Must see attractions in Yosemite National Park

  • Top Choice
    Mariposa Grove

    With their massive stature and multi-millennium maturity, the chunky high-rise sequoias of Mariposa Grove will make you feel rather insignificant. The…

  • Top Choice
    Glacier Point

    If you drove, the views from 7214ft Glacier Point might make you feel like you cheated – superstar sights present themselves without your having made…

  • Half Dome

    Yosemite's most distinctive natural monument, Half Dome is 87 million years old and has a 93% vertical grade – the sheerest cliff in North America…

  • El Capitan

    At nearly 3600ft from base to summit, El Capitan ranks as one of the world’s largest granite monoliths. Its sheer face makes it a world-class destination…

  • O
    Olmsted Point

    This ‘honey, hit the brakes!’ viewpoint, midway between the May Lake turnoff and Tenaya Lake, is a lunar landscape of glaciated granite with a stunning…

  • Bridalveil Fall

    At the southwestern end of the valley, Bridalveil Fall tumbles 620ft. The Ahwahneechee people call it Pohono (Spirit of the Puffing Wind), as gusts often…

  • Yosemite Falls

    West of Yosemite Village, Yosemite Falls is considered the tallest waterfall in North America, dropping 2425ft (740m) in three tiers. A slick trail leads…

  • I
    Inspiration Point

    Some of Yosemite's best vistas are granted to those who hike the steep, 1.3-mile trail up to this viewpoint. Inspiration Point used to be a spot along an…

  • S
    Sentinel Dome

    The hike to Sentinel’s summit (8122ft) is the shortest and easiest trail up one of Yosemite’s granite domes. For those unable to visit Half Dome’s summit,…

  • M
    Main Meadow

    Stretching nearly 3 miles from Pothole Dome in the west to Lembert Dome in the east, Tuolumne’s main meadow is beautiful to behold, especially at sunset,…

  • T
    Tenaya Lake

    Just east of Olmsted Point, the shiny blue surface of Tenaya Lake (8150ft) looks absolutely stunning framed by thick stands of pine and a series of smooth…

  • L
    Lembert Dome

    Prominently marking the eastern end of the main meadow, Lembert Dome towers about 800ft above the Tuolumne River. Its summit, which chalks in at 9450ft…

  • V
    Vernal Fall

    At one of Yosemite's iconic falls, the thundering waters of the Merced River tumble 317ft down on the way to meet Yosemite Valley below. Mist Trail, the…

  • T
    Tunnel View

    Just off Hwy 41, immediately east of Wawona Tunnel, is the parking lot for this spectacular viewpoint where you can take in much of the valley floor,…

  • N
    Nevada Fall

    Spectacular views await from these falls, ricocheting 594ft as part of the 'Giant Staircase' leading the Merced River down into Yosemite Valley. Most…

  • M
    Merced Grove

    A dirt road, closed to cars, dips steeply down the smallest, densest and quietest sequoia grove in the park.

  • Y
    Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center

    Built by the Sierra Club in 1903, this small, rustic, granite-and-wood lodge offers a glimpse of a relatively unknown chapter of California architecture…

  • C
    Chilnualna Falls

    Chilnualna Creek tumbles around 2200ft over the north shoulder of forested Wawona Dome in an almost continuous series of cascades. The largest and most…

  • A
    Ansel Adams Gallery

    Few know about it, but original Ansel Adams photographic prints are shown at Yosemite Valley's Ansel Adams Gallery. A number of walks and classes are also…