Yosemite Valley Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience Yosemite Valley. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Small Group Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Day Trip from San Francisco

• Yosemite Highlights Small Group Tour

• Yosemite National Park 2-Day Tour from San Francisco with Lodging

• Yosemite 3-Day Camping Adventure from San Francisco

• Yosemite Grand Adventure - day tour from S. Lake Tahoe

Entrance fees to Yosemite National Park are charged on a per-vehicle basis—US$35 for private vehicles or US$30 for a motorcycle. For cyclists and pedestrians who are 16 or older, the cost is US$20 per person. Non-US residents must also pay a US$100 supplement in addition to regular entrance fees. To purchase an annual America the Beautiful pass, the standard price is US$80 for US residents.

Yes, Yosemite Valley is worth visiting. It's home to some of Yosemite National Park's most famous landmarks, including the rock faces of El Capitan and Half Dome. The Merced River winds across the valley floor, hiking trails switchback skyward, and waterfalls—such as Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Fall—tumble from surrounding cliffs.

Per one customer who booked the Yosemite Highlights Small Group Tour, "All the sites we visited are breathtaking, and we had plenty of time to explore at each stop. This was my first time visiting Yosemite and the tour was fun and well worth it. You do get to see a lot in one day and I would highly recommend it. I really appreciated not having to do the driving."

Although Yosemite National Park is massive, you can see much of Yosemite Valley in one day. That's enough time to get oriented at the visitor center, visit the Awahanee and Yosemite Valley Lodge, picnic somewhere scenic, and check out short hiking trails and some of the park's most famous waterfalls.

In more ways than one. Visitors can drive and hike the valley themselves, ride the free public shuttles, or take private tours. Also, Yosemite Hospitality partners with the Federal Park Service to give 2-hour bus tours of the valley. Ranger-led nature and history walks are also offered throughout the year.

The best times to visit Yosemite Valley are spring and late fall after the wildfire season—summer can bring tourists, traffic, and limited parking. Although parts of Yosemite become inaccessible, Yosemite Valley remains open in winter and becomes a snowshoeing, ice skating, and winter hiking destination with organized holiday celebrations.

From the intersection of Big Oak Road and El Portal Road, the roughly 15-mile (24-kilometer) round-trip drive around Yosemite Valley takes about 40 minutes, depending on the route. On public transportation, the Valleywide Shuttle makes about 19 stops on its roughly 1.5-hour route around the same valley.

No, reservations are not required to visit Yosemite Valley—pay the admission fee at the park entrance and drive to the valley. Reservations have been required to manage crowding and may be needed in the future. Reservations are also required to stay overnight.

Yes, there are restrooms in Yosemite Valley. You can find them at the Yosemite Valley Lodge, the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, the Mirror Lake parking lot, the Happy Isles Art and Nature Center, and the Church Bowl, Swinging Bridge, and Sentinal Beach picnic areas. These are all accessible restrooms.

There are tons of sights to see on a trip to Yosemite National Park. According to travelers, these are some of the top attractions:

• Yosemite Falls

• Bridalveil Fall

• Yosemite National Park

• Tunnel View

• El Capitan

View Viator's guide to all the best attractions in Yosemite National Park.