The best hikes in Yosemite National Park

Located in the valley, this is an ‘amuse bouche’ hike—a flat, paved loop trail with informative exhibits. It brings you near the base of the falls with a footbridge that, depending on the season, may give you a welcome spray of water as you take in the waterfall’s final 320 feet of plunging drama. Walk the loop clockwise for the best views of upper and lower Yosemite Falls. So long as the path is dry of ice or snow, it is wheelchair accessible.

Start: Lower Yosemite Fall Trailhead

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 30 minutes

Distance: 1-mile loop

Elevation gain: 50 feet

Just the name is charming, evocative of the fog that arises from the water spray from Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall. Things start easy, but you quickly start climbing in elevation as you follow the path that gets you close to two major waterfalls (Vernal first, then Nevada) and gives views of the Merced River and the valley. Footing can be slippery thanks to that mist. To provide variety and avoid a roundtrip, consider taking the John Muir Trail back down to the base. This path is not ADA-accessible. Tip: A free shuttle provides service from the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza if the parking lot fills up.

Start: Happy Isles trailhead near Shuttle Stop 16

Difficulty: Moderate to the footbridge; strenuous thereafter

Distance: 1.6 miles to Vernal Fall footbridge; 2.4 miles to the top of Vernal Fall; and 5.4 miles to the top of Nevada Fall: all roundtrip

Elevation gain: 400 feet to the footbridge; 1,000 feet to Vernal Fall; and 2,000 feet to Nevada Fall

This beautiful grove of jaw-droppingly big trees lends itself to family strolls or strenuous hikes, depending on which trails you take. We’re recommending the Grizzly Giant Loop Trail, which lets you experience famous behemoths like the Bachelor and Three Graces, the Grizzly Giant, and the California Tunnel Tree (yes, you can walk through it!). With a disability placard, visitors can park in the Grizzly Giant parking area for a portion of the trail that is wheelchair accessible.

Start: Mariposa Grove Arrival Area

Difficulty: Moderate

Time: 1.5-2 hours

Distance: 2 miles

Elevation gain: 300 feet

This is a backpacking trail in Tuolumne Meadows, which is considered the high country. Accordingly, you have to get a permit to take this trail, and demand is currently very high. From Tenaya Lake, you’ll cross Tenaya Creek and begin climbing up to the Sunrise Lakes, then descend on the other side of Sunrise Mountain. Depending on the season, you’ll see beautiful alpine meadows spread with wildflowers and the dramatic peaks of the Cathedral Range, an offshoot of the Sierra Nevada that resembles a cathedral spire.

Start: Sunrise Lakes Trailhead

Difficulty: Moderate

Time: 5.5 hours

Distance: 10.4 miles round trip

Elevation Gain: 1,650 feet

Hetch Hetchy is an area of Yosemite that isn’t frequented as much as the valley, which gives you an opportunity to avoid crowds. Hetch Hetchy is similar to the valley in its landscape, and the Rancheria Falls are located at its eastern end; you’ll need a permit for this hike. Rancheria isn’t a huge waterfall with a vertical drop, but rather a series of cascades. Watch for Wapama Falls and smaller seasonal cascades, like Tueeulala Falls, along the way. Footbridges can become dangerous and close down when water overtakes them.

Start: Rancheria Falls

Difficulty: Moderate, but the trail is rocky

Time: 5-8 hours

Distance: 12.6 miles

Elevation Gain: 700 feet

We can’t resist the name, and many consider this a highlight of Yosemite. It’s part of the high country backpacking trails off Tioga Road west of Olmsted Point. You’ll see lots of waterfalls on this hike that starts with a steep descent, losing 4,000 feet, and climbs over a gorge and past three large waterfalls: Waterwheel, Le Conte and California. You’ll see dramatic granite peaks and domes, alpine meadows, and the lovely course of the Tuolumne River. You can also do this permitted hike in reverse, starting at Glen Aulin trailhead.

Start: White Wolf Trailhead

Difficulty: Challenging (plus rattlesnakes!)

Time: Up to four days

Distance: 30.8 miles one way

Elevation gain: 5,350 feet

Bookmark this hike for the spring to early summer window, when Tenaya Creek is flowing steadily with freshly melted snow, filling Mirror Lake and creating stunning reflections of the landscape. That said, the trail is worth a visit any time of the year, as it's an easy-to-moderate loop that features exhibits along the trail showcasing the cultural history of Yosemite and geographic changes over time.  

