Yosemite is considered one of the most beautiful national parks in the world! With only one day to explore the valley, you have to be selective about what you’re going to visit. This itinerary offers you the perfect mix of famous viewpoints, mixed with some light to medium difficulty trails! So keep reading to find out how to spend one day in Yosemite National Park!
Best time to go
Here’s the thing: there are different kinds of activities you can do at Yosemite in different seasons!
If you’re looking to do some hiking, and excited to see some of the famous landmarks the park has to offer: then summer and fall are your best friend!
The summertime offers tons of sunshine, long days and warm (even hot!!) temperatures! However, this is also the time where crowds are the largest… If you’re visiting during the summer, try to visit during the week – you will surely have a more pleasant and relaxed experience!
The fall might be an even better time to visit, with fewer crowds and cooler temperatures. However, the days are also getting shorter, and with only one day at your disposal time is money 😉
The itinerary outlined later in this post caters to the summer and fall season 🙂 Since I haven’t visited during the winter, I cannot comment on that experience… But if you have, let me know in the comments how it was!
How to get there
There are two main ways how to get to the park.
By car
This is obviously the easiest, most convenient and most flexible way to travel. Once inside the park, there are 3 different parking lots (Yosemite Village, Curry Village, and near Yosemite Falls) where you can leave your car for the day. There is also street parking all around the park, close to the “big” attractions.
By bus
This is an option that is not that well known. There are actually several different bus lines that pick-up visitors from different areas around the park. These buses will drop you off at Yosemite Village, from where you can switch to the Yosemite Shuttle, which I will talk more about later…
What time to arrive
There are several factors to consider here.
- THE TRAFFIC. Since there are only a couple of park entries, all cars tend to center around the same areas. Hence, the entrances tend to get packed in the summer months. To avoid having to wait in a traffic jam, I’d recommend to arrive in the park around 8 am, or after 11 pm.
- THE PARKING. Parking in the national park is limited. Hence, you should apply the same logic here. The earlier you get into the park, the better your chances of finding a spot. Ideally, you will park your car in the morning, and then use the free shuttle buses to get around. This way you won’t need to worry about re-parking your car throughout the day.
- SIGHTSEEING TIME. If you only have one day to see Yosemite, you should get to the park as early as possible to maximize your free time exploring!
Overall, getting to the park as early as possible (e.g. around 8 am or before) is a win, win, win situation for you!!
How to get around
As I briefly mentioned before, the best way to get around in the park is by using the free shuttle buses!
The buses drive in a loop (the park is one-way only, anyway!) and stop at all the major attractions.
Buses pass every 12-22 minutes. During a weekday in the summer months, it was never too crowded, which means we always managed to get on the first bus that passed. If you are there on the weekend you might need to wait in a longer line, and it might take a couple of buses until you get in.
Nevertheless, this is still the most convenient, and stress-free way to get around. As well as the most environmentally friendly one, which helps the park 🙂
What to bring
Yosemite Valley has several cafés and shops in the Yosemite Village. Hence, even if you come completely unprepared it is not the end of the world. You would find everything you could possibly need for a successful day in nature in the valley itself.
Nevertheless, to maximize your time there and ensure full flexibility, here is everything I would bring on a day trip to the park:
- Hiking boots: Some of the hikes are a little challenging and might be slippery (e.g. the Mist Trail)
- Comfortable, light pants and shirt: In the summer, the temperatures can get quite high!
- Light jacket: The mornings and evenings can be quite chilly
- Bug spray: There are mosquitoes, especially close to stagnant waters!
- Bug bite cream: In case you still get bit…
- Sun screen: The sun is strong in Yosemite!
- Sunglasses: For obvious reasons 🙂
- Hat: Again, reasons obvious haha
- At least 1l of water/person: There are stations to fill up your water bottle, but you should still carry enough fluids with you at all times…
- Snacks: In case you need a pick me up along the way
- A picknick breakfast and lunch: This will maximize your flexibility, and you’ll have the best views during your meals (as opposed to eating at the cafés and restaurants)
- Charged phone: To take pictures and potentially check hiking directions
- Power bank: In case your phone loses battery quickly…
- Plastic or waterproof bag: If you go on the Mist Trail, you might get wet. Use the bag to protect your valuables.
Where to stay
This will completely depend on two things: your travel style and your budget. There are different types of accommodations inside the Yosemite Valley. For example, you’ll find lodges, high-end hotels, as well as camps.
No matter the price range, the available accommodation spots tend to sell out quite fast. If you’re keen on staying inside the park, you should make sure that you book MONTHS in advance!
You can check out all the available options here.
Alternatively, and perhaps more affordable, you could also stay right outside the park. There are several smaller towns within an hour drive of the park entrance. We personally stayed in a Best Western hotel in a town called Mariposa, which was a typically American town. I liked it, it was authentic.
What to see in one day in Yosemite
If you’re not looking for a step-by-step itinerary, here are the must do things if you only have one day in Yosemite:
- Lower Yosemite Falls
- Cooks Meadow Loop
- Visit the café and shops in Yosemite Village
- Marvel at El Capitan
- Top of Vernal Falls (ideally via Mist Trail!)
