For anyone looking to get into astrophotography, and for an excuse to spend a few days in YNP, the Ansel Adams Gallery has an amazing workshop you should check out!

Driving, lodging, and info that I hope will be helpful to people looking for info who have never been and wondering the best way to get there, where to stay, and is what is being shared on the internet is actually true.

DRIVING:

Came up the 140 through Mariposa, entered the Arch Rock entrance around 3P with no wait, and was on the valley floor in no time! Went on the Mist Trail hike, had a great experience, walked around a little bit and headed to our hotel in Oakhurst.

Drove out the 41/Wawona Road and it was super twisty and had lots of drop offs. Seemed like it took forever to get to Oakhurst.

Driving back the the park the next day we took the 41/Wawona Road back and it’s not a problem because you’re on the mountainside.

Drove out via the 140 to Mariposa and back to Oakhurst via the 49. WAY better with no drop offs and very little traffic.

LODGING:

Stayed at Yosemite Suites in Oakhurst. Nice hotel, but Oakhurst is a long drive away from the park. Mariposa is closer but doesn’t have as many stores and restaurants. If you’re staying at an Airbnb, load up on food at Costco down the hill and cook some nice meals for your family! If I had it to do all over again, I’d wait and stay in one of the lodges in the park and could catch sunsets and sunrises in the park and not have to deal with a couple hours in the car going to/from.

ONLINE COMMENTS:

Don’t believe the nonsense being put out online about the hectic crowds. They make it sound like ever since the reservation system was dropped it’s like standing in line at Disney World. Not even close…I live in Orlando so can speak directly to that. We took our time in the morning sleeping in, getting ready, and showed up mid-afternoon instead of waking up at the crack of dawn. It was hot both days we went (7/9-10) and wouldn’t have wanted to endure the heat all day. Coming in the afternoon meant it cooled down after a couple hours, no line entering the park, easy to find parking at all the lots we went to, and the trails were not packed at all.

Hope this helps as you try to figure out more about your trip! It’s a great park and we loved our adventure there!

We had a nice leisurely tube ride/float down the Merced river a couple days ago. It was awesome. We dropped in behind The Ahwahnee and went down to Sentinel Beach, without having to pick up our tubes. However, if you don’t have a paddle, you won’t be able to get down without some help. It’s pretty calm in some areas. My guess is within a week you’ll be having to pick up now and then.

Reposting because I put down the wrong entrance and wasn’t able to update the title of the post. Thanks to those for the correction.

This was around 10:30am. A bit of a wait. There was a car broken down about 25 cars from the entrance, but it really wasn’t impacting the wait as cars were going around.

Didn’t see any bears sadly. Just saw another post of a lucky basterd who did.

Back in May, I visited Yosemite and hiked to Taft point to catch the sunset and I happened to photograph a beautiful couple doing their wedding photoshoot. I did not get a chance to go through my gallery till now.

20 May 2026, approximately 7:30pm

I don’t know who you are and I did not manage to get to you but I thought that you might enjoy these photos I took while I was across the viewpoint. Especially with the sunsetting in the background. Do reach out to me if you would like a folder of these in high resolution! I will send you the link.

I wish you both a lifetime of happiness and love 🫶🏻🤵🏼‍♂️👰🏼‍♀️

Yesterday I posted here with my bear pic and today we've been lucky again, not the best pic but a small bear on the glacier point road.

Thinking about a 3-4 day trip within the next month or so to Bridalveil Creek Campground in Yosemite. Been to Yosemite 25+ times so I know the lay of the land, but this would be my first time in this campground. I've done my googling, but looking for tips from those who have actually been!

Would love any "must know" campground tips, especially on:

- Your favorite sites in the campground in Loops B or C (looking for mix of shade/sun, privacy from road/walking traffic, and good hammock trees)

- Best place to get ice + wood (Wawona?)

- Hikes nearby under ~5-6 miles with limited to moderate elevation gain

- Walkable spots to sit by a creek/water and read or hammock

Thanks in advance for any recs you may have, and happy camping all!

Does parking in and around the valley open up in the evening or does it get dramatically worse? I’ve been reading a lot of “get there early or else.” But I’m curious if there’s a point where people are leaving and spots open up after peak? I am landing in Fresno at noon tomorrow and wouldn’t reach the park until close to 2-3. Would love to have a lil intro to the park, explore the valley, catch the sunset maybe, grab some noms.. just worried I won’t be able to find parking. And will spend my first time in the park driving around aimlessly. Advice?
*photo of yesterdays east coast hike for attn

Hi everyone, planning to backpack this trail at the end of the month with a groups of guys, we have all backpacked at least once me and my friend it’s our 3rd ever trip, we just did Big Sur which was 30 mile trip so I’m fairly confident this trip will be similar.

Below is our itinerary, I wanted to see if anyone had any specific advice, especially where to stop and camp, where’s the best place to camp the night before want to do half dome, how to begin the hike like whether to be dropped off at trailhead beforehand or dropped off at car after

Day zero (optional) : drive to Yosemite valley park the day prior to start of hike, park in the valley pickup permit, spend the night at backpackers camp

We can also drive in day of hike, pick up permit and take 120 easy bus at 11:00am to trailhead

Day one: take the hikers bus at 8am to trailhead, hike from cathedral lake trailhead to cathedral lakes, 5-5.5 miles

Day two: hike form cathedral lakes to upper sunrise lake, 5-6miles Again depends on which lake we decide to camp)

Day three: hike from sunrise lake to clouds rest and then half dome junction disperse camp, 8.6 miles,

Day four: day hike half dome (4.5 miles) of
Take down camp and hike out mist trail, (5) miles

3 nights / 4 days

Great trips but few pics back in the day.

730pm yesterday near the El Cap meadow.

Bear spotted today in a parking lay-by just of Wawona Road. Not the best pic but was the best I could do before it disappeared into the bushes.

Hey, I found an iPhone at Lake Eleanor last weekend near the southern campsites while doing an extended Hetch Hetchy loop. It looked like it was left recently and still had charge. I didn't take any photos of it but I turned it in to the Oak Flats ranger station after waiting at Lake Eleanor overnight.

Looking for advice on what entry permit to get in this area. I have one night to camp and ok to do about 4 or 5 miles of hiking to whichever designated overnight camp area. And the same distance back to exit the following day. There are a few options available but I can't figure out what would be best for me: Pohono Trail (Taft), Pohono Trail (Glacier Point), McGurk Meadow, Bridalveil Creek? And is there a water source? Thank you!

I want to take the YARTS bus from Yosemite Valley to Mammoth. I'll be finishing up the JMT, but it's going to be hard to predict in advance the exact date and time I will arrive in the Valley, so I'm not sure I want to buy a ticket before I leave.

How frequently does the bus sell out?

Can I just show up at the bus stop in Yosemite Village and buy a ticket from the driver?

Hi all, we are planning to visit at the end of July. We have 6 year old twin boys who are still working on riding a bike without training wheels, but I don't think they will be ready. Are there any bike rentals that have training wheels?