4-Day Itinerary: Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is an American treasurer that lands on so many bucket-lists. And for good reason, with its over 1200 square miles of massive granite cliffs contrasted against the valley of green meadows and forest, Yosemite creates the ultimate landscape with incredible hiking and breathtaking waterfalls for any outdoor enthusiast.

With close to 4 million visitors a year, Yosemite is a hot spot for travelers, hikers, and vacationers alike. Therefore, it is important to have a plan prior to your actual trip. There is so much to see and do, going in without a plan could really reduce the sights you actually get to see. Another helpful tip is to prioritize the things you want to see because most likely you will not be able to do and see everything on your list.

On our trip to Yosemite, we only had 2.5 days to actually explore so we definitely had to pick and choose what was most important for us on this first visit. Below our 4-day itinerary will include how to get there, what we did, and some tips and tricks to help you build your own itinerary along the way.

Getting to the Park

First question most ask, how do you get to this national park? There are several routes to get to the park, which are all driving some distance. The closest airport is Fresno Yosemite International Airport, which will get you to the park entrance in about 1.5 hours; however, to get to the center of the park where many of the lodges and restaurants are located takes another hour, making your total trip 2.5 hours.

Itinerary Breakdown

Before getting into the details of our trip, here is a quick breakdown of our 4-day itinerary.

• Day 1- Travel day:
  • Fly into Fresno Yosemite Airport, drive 2.5 hours to park
  • First stop at Tunnel View (20 minutes from the center of the valley)
  • Check-in at Yosemite Valley Lodge
• Day 2- Explore:
  • Take shuttle to The Misty Trail
  • Walk valley loop to El Capitan
• Day 3- More to Explore:
  • Hike and explore Yosemite Falls
  • Drive to Glacier Point
• Day 4- Travel day:
  • Head out early morning to catch flight

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Lodging

This post is not for those planning to camp out. That is a whole other post in and of itself. My family is not big on camping so we definitely needed a lodge or hotel to stay in. It is a little tricky to find lodging in Yosemite as there are only two lodges close to the center of the park, which is where most people spend most of their time. As you get close to the park, there are a few places to stay outside of the park, as well as immediately after you enter the park; however, these options are a good hour away from most of the attractions you want to see.

To get closer to the center of the park, Yosemite Valley Lodge is a great option. Lodging inside of the park is managed through this website. The Valley Lodge was a great option for us that fit our budget, but keep in mind that it is an older facility that feels like camping cabins or an older motel, with your own private bathroom. The lodge does have a pool, although we did not use the pool as it was quite chilly in late September. It also has a nice cafeteria with options of burgers, salads, stir-fry, pizza, etc. We ate there for breakfast one morning and dinner two nights. There is also a Starbucks on site; however, it is the only Starbucks in the park and can get quite busy. For dinner, there is also nicer restaurant on site, which we did eat at one night. The lodge is located very close to a shuttle stop, which makes it super convenient for getting around the park.

Another option for lodging closer to the center of the valley is The Ahwanhee. This hotel resort has great history in the park and is more of a luxury option. The Ahwanhee has some great restaurant options and a pool. It gives more of a ski resort vibe.

Both of these options book up very quickly so I would highly recommend reserving close to a year in advance.

All the Sights

Day 1: Travel and the Tunnel View

On our travel day, we got into Fresno early afternoon, which gave us enough time to get to the park entrance in late afternoon and to Tunnel View just in time for sunset. Tunnel View gives an epic view of the entire valley below. It is the infamous picture most think of when they think of Yosemite National Park. You can see El Capitan, Bridal Falls, the Dome, and miles of the valley below. This is the view you immediately see coming out of the tunnel and the parking lot is abruptly to the left once you come out of the tunnel. You should drive slowly as it is typically very busy with people stopping for pictures. Sunset is the perfect time to see the Tunnel View as the sun creates shadows among the mountains and highlights all of the top sights.

After a day of travel, we checked into the lodge and hit the cafeteria for some eats. We planned to get up very early the next morning so we called it a day and headed to bed earlier than usual for our first night.

