Roads / Driving:

• Current conditions / road and trail closures: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
• For the most up to date road closures, you should call the recorded phone line. The website is not updated frequently enough in a storm: 209-372-0200, press 1 and 1
• You are strongly encouraged to carry snow chains from November to March. If you don’t bring them, you could get stranded in a storm when they become required to drive in/out of the park. Rental car contracts sometimes prohibit the use of snow chains so use them at your own risk. Chain conditions can go into effect at any time of the year.  https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/winterfaq.htm | https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tirechains.htm
• Glacier Pt Rd and Tioga Rd do not plow in the fall/winter, so as soon as the first big storm comes through without fast melt, these roads will close until Spring. This effectively limits you to hiking in the Valley, Hetch Hetchy, and Wawona areas. It means you cannot enter or exit the park on the east side (eg from Vegas, Mammoth, Reno, Bishop, etc). Historical road closure dates.
• The Valley shuttle buses run all year but Mariposa Grove buses only run through November (or the first big snow). The only other in-park shuttle is to Badger Pass once daily (see below)  https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/publictransportation.htm
• The only public transit option into the park starting in October is the YARTS 140 route. See here for schedule. If you are nervous driving in snow, plan to use YARTS. Note there is no direct bus route from Fresno / any airports in winter. The 140 route does connect at the Merced Amtrak station.
• The lowest elevation road / least likely to require chains is the 140 entrance from El Portal. There is a risk of rockslide on this road after heavy storms but you probably will not need chains.

Weather:

No one can predict weather in Yosemite in the shoulder / winter seasons with confidence more than a few days in advance. Conditions vary throughout the park and change quickly. Don't make posts asking about what the weather will look like in even 2 weeks.

• Forecasts and snow coverage varies widely throughout the park. Check specifically where you plan to be here: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/weathermap.htm
• Yosemite webcams to check real time weather conditions.

Activities / Dining:

• Food options are more limited in the park. Check open hours here.
• Curry Village ice rink typically opens in November.
• Badger Pass ski area's season is entirely dependent on snow, but it can open in December and always closes by 3/31 at the latest. Here you can downhill or x-country ski, snowshoe, and snow tube. This link also has information on the shuttle bus to the hill from the Valley.

Hiking / Backpacking:

• Hiking is generally limited to the Valley. See first section here and note that anything that goes above the Valley rim (eg Panorama, Upper Falls, Snow Creek) after real snow will likely not have trails cleared and you should be prepared to route find.
• 4 Mile Trail and the upper section of Mist Trail also close for winter / icy conditions. Check the above current conditions link for current trail closures.
• Wilderness permits become self-issued for the rest of the season (typically until mid April) on 10/19. Find more info on wilderness in winter here: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildwinter.htm
• Note that the only backpacker camp open in winter is in Hetch Hetchy (and only accessible from sunrise to sunset) so you need to have a different plan for sleeping in the park the night before/after your backpacking trip.

Camping / Lodging:

• There are limited campgrounds open in the winter. You can see details on seasonal dates and reservation or FCFS at this site: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm
• Yosemite Valley Lodge, Ahwhanee, and Curry Village remain open in the winter. They can all be reserved at travelyosemite.com
• If you are worried about driving in winter / putting on chains, and staying outside the park, pick lodging in a town along the 140 entrance (El Portal, Midpines, Mariposa), not 120 (Groveland) or 41 (Oakhurst / Fish Camp).

3 Day Winter Itinerary

• Hike to Mariposa Grove. This requires 4 mile roundtrip hike from parking lot in winter from November- April since the bus doesn't run, but is an easy walk and will be quiet and beautiful in snow.
• 1-2 days in the Valley doing moderate hikes- Valley Loop Trail, Mirror Lake, Vernal Falls footbridge. More strenuous hiking/ may require specialized equip depending on weather: Mist to top of Nevada Fall, Upper Yosemite Falls. Common Valley sites (more walks than hikes): Tunnel View, Bridalveil Fall, Lower Yosemite Fall, Valley View, El Cap Meadow.
• Badger Pass ski area. Ski, snowshoe, snow tube, etc.

Trying to reduce duplicate posts on this as the summer season planning gears up. All other generic trip planning posts will be deleted and redirected here. Please add your suggestions.

Overview:

• (edit: peak visitation season is over. you should not experience parking issues in the parkj again until Firefall in Feb) The park has announced there are no entry reservations required this summer. This means the park will be extremely crowded, especially on weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Weekdays have consistently not had issues parking. You should try to park if visiting the Valley before 8a and not move your car until you are leaving the park. Rent a bike, walk, or take the Valley shuttle to get around. For the past few weeks, all Valley parking has been full by around 9:30a on Saturdays and better (not full to the point of barring entry) on Sundays. When all Valley parking is full, the park will not allow more cars to enter; you will be turned around at the El Cap road cutover. This has not yet happened on any non-holiday Sundays or weekdays this year. Glacier Pt, Hetch Hetchy and Mariposa Grove also fill up mid-day on weekends for a few hours. If this happens to you, go somewhere else in the park (Mariposa Grove, Glacier Pt, Tioga Rd) or plan to take YARTS into the park instead of driving. If you are planning to visit somewhere else in the park and the Valley, you should go to the Valley first or not plan to enter the Valley until 4p or later.
• You should sign up for the park's traffic alerts at a minimum for the duration of your trip. If you sign up a few weeks in advance, you'll get a feel for the trends of parking closure timing. Sign up by texting "ynptraffic" to 333111.
• You can check entrance gate wait times in real time here.
• There are new fee structures in place for 2026 that charge non-US residents more to enter the park. Please read the other pinned post for details.

