Yosemite Valley Tours and Tickets

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.