Day 2: Vernal and Nevada Falls and The Loop to El Capitan

We arose close to sunrise to start Day 2, hitting the Starbucks for sandwiches and coffee to go. This took a little longer than expected so we missed the first shuttle and had to wait almost 40 minutes for the next shuttle. Many workers said that the shuttle comes every 20-30 minutes, but during very busy seasons, it can take up to an hour at times. We hopped on the next shuttle and made our way to the Mist Trail, which is close by Happy Isles Stop #16. The Mist Trail trailhead was a short walk from the shuttle stop. This trail will take you up 1.5 miles to Vernal Falls footbridge and then another 2.4 miles up to the top of the falls. If you keep going, you get to Nevada Falls which gives an incredible view of the valley from the opposite end of the Tunnel View. There are great places to rest and have a snack (remember to leave no trace). You can then continue on the trail that connects to The John Muir Trail and loops back around to the Mist Trail to the shuttle stop. This total hike is approximately 7 miles. It is considered a moderate hike and requires you to climb 600 steps. We were able to complete this hike in about 5 hours, including about a 15 minute rest at the top.

After our invigorating hike, we were famished and headed to Curry Village to grab some lunch. Due to limited options for eating, Curry Village was very busy. There are a few options to choose from, including Pizza Deck, Taqueria at the Meadow Grill, Seven Tents at the Pavillion, Coffee Corner, Jennie’s Ice Cream, and Bar 1899. We grabbed some burgers from Bar 1899, which were delicious!

After we filled our bellies, we headed back to the lodge to recover for a bit. We then started out on a slow walk on the Valley Loop Trail, which is a flat trail through the woods along the creek. We walked approximately 2 miles ending our hike at the El Capitan Meadow which is across the street from the base of El Capitan and gives you a great view of this magnificent feat. You can’t put into words the greatness of this mountain and all of its majesty.

After a long day of hiking, we hitched a ride on the shuttle back to the lodge. For night two we decided to eat at The Mountain Room restaurant located at the lodge. It provides higher end options compared to the cafeteria. With our bellies full and our bodies feeling the exhaustion of the day, we called it an early night once again.

Day 3: Glacier Point and Yosemite Falls

Day three was another early start with a drive to Glacier Point. This sightseeing spot is about a 20 minute drive from the valley center back toward the park entrance. There are small trails you can hike around Glacier Point, but most of the views are very close to the parking lot. The views from Glacier Point are incredible. It gives you close up views of The Dome and long distance views of Yosemite Falls. From Glacier Point you get a great sense of the vastness of the valley and just how grand these mountains really are.

We got back to the lodge, took a brief rest, and then headed out to Yosemite Falls that afternoon. The trail head to Yosemite Falls is a short walk from Yosemite Valley Lodge. There is a brief 5-10 minute incline to get to the base of the lower falls. You can admire the falls from afar or if you’re looking for adventure, you can climb on the granite boulders to get closer to the falls and even take a dip in the many small pools of water among the boulders. You do need to be careful of your footing as the granite can be very slippery when wet. If you are up for a challenge, you can hike to Upper Yosemite Falls. This is a 7.2 mile hike with a 2,700 feet elevation gain and will take about 5 hours up and back. With that being said, it is quite a rigorous hike and you should definitely bring a ton of water and lots of snacks. My family was pretty satisfied with what we had accomplished with hiking over 20 miles in two days so we opted out of the hike up to the Upper Falls; however, on a future trip I would most likely opt for this hike and forego Vernal and Nevada Falls.

Our last evening in Yosemite, we had dinner at the lodge cafeteria and then enjoyed the chilly night air stargazing. Feeling completely fulfilled with two days of magnificent sights and adrenaline spiking hikes, we fell into a deep sleep the minute our heads hit the pillow.

Day 4: Early start back to the airport

We awoke quite early our last day to travel back to Fresno Yosemite International Airport to catch our mid-morning flight. On the way out, of the park, if you have time, a great additional stop would be Mariposa Grove to see the Sequoias. We did not have time for this stop, but is definitely on the list for next time.

Our trip had ended with only doing a fraction of what Yosemite has to offer. Sights and hikes to consider for next time include:

• Bridalveil Falls
• Cathedral Rocks
• Valley Chapel
• Royal Arches
• The Ahwahnee Hotel
• Sentinel and Cook’s Meadow Loop
• Upper Yosemite Falls Hike
• Tenaya Lake for kayaking
• Washburn Point or Sentinel Dome for Sunset

This list gives us a thousand reasons to go back and hopefully offers you many options to build your own ultimate itinerary for your next incredible adventure.

Check out my packing guide to assist in your planning and packing needs for this incredible trip!

with love and dreams,

Jessica