- Visit Tunnel View
- Drive to Glacier Point
I’ve listed them in the chronological order that we did them using the Yosemite Valley Shuttle. The East Valley Shuttle was not active at that point.
Is one day enough?
I’m kind of conflicted about this one! On one side, for the regular Joe that’s not suuuuper into hiking, I believe that you can really see a lot in one full day. As you’ll see in the itinerary, one day gives you enough time to do some smaller hikes, hit up the major viewpoints and get a general feeling for the area.
On the other hand, if you’re a hard-core nature lover, one day will simply leave you longing for more!! There are many 5+ hours or even multi-day hikes that you could do, that simply won’t fit into a single day.
In other words, I was very content with one day to get a feeling for it, but I definitely want to go back again and spend more time in the park!
THE ITINERARY
8 am – Arrive at Yosemite
Park your car at Yosemite Village Parking and wait for the free shuttle bus (green loop). This is stop 1 on the green loop. Alternatively, you can walk to your first stop (approx. 15 mins): The Lower Yosemite Falls.
8:30 am – Lower Yosemite Falls & Cooks Meadow Loop
Your first stop of the day is going to be the Lower Yosemite Falls. The “hike” there is a loop, so you don’t need to walk any trail twice. If you haven’t had breakfast yet, there is a little bench on the way to the falls with a view of the waterfall where you could stop.
The loop takes approx. 30 minutes and takes you to the foot of the Lower Yosemite Falls. The Upper Yosemite Falls will be visible from a distance the whole way as well. Just follow the signs, the trail is very well marked 🙂
Once you’re done with this loop, you can head straight to the next loop 🙂
9:30 am – Cooks Meadow Loop
This is another very easy, flat loop that takes approx. 30 minutes again. It will take you through some meadows in the middle of the valley, where you’ll be able to see Half Dome, the Yosemite Falls, and just enjoy some of the beautiful landscape in general…
Once you’re done with the loop, walk towards Yosemite Village.
10:00 am – Stroll Yosemite Village
Yosemite Village is quite small, so it is very walkable. There are some galleries, souvenir shops, a museum and a café. Use this time to take a quick coffee and buy anything you might need or want. Your car is also very close by, in case you want to deposit something 🙂
Next stop, El Capitan! You can take the shuttle bus from the parking lot (stop 1) or from Yosemite Village (stop 2 or 5).
11:00 am – El Capitan!
Once you get off at stop 8, it’s time to marvel at the steepness and vastness of El Capitan! Take your time taking some pictures and trying to spot climbers.
Other than El Cap, there’s not much else to see in the immediate surroundings. Hence, I’d recommend to hop back on the next bus and head to Vernal Falls (stop 16).
12:30 pm – Vernal Falls
This was our personal highlight, since you get to hike to the bottom AND top of Vernal Falls! However, as you might expect this is definitely also the most challenging hike of the day!
The hike starts out slow and easy until you reach a footbridge, from where you’ll be able to get a first look at the Vernal Falls (approx. 30 mins).
There are two ways how to reach the top of Vernal Falls. Either via the Mist Trail or via the John Muir Trail. I’d recommend to go up via the John Muir Trail, and take the Mist Trail down. This way you’ll be able to make a loop, experiencing different kinds of views in both ways.
The John Muir Trail is longer than the Mist Trail. From the footbridge, you should be prepared to hike uphill for another approx. 1.5h. On the way, you’ll pass by Clark Point, from where you’ll be able to see both Vernal and Nevada Falls, as well as the back of Half Dome. Clark Point is also a good place to stop for lunch, if you need a break 🙂 Just be aware, that there is very little shade along this trail!!
At the top of Vernal Falls, you’ll finally have some nice shade and feel the cool of the water. If you haven’t eaten yet, you’ll also definitely find some nice places for a break here!
Once you’ve rested enough, take the Mist Trail back down to the footbridge. As the name suggests, you’ll get plenty of mist along this trail. Mist is even understated – you’ll be soaking wet!! This should only take approx. 30 minutes to get back down, and another 30 mins to get to the shuttle bus stop.
All in all, including breaks, this hike took us approx. 3.5-4 hours.
5:30 pm – Tunnel View
After this long hike, I’m assuming you’ll feel quite tired. Hence, it’s time to take it easy from here. If you feel like it, head back to Yosemite Village for another brief coffee or cold beverage stop. If not, head directly back to your car and let’s go to Tunnel View!
Tunnel View offers some of the best views of the valley! You’ll see El Cap and Half Dome – it’s really spectacular!
5:45 pm – Glacier Point
Once you took enough pictures to last you a lifetime at Tunnel View, it’s time for the next picture-perfect viewpoint!
The drive to Glacier Point takes about 1 hour, and you’ll pass through narrow, winding roads. Nevertheless, the drive and effort is completely worth it! Glacier Point is much higher up than everything you would have seen thus far during the day, which will give you a completely different perspective once again. You will also see Half Dome for much closer than before.
It’s really, really worth it!
AND THAT’S IT – GLACIER POINT WAS YOUR FINAL STOP FOR THE DAY! Now it’s time to head back to your accommodation, and take your time to process everything you experienced today. It was a lot, wasn’t it?
If you’re looking to visit Yosemite National Park as part of greater California trip, make sure to check out this 2 week California road trip itinerary here.