fall footbridge, 2.4 miles and 1,000 feet to the top of Vernal Fall, and 5.4 miles and 2,000 feet to the top of Nevada Fall. Above the footbridge, granite steps climb beside the fall.

Repair work changes the route in fall 2026. Through October (subject to change), the Mist Trail between the John Muir Trail junction and the top of Vernal Fall is open Friday through Sunday and holidays. Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. it is closed, and you take the John Muir Trail instead. The JMT is a longer, less steep route, about 4 miles one way to Nevada Fall versus 2.5 miles on the Mist Trail.

The steps are wet and slick, and NPS says sprains and knee injuries are common. Swimming in the river is illegal and dangerous, and entering Emerald Pool or the Silver Apron above Vernal Fall is prohibited. Treated water is available only at Happy Isles and the Vernal Fall footbridge (May to October). In winter the lower Mist Trail closes for ice and rockfall.

Upper Yosemite Fall and the Four Mile Trail

The Yosemite Falls Trail starts near Camp 4 (Valleywide shuttle stop 7; the Camp 4 lot is for campers only). Columbia Rock, 2 miles round trip with 1,000 feet of gain, is a good turnaround with a Valley view. The top of the fall is 7.2 miles round trip with 2,700 feet of gain and takes 6 to 8 hours. There is no water on the trail, and the upper section is exposed and hot in summer.

The Four Mile Trail climbs 3,200 feet in 4.8 miles one way from the Valley floor to Glacier Point. Many hikers do it one way with a car shuttle, since there is no public shuttle between the Valley and Glacier Point outside the reservable summer Glacier Point Tour. As of the October 9 Dome Fire update, the Four Mile and Panorama Trails remain open.

Half Dome

Half Dome is 14 to 16 miles round trip with 4,800 feet of gain, and most hikers need 10 to 12 hours. The route starts at Happy Isles, follows the Mist Trail or John Muir Trail past Vernal and Nevada Falls, crosses Little Yosemite Valley and ends with a 400-foot climb up steel cables. NPS advises leaving at sunrise or earlier and gives 3:30 p.m. as an example turnaround time if you have not reached the top.

A permit is required whenever the cables are up, normally from the Friday before Memorial Day to the day after the second Monday in October. In 2026 that last day falls on Tuesday, October 13. Day hikers enter a preseason lottery from March 1 to 31 (225 permits a day) or a daily lottery that opens two days before the hike date, from midnight to 4 p.m. Pacific. Each application costs $10, plus $10 per person if you win. Backpackers request Half Dome with their wilderness permit.

Never go up the cables when the rock is wet or storm clouds are building. NPS says wet rock and cables are the leading cause of fatal falls on the route. NPS has not announced 2027 permit details yet; the preseason lottery has run in March in past years.

Glacier Point Road and the Mariposa Grove

Sentinel Dome and Taft Point share a trailhead on Glacier Point Road. Sentinel Dome is 2 miles round trip with 400 feet of gain to a granite summit with a 360-degree view; stay off it in thunderstorms. Taft Point is 2.2 miles round trip, mostly downhill on the way out, and ends at an unfenced overlook about 3,000 feet above the Valley floor.

Dome Fire status: the fire was reported September 15, 2026 north of Chilnualna Falls and, as of October 9, covered 6,829 acres at 61% containment. The October 9 update listed Glacier Point Road as closed, while the park's conditions page, updated October 10, lists it as open and asks drivers to watch for firefighters. Trails heading south or east from the road (Mono Meadow, Ostrander Lake) and the Buena Vista Trail stay closed. Overnight parking on the road ends October 15, and it usually closes for winter in November.

In the Mariposa Grove, the Grizzly Giant Loop is 2 miles round trip with 300 feet of gain from the Arrival Area, past the Grizzly Giant and the California Tunnel Tree. Park at the Welcome Plaza and ride the free shuttle (about late April through November). Near Wawona, the Chilnualna Falls Trail (8.2 miles, 2,400 feet) has reopened to Chilnualna Fall and Crescent Lake, but land east of Wawona Road toward Glacier Point Road is still closed.

Tuolumne Meadows, Tioga Road and Hetch Hetchy

Tioga Road trails are reachable only while the road is open, typically late May or June into November. Dog Lake and Lembert Dome make a 3.8-mile, 850-foot outing. Cathedral Lakes is 7.6 miles round trip with 1,000 feet of gain to lakes below Cathedral Peak. Clouds Rest, from the Sunrise Lakes Trailhead near Tenaya Lake, is 14 miles round trip with 2,300 feet of gain to 9,926 feet, higher than Half Dome, with no permit or cables but a narrow final ridge.

In October 2026, expect 10-minute weekday delays in Tuolumne Meadows, a construction detour on the trail from the wilderness center to Lembert Dome, and freezing nights. Overnight parking on Tioga Road ends October 15.

At Hetch Hetchy, Wapama Falls is 5 miles round trip with 507 feet of elevation change: cross O'Shaughnessy Dam, go through the tunnel and follow the reservoir's north shore. The road is open sunrise to sunset and closes when snow is falling or forecast.

Hiking safety, wildlife and what to bring

Black bears are active throughout the park. Stay at least 50 yards away, never feed wildlife, and keep food within arm's reach on the trail. After dark, food may not stay in your car; use the lockers at trailhead parking areas. Fines run up to $5,000. Fire restrictions are in effect below 8,000 feet as of October 2026, and smoke can affect air quality.

• Water: 1 quart to the Vernal Fall footbridge, 2 to the top of Vernal Fall, 3 to 4 to Nevada Fall or Upper Yosemite Fall, at least 1 gallon for Half Dome. Treat stream water.
• Altitude: Tuolumne Meadows is at 8,600 feet. Go slowly the first day.
• Water hazards: never wade or swim above a waterfall or in fast runoff.
• Lightning: get off domes and the Half Dome cables when clouds build.
• Gear: shoes with good tread, rain shell for the Mist Trail in spring, warm layers, a headlamp (October days are short), a map and gloves for the Half Dome cables.

Permits and accessible trails

Day hikes need no permit except Half Dome while the cables are up. Any overnight trip in the wilderness needs a wilderness permit, required all year. Reservations cover trips from May through October: 60% go to a weekly lottery 24 weeks ahead and 40% are released 7 days ahead on Recreation.gov. Fees are $10 per application plus $5 per person.

For accessible options, the eastern section of the Lower Yosemite Fall loop, the paved Valley bike paths and the Big Trees Loop in the Mariposa Grove are the best choices. Placard holders may drive the closed road to Mirror Lake at 15 mph. All Valley shuttles have wheelchair lifts. Confirm current conditions with the park accessibility coordinator at 209/379-1035.

More Yosemite guides

• Best Time to Visit Yosemite National ParkWhen to visit Yosemite: waterfall peak in May and June, Tioga and Glacier Point road seasons, February Firefall, winter access and the 2026 reservation status.
• How Many Days Do You Need in Yosemite?Plan 2 days for Yosemite Valley and 3 to 4 to add Glacier Point, Mariposa Grove and Tuolumne. Sample itineraries plus where to stay inside and outside the park.
• Camping in Yosemite National Park: Campgrounds, Reservations and TipsAll 13 Yosemite campgrounds with sites, fees, RV limits and 2026 dates, plus how the 15th-of-the-month reservation release works and where to camp nearby.