Start: Mirror Lake Trailhead, Shuttle Stop #17

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Time: 1 hour round-trip to the lake; 2-3 hours for a full loop of the trail

Distance: 2 miles roundtrip to the lake; 5 miles to loop around the lake

Elevation gain: 100 feet 

For more seasoned hikers, continue past Mirror Lake to the Snow Creek Trail—a difficult hike made worth it by the sweeping views throughout. Similar to the signature Yosemite Falls Trail, this route features a series of switchbacks and typically is quieter than other nearby trails. After you've passed Mirror Lake, you'll being a steep descent out of Tenaya Canyon. 

Start: Mirror Lake Trailhead, Shuttle Stop #17

Difficulty: Strenuous

Time: 6-7 hours

Distance: 9.4 mile round-trip

Elevation gain: 2,700 feet

This trail offers the chance to visit Indian Arch, an unusual and rare natural granite arch. If you keep following signs for North Dome, your roundtrip will be 10.4 miles (5-8 hours), or you can just return after getting a happy eyeful of Half Dome and Glacier Point from a vantage point not frequented by many visitors. The NPS website isn’t great for this trail, so try this Hiking Project website. The trail is not wheelchair accessible.

Start: Porcupine Creek Trailhead on Tioga Road, 1.2 miles east of the Porcupine Creek Campground

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 3.25 hours

Distance: 6 miles roundtrip

Elevation gain: 329 feet

A portion of one of Yosemite's most-trafficked trails, the John Muir Trail, this stretch features memorable views of Cathedral Peak and notably offers access to several other park areas, including Sunrise High Sierra Camp and the Valley. Parking near the trailhead is very limited, but it's a short half-mile walk or shuttle from the nearby visitors center. 

Start: Cathedral Lakes Trailhead, a half-mile west of the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center

Difficulty: Moderate

Time: 4-6 hours

Distance: 7 miles roundtrip

Elevation gain: 1,000 feet 

Be warned: Before you even lace up your boots, this trail is lying to you. It’s more like five miles, one way. So, really, this is a 10-mile trail, but after you reach the gorgeous vista point at Glacier Point, you’ll forgive the fib. You’ll climb 3,200 feet on what was an 1872 toll trail and, a little over two-thirds of the way up the trail, make a quick detour to Union Point, where you'll be treated to stunning views of Yosemite Valley.

Start: Four Mile Trailhead along Southside Drive in Yosemite Valley

Difficulty: Challenging

Time: 6-8 hours roundtrip

Distance: 9.6 miles roundtrip

Elevation gain: 3,200 feet 

Permits are obtained by lottery for this hike that tests physical acumen as well as your scare factor (if you’re a backpacker, request a Half Dome permit with your wilderness permit—we highly recommend camping in Little Yosemite Valley to get a jump on the summit assault). It’s the most challenging of Yosemite hikes, other than going all Alex Honnold and free-soloing El Cap. The last 400 feet involve climbing with cables you hold like banisters, with wide-spaced wooden slats like flat stairs for your feet to balance on. Cables are usually up from Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day. Just as with Mount Everest, there’s a recommended turnaround time of 3:30pm—whether you’ve summited or not.

Start: Happy Isles trailhead near Shuttle Stop 16

Difficulty: Strenuous

Time: 10-12 hours roundtrip

Distance: 14-16 miles roundtrip

Elevation gain: 4,800 feet (That’s a lot, friends.) 

And here’s the full entrée, the trail most people consider the must-do trail to get a sense of Yosemite’s majesty. It takes you to the top of the highest falls in North America along one of the oldest trails, built 1873-77. You’ll take switchback after switchback as you climb through oaks until you reach plateaus above the treeline, where you’ll capture amazing views of the valley and its features. If you find you bit off more than you can chew, turn around at Columbia Rock (a two-mile roundtrip that only gains 1,000 feet in elevation and only takes 2-3 hours). Otherwise, continue on to say you have reached the highest waterfall on this continent!

Start: Camp 4

Difficulty: Strenuous

Time: 6-8 hours round trip

Distance: 7.2 miles round trip

Elevation gain: 2,700 ft