Visiting Yosemite National Park – Top Things To See In Yosemite In A Day
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Yosemite is undoubtedly one of the most amazing nationals parks in the US. We love visiting Yosemite National Park in California and have made many day trips to explore the park.
No matter if you have a week, a weekend, or just one day, a trip to Yosemite will be totally worth it and will only make you want to come back again.
In this one day Yosemite itinerary we will show you our top things to see in Yosemite in a day, including our best Yosemite photo spots and vista points.
TOP THINGS TO SEE IN YOSEMITE IN A DAY
Table of Contents
VISITING YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK IN ONE DAY
HOW TO GET TO YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
Yosemite National Park is located in the central Sierra Nevada in California. Major cities to reach the park from are San Francisco in NorCal and Los Angeles in SoCal.
The best way to get to Yosemite is by car, from wherever you come from.
Coming From The West
Starting in San Francisco it takes about 4,5 hours to Yosemite and from Los Angeles around 6 hours. Everything depending on traffic of course.
Coming From The East
Another way to get to Yosemite is from the Eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. For instance, coming from Mammoth Lakes. You will be taking the 395 highway and then Tioga Pass (highway 120) down to Yosemite Valley. However, this route is closed during winter due to loads of snow.
Taking A Day Tour To Yosemite
If you don’t want to drive to Yosemite yourself, there is also the convenient option to take a bus tour to Yosemite:
Check out tours from San Francisco to Yosemite here and a Yosemite tour from Los Angeles here.
You can also take a day tour from Lake Tahoe To Yosemite.
BEST THINGS TO SEE IN YOSEMITE IN A DAY
SUNRISE AT GLACIER POINT WITH AMAZING VIEWS OF HALF DOME
For the early birds, start your day at Yosemite with an amazing sunrise at Glacier Point.
Glacier Point is our absolute favorite spot to see the sunrise in Yosemite. It takes some time to drive up there, so you have to get up pretty early, but this epic view of Half Dome and the Valley is more than worth it.
PRO TIP: Bring some breakfast and coffee.
TUNNEL VIEW VISTA POINT OVERLOOKING YOSEMITE VALLEY
After spending the sunrise at Glacier point in the morning drive down to Yosemite Valley.
Right after Wawona Tunnel, you will be greeted with this jaw-dropping view into the Yosemite Valley with Half Dome in the back and El Captian and Bridalveil falls.
The vista point is called Tunnel View and is right after the Wawona Tunnel.
BRIDALVEIL FALL
Bridalveil Fall. If you want to see the waterfalls in Yosemite at full force, visit in spring and early summer. Towards the end of summer and fall, the waterfalls are usually dried out by then.
The famous rainbow effect of Bridalveil Fall usually occurs in spring and fall when the sun is low in the afternoon.
UPPER & LOWER YOSEMITE FALLS
Lower and Upper Yosemite Falls are another must-see when in Yosemite. You can see them from far away and can also get up close.
Check out Lower Yosemite Falls trail and Yosemite Falls vista point.
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MIRROR LAKE
It’s a 2 mile (3.2 km) walk to Mirror Lake from shuttle stop #17. Towards the end of the year, Mirror Lake has only a little water left. When it is fullest in spring and early summer the lake creates this amazing mirror effect.
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Cool National Park Merch
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WHERE TO STAY AT YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
Even though you visit Yosemite for one day only, you most likely will need a place to stay for the night. Unless you decide to drive back home or continue your road trip.
There are two ways where to stay in Yosemite: You can stay inside Yosemite and outside the park. Which one is better? It depends!
Where To Stay Inside The National Park
The pros of staying inside the park are that you are right there and can save yourself the long drive. However, hotels inside the national park are very expensive and you need to book months in advance.
Camping In Yosemite
If you are into camping it will be cheaper, but camping spots will also book fast. Check out the national park’s website for camping spots.
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Hotels Near Yosemite
Cheaper hotels and also more options can be found outside the park. Mariposa and Oakhurst are the main towns where you can find hotels near Yosemite for a more affordable price.
We can recommend Yosemite Southgate Hotel and Suites. We randomly ended up staying there twice over the course of a few years, because when doing the search for hotels in Yosemite, it offered the best bang for the buck and is a good quality hotel.
Booking.comTOP THINGS TO SEE IN YOSEMITE IN A DAY
VISITING YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK IN ONE DAY
We hope you found our guide to visiting Yosemite National Park in one day helpful for planning your upcoming trip and got some good inspiration from our favorite things to see in Yosemite.
Have fun spending a day in Yosemite and exploring all the amazing sights the park has to offer!
Julia & Felipe
Follow our adventures on Instagram! @piscoandbier
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