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ADVENTURE IN THE YOSEMITE REGION
Ready for an adrenaline-charged adventure? Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevada mountain range offer plenty of all-weather outdoor thrills to keep you busy year-round.
Come in spring when waterfalls in Yosemite Valley peak, or in summer when the high country opens and Tuolumne Meadows is vividly streaked with wildflowers.
Fall is a more peaceful time to visit, after campgrounds empty out and hiking trails area less trodden. Winter is an especially unforgettable time: you can snowshoe, ski, ice skate, go tubing, or take an old-fashioned sleigh ride.
If your passion is hiking, rock climbing, fishing, horseback riding, river rafting, or mountain biking, you'll find places for those pursuits here, too. If you're just looking to take a nature walk with your kids, then sleep underneath a starry sky, there are endless spots for doing exactly that.
Yosemite National Park has trails enough to last a lifetime. Here you can traipse beside meadows on the glacier-carved valley floor or in the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, then follow in the footsteps of conservationist John Muir and clamber beside thunderous waterfalls and summit craggy Sierra Nevada peaks. No matter what your skill level, you'll find a trail that fits your needs perfectly here. South of Yosemite, the verdant forests of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks await beneath the majestic crest of the Sierra Nevada next to pristine alpine lakes. > See MoreYosemite National Park is a rock climber's dream landscape. Most famous are routes that scale the face of El Capitan, the most intimidating and yet irresistible big wall in the Yosemite Valley. Climbers who gather every spring and fall in the park's Camp 4 campground come not just to test these big walls, but also to try climbing cracks in the Merced River canyon. When summer arrives, the action moves up to the high country around Tuolumne Meadows, off Tioga Road. There you'll find enough dome routes and bouldering puzzles to last until the high-elevation road closes again, usually in September or October. > See MoreWhen the snow melts in the Sierra Nevada, thousands of campers descend on Yosemite National Park and its wonderful developed campgrounds. The most popular places to camp, especially for families and first-time park visitors, are inside the crowded Yosemite Valley. But once the Glacier Point Road and Tioga Roads open for the summer, your options are almost unlimited. The High Sierra Camps are deluxe tent villages where everything is already provided for you – all guests have to do is carry is a day pack when they hit the trail each morning after breakfast. For backpackers, hundreds of backcountry trails crisscross the wilderness of Yosemite and its nearby national parks, national forests, and other public lands. > See MoreDuring summer, when traffic jams are common in Yosemite Valley, a bicycle is a welcome, eco-friendly solution for traveling around the valley. Solo travelers and families can rent two-wheeled steeds from park concessionaires. A paved recreational cycling loop runs around the entire valley floor, stopping at waterfalls, museums, and more. Road cycling elsewhere in the park can be challenging; off-pavement mountain biking is prohibited. Mountain bikers will find many more opportunities in public forests, especially on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, where Mammoth Lakes resort grooms over 100 miles of dirt single-track. > See MoreIt's all about trout in this neck of the woods. While you probably won't catch anything big enough to brag about, Yosemite National Park and its nearby national parks and national forests offer plenty of shady fishing holes along rivers and streams. The trout fishing season runs from late April until mid-November. Fishing in reservoirs and lakes, especially in the alpine high country, is possible year-round, but check with park rangers for regulation details. Fly-fishing outfitters can guide you into the backcountry, including the Golden Trout Wilderness, south of Sequoia National Park. All anglers age 16 and older must carry a valid California fishing license. > See MoreThe epic canyons and valleys of Yosemite National Park are run through by rivers and streams. Most of these Sierra Nevada waterways are so forceful and rocky that they are not navigable by kayaks, canoes, or rafts. One gorgeous exception is the Merced River in the Yosemite Valley. By June or July, this river is typically calm enough for family-friendly rafting floats, or you can bring your own kayak or canoe to paddle downstream. Outside the boundaries of nearby Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the class III–IV rapids of the Kings and Kaweah Rivers are whitewater adventures, best in late spring and early summer. > See MoreIf you're not ready to trek the Sierra Nevada under your own steam, sure-footed pack animals (both horses and mules) and their cowboy wranglers are available to take you into the mountains. The incredible alpine scenery of the backcountry is why most people sign up for these rustic pack trips, although multi-day camping and fishing expeditions are also popular. Shorter day rides for beginners visit Yosemite's waterfalls, meadows, lakes, and giant sequoia groves. Similar day rides and overnight trips depart from inside Kings Canyon National Park, too. In winter, old-fashioned horse-drawn sleigh rides are available just south of Yosemite. > See MoreWhen snow blankets the Sierra Nevada peaks, the Yosemite Valley becomes a wonderland of frosty granite domes, evergreen-studded meadows and snowshoeing tracks. Although some of the park's roads are closed during winter, Badger Pass ski area is an active hub for beginners' downhill skiing, family-friendly inner-tubing, ranger-guided snowshoeing walks, and cross-country ski treks to backcountry huts. Down in the Yosemite Valley, an ice-skating rink opens at Curry Village. More snow play is possible in nearby Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, where visitors can also snowshoe among the giant sequoia forests. On the east side of the Sierra Nevada, Mammoth Mountain rates among California's premier ski resorts. > See More > See More > See More
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