Best Time To Visit Yosemite National Park

Above, a cloud-shrouded Yosemite Valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The last time I visited Yosemite National Park, it was four years ago and it was basically a drive through from U.S. Route 395 along Tioga Road to get to U.S. Route 99 in the San Joaquin Valley.

Prior to that, I have been to Yosemite several times. I camped at North Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley in April 2016. At that time, the weather was a mix of rain and cool sunny days. But the best part of that trip was that there weren't any crowds.

Travel + Leisure has an article on the best times to visit Yosemite National Park. 

The start it with:

It’s hard to top the beauty and magic of Yosemite National Park. Granite monoliths jut out of the ground, giant sequoia groves dot the landscape, and waterfalls topple off cliffs. It’s the sort of place that could take a lifetime to explore; the park is 747,956 acres or 1,169 square miles of near-complete wilderness. This open, wild space is home to hundreds of black bears and more than 400 species of vertebrates, from fish and reptiles to birds and mammals. 

And even though it’s impossible to see and do it all over a weekend, or a week-long trip, Yosemite has the power to enchant even brief visitors. When you’re sick of staring at your Half Dome screen saver or tuning in to Yosemite webcams, it may be time to start planning an in-person trip to this celebrated national park. At just over an hour north of Fresno and around three hours from both San Francisco and Sacramento, the park is surprisingly accessible. And since it’s open year-round, it doesn’t matter when you go — just that you go. 

Below, we’ve compiled a guide to help you nail down the perfect timing for your first (or 25th) Yosemite National Park getaway.

To read the guide, go here.