Yosemite Valley
Photo: Joel Olives, CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
Yosemite Valley is only about seven miles long, but it holds some of the most famous scenery on Earth. This tour starts high at Tunnel View, drops down past Bridalveil Fall and El Capitan, crosses the Merced River, and works east through meadows and the village to Mirror Lake and Happy Isles.
Along the way you'll see how glaciers carved the valley, meet the Ahwahneechee people who lived here for thousands of years, and learn how the 1864 Yosemite Grant and John Muir helped make it a protected park.
Plan on about five hours. Drive the first stops, then park in Yosemite Village and use your feet and the free valley shuttle for the rest. Before you go, check nps.gov for current entry reservations, road closures and shuttle schedules, which change often. Bring water and layers, stay on trails, keep well back from cliff edges and fast water, and never feed or approach wildlife.
11 stops on this tour:
Tunnel View - The Whole Valley at Once
Bridalveil Fall - Spirit of the Puffing Wind
El Capitan Meadow - Watch for Climbers
Swinging Bridge - River Views of Yosemite Falls
Yosemite Valley Chapel - Lincoln's Gift and a Moving Church
Sentinel Bridge and Cook's Meadow - Half Dome in the River
Lower Yosemite Fall - Where Muir Made His Home
Yosemite Village - The People of Ahwahnee
The Ahwahnee - A Grand Hotel in Disguise
Mirror Lake - A Lake Turning into Meadow
Happy Isles - Where the Trails Begin
Plan your visit
- Route: 11 stops · about 13 miles of driving · self-drive
- Time: about 5 hours with stops
- Start: Tunnel View (directions)
- Cost: free tour; the site itself charges an entrance fee
- Audio: narrated - tap ▶ Listen at the top of any stop
Stops on this tour
- Tunnel View - The Whole Valley at Once
- Bridalveil Fall - Spirit of the Puffing Wind
- El Capitan Meadow - Watch for Climbers
- Swinging Bridge - River Views of Yosemite Falls
- Yosemite Valley Chapel - Lincoln's Gift and a Moving Church
- Sentinel Bridge and Cook's Meadow - Half Dome in the River
- Lower Yosemite Fall - Where Muir Made His Home
- Yosemite Village - The People of Ahwahnee
- The Ahwahnee - A Grand Hotel in Disguise
- Mirror Lake - A Lake Turning into Meadow
- Happy Isles - Where the Trails Begin
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- UC Berkeley Campus Walk (141 mi) - Free speech, Nobel science, a 307-foot tower and a creek that started it all on a walking loop through Cal.