When to go & weather

When to go

It’s quite simple: from June to September, the entire park is accessible, all visitor facilities are open and everything from backcountry campgrounds to ice-cream stands are at maximum capacity. This is also when it’s hardest - though not impossible - to evade the crush of humanity.

Crowds are smallest in winter but road closures (most notably of Tioga Rd, but also of Glacier Point Rd beyond Badger Pass Ski Area) mean that activity is concentrated in the valley and on Badger Pass. Visitor facilities are scaled down to a bare minimum and most campgrounds are closed and other lodging options limited. Note that ‘winter’ in Yosemite starts with the first heavy snowfall, which can be as early as October, and often lasts until May.

Many people feel that spring and fall are the nicest times to visit Yosemite. In May and June, the park’s waterfalls - fed by the snowmelt - are at their most spectacular, while late August to October bring fewer people, a rainbow of fall foliage and crisp, clear weather. Waterfalls, however, have usually slowed to a trickle by that time.