24 Hours in Yosemite National Park

Only have 24 hours in Yosemite National Park?  There are a few sights you can’t miss!  We’ve created a one-day itinerary to help you maximize your time in this iconic national park.

This summer, we took a 10-day road trip through California to see some of our bucket list destinations.  Our last stop before heading home was Yosemite National Park.  Unfortunately, we only had one full day in the park, but we were still able to see a lot of Yosemite.  Before we get into our itinerary, here are a few tips:

-Summer is peak season in most national parks, and Yosemite National Park is no exception.  Reservations are required when entering the park between 6 am and 4 pm; these reservations can be made at recreation.gov.

-Avoid visiting on the weekend if you can and arrive early (before 6 am) to secure a parking spot.

-Parking is not available at all trailheads.  Yosemite National Park offers visitors a free shuttle system that provides access to many different areas of the park. Visit nps. gov to see the list of shuttles and their routes.

-If you plan on visiting in 2022, Glacier Point Road is closed to all traffic due to a rehabilitation project.

Onto a magical 24 hours in Yosemite National Park!

Tunnel View

The best way to start your day at Yosemite National Park is sunrise at Tunnel View.  Here you will see the some of the best views of El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Falls.  This spot is often packed with visitors, and the parking lot is usually full.  Because it’s a viewpoint, a parking space will usually open up pretty quickly if you wait.

Cook’s Meadow

After Tunnel View, we stopped at Cook’s Meadow to walk the 1-mile loop.  This trail is very easy, starting on a boardwalk before turning into a flat, sandy trail.  We were able to find parking at the start of the trail, but the shuttle makes stops here as well.  This was our favorite spot in Yosemite.  The grassy meadow and view of Yosemite Falls was so pretty, and it felt so peaceful here. We loved it so much that we came back in the evening to take some more pictures and enjoy our last moments in the park.

Mist Trail

I’ll go ahead and admit that we didn’t know about the shuttle buses until we were in the park.  So instead of catching a shuttle to the trailhead, we parked at Curry Village and walked a mile and a half to the trailhead.  The walk to the trailhead was great on the way there…after hiking the Mist Trail, the last thing we wanted to do was walk a mile and a half back to our car.  Lesson learned for next time. The Mist Trail is so worth it though!  This hike is 3 miles roundtrip to Vernal Falls, and 7 miles roundtrip if you hike to Nevada Falls as well.  For time’s sake, we only hiked to Vernal Falls.  The hike to Vernal Falls is moderate with quite the gain in elevation.  Don’t worry, you’ll want to stop along the trail to take in the views anyway, so you’ll have a chance to catch your breath too.  Once Vernal Falls is in sight, you will see some stone steps.  Due to the mist from the falls, these are a bit slick.  Watch your footing!  You can climb the steps right up to the falls.  It’s called the Mist Trail for a reason; you will get wet.  It’s a nice way to cool off after a midday summer hike.

Mirror Lake

Mirror Lake is a seasonal lake with its fullest seasons being spring and summer.  The trail to Mirror Lake is 2 miles roundtrip and paved.  When you arrive, you’ll be greeted by majestic views of Half Dome and Mt. Watkins.

After a full day in Yosemite National Park, we made a stop at Cook’s Meadow and Tunnel View to take in one of our favorite parks one last time.

We hope you love your visit to Yosemite as much as we did.  For more of our guides to U.S. national parks, click here.