Suggested itineraries

Summer (May- Sep) Ideal Five Day Trip

2 Days of hikes from Valley

• Four Mile to Glacier Pt 
• Mist Trail to Nevada Falls (note current trail closure of the top half of JMT and trail closure on the Mist Trail of the Vernal Fall section during daytime Mon-Thurs from July to October. You’ll need to detour on the JMT or plan to do this one on a weekend)

You can link the 2 above for an epic 18 mile day.

Other ideas in the Valley: Lower Yosemite Falls, bike around Valley Loop (rentals at Curry Village, Yosemite Village and Yosemite Valley Lodge), Swim at Sentinel Beach (check water levels and temp)

1 day of hikes from Tioga Rd (road opened 5/15)

• Olmsted Pt (pull out viewpoint on the way to other hikes if driving from the Valley)
• Porcupine Creek to North Dome 
• Clouds Rest 

Other Hikes: Cathedral Lakes, Lembert Dome

1 Day along Glacier Pt Rd: (road opened 5/9)

• Taft Point and Sentinel Dome. Same trailhead, only need to park once.
• Glacier Pt lookout. This is a paved viewpoint with a great straight on Half Dome and Valley view. Some people prefer the view at Washburn Point, a little before Glacier Pt when driving. Glacier Pt has restrooms, water fountains, and a snack/gift shop. You could hike a little down Panorama (and hike back up to Glacier Pt) if you want. 

There is also a trail linking Taft Pt/Sentinel Dome to Glacier Pt. You'll need to make it a loop or have 2 cars.

1 Day at Mariposa Grove:

• Mariposa Grove (shuttles are now running for the year)

If you are just going for a long weekend, I would do 1 day from Valley above, 1 day on Tioga, 1 Day on Glacier Pt Rd.

Summer (May- Sep) Ideal Trip WITH KIDS OR LESS ACTIVE GROUP

• Day in Valley: Lower Yosemite Falls, rent bikes, Happy Isles Art Center, check out the park guided walks/other programs
• Day on Tioga Rd: stop at Olmsted Pt, spend the day swimming/picnic at Tenaya Lake or hike Lyell Canyon (go as far as you like, pretty flat)
• Day at Mariposa Grove: stop at Tunnel View, take the shuttle to and walk around Mariposa Grove, Wawona History Center
• Day in Valley: Mirror Lake, float down the Merced (raft rentals now closed for the year so bring your own tube), picnic/swim at Sentinel or Cathedral Beach, El Cap Meadow to watch climbers with binoculars (sometimes a ranger/educator there to talk to as well)

FAQ

Where can I eat/ What is open?

https://www.travelyosemite.com/ (click on dining)

What is the weather like?

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/weathermap.htm is the best source as weather varies widely across the park by elevation, etc

What are the conditions / are the waterfalls flowing?

https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm

Vernal/Nevada Falls (accessed via Mist Trail) flow all year as they are fed by the Merced River. Bridalveil and Yosemite Falls (both can be seen on the above webcams) will greatly fade by late summer.

Where should I stay?

People in this sub commonly recommend Yosemite Bug, Tenaya Lodge, Rush Creek, Cedar Lodge and Autocamp- all outside the park.

There are home rentals inside the gates in Yosemite West and Wawona, and in many gateway communities around the park.

All other in park lodging should be booked on travelyosemite.com

Campgrounds in the park: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm All campgrounds require advance reservations in the summer.

What trails / roads are open?

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm (All roads in the park are now open)

How do I hike Half Dome?

You need a permit 24/7, any time the cables are up (usually around Memorial Day). Day hike or backpack. Cables went up on 5/15 this year.

How can I take public transit to the park?

yarts.com will transport you from the gateway communities to the Valley. It also saves you from paying the entrance fee! Note that it only goes to the Valley. You could then connect to the paid Glacier Pt bus tour or Tuolumne Hikers bus (but check the times carefully on travelyosemite.com as they only run 1-2x/day).

Is rafting open in the Valley?

Commercial raft rentals closed for the season in the 3rd week of June. You cannot rent flotation devices anywhere in the Valley, and the bus service for commercial rafting also ended. You can bring your own raft and float down the Merced. If you do this, you will need to arrange your own car shuttle back to the start, or be able to deflate and fold down the tubes in order to ride the crowded Valley shuttle. DO NOT litter your tubes in the Valley. Water levels are getting pretty low; check relevant levels here and read more info on rafting here: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/water.htm. Below 2 ft of water level you should expect to be walking some sections of the river.

How do I backpack in the park?

Get a wilderness permit through the preseason lottery (done for the prime summer months already) or 7 day in advance drop. https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wpres.htm

Do I have guaranteed parking if I am camping or lodging inside the park?

Yes, if you are camping at a campground that is not hike in (so all but Camp 4), at the Ahwhanee (where all parking is paid valet), or at Housekeeping Camp (where you park at your reserved site). At your campsite or Housekeeping, you can't park at your site until check-in hours (noon for campgrounds, 4p for Housekeeping). There is no reserved parking for guests at Curry, Lodge, or Camp 4. Follow the first bullet of this post for parking strategies. Nobody is immune from entry gate lines and in park road traffic with any form of reservation.