How We Spent 4 Full Days in Yosemite National Park

We recently had the extreme pleasure of spending four full days in Yosemite National Park! We had our two toddlers in-tow, which meant that the trip looked a little different than a trip to Yosemite with just Matt would, but we still had such a great time! My parents also met us out there for the last 2.5 days so it was truly just the best time! Yosemite is one of those places that I visited and just instantly fell in love with. It’s just one of the grandest places I’ve ever been. I dream about Yosemite at night and am constantly scheming how to get back here.

Quick Info About Yosemite National Park

COST TO ENTER: $35 for private vehicles. $30 for motorcycles. $20 for individual pedestrians. Each of these passes are valid for seven consecutive days.
The America The Beautiful Annual Pass is absolutely the way to go if you’re a national park lover and plan to visit multiple parks throughout the year. It’s only $80 for a full year. Read more about the National Park Pass HERE.
ARE ENTRANCE PERMITS NEEDED? New info on reservations was just released for the 2024 season. There are different requirements for different dates:
– Weekends in February permits will be required for Horsetail Falls “firefall”
– April 13th – June 30th – permits will be required to enter the park between 5am and 4pm on weekends and holidays.
– July 1st – August 16th – permits will be required daily to enter the park between 5am and 4pm
– August 17th – October 27th – permits will be required to enter the park between 5am and 4pm on weekends and holidays.

YOU NEED SPECIAL PERMITS TO: Hike Half Dome, Overnight Hiking and Overnight Climbing Permits as well. Getting these mean you don’t need the entrance permit.
PARK HOURS: Yosemite National Park itself is open 24/7. Visitors Centers, restaurants, etc. will have varying hours. That said, check to see if there’s going to be a potential government shutdown. That was super stressful for us to have looming in Sept. 2023. Also, certain areas close for seasons.
JUNIOR RANGER PROGRAM? Yes, Yosemite National Park has a Junior Ranger Program. It’s free! Not familiar with the Junior Ranger Program? Check out our post HERE.
IS YOSEMITE DOG-FRIENDLY? It is, to a degree! It’s one of the more dog-friendly parks in the country. Dogs are actually allowed on paved hiking trails.

Hikes We Did In Yosemite National Park

SENTINEL DOME TRAIL: 2.2 miles total, out and back. This trail is rated as moderately easy. The final push up is the most difficult part.
This is touted as the place to see the sunset in Yosemite National Park. It brings you to the top of a granite dome that is perfectly placed between El Cap and Half Dome, plus everything else around it. That’s right, 360 views! I’m assuming this could be a cool place for sunrise as well.

TAFT POINT TRAIL: 2.2 miles total, out and back. This trail is rated as moderately easy. There are some small sections that take you uphill on the way back.
This overlook offers some truly incredible views of the north side of the Valley. At this point, you’re actually high up enough that you’re looking down on El Capitan.

BRIDAL VEIL FALLS TRAIL: 0.5 miles total, out and back, if the parking area is open. If not, you can hop on part of the Yosemite Valley Loop. This trail is rated easy.
When we were in Yosemite, the trailhead parking lot was closed, so we had to access this trail via the Yosemite Loop. But, because we weren’t positive where the trail connected and there’s a path that leads to a rock scramble, we accidentally went the wrong way. If you do this scramble, it can be super duper slick! But eventually we found our way to the actual half-mile trail. This leads to a viewing platform near the base of the falls.

LOWER YOSEMITE FALLS TRAIL + A LITTLE OF THE VALLEY LOOP: Actual trail is 1 mile total, out and back. This trail is rated easy.
Lower Yosemite Falls Trail is located just out the back of the Yosemite Valley Lodge. We were so close to this trail that we actually did it twice. This paved hike takes you to a small bridge that overlooks the lower section of the waterfall. You can continue on the Yosemite Valley Loop from here, like we did or go back to the beginning of the trail. They say that it isn’t typically flowing in the fall, but we got really lucky!

TOUCHING EL CAPITAN’S NOSE: We clocked 1.1 miles total, out and back, but it’s really just a path from The Meadow that we followed up to the base of El Cap’s Nose. I would say this path is moderately easy but potentially easy to lose your way if you’re not paying attention. The map below is the path we took.

This was a super spontaneous hike that my dad and I did, not originally with the idea to touch El Cap, but to get a better view of climbers. But after running into a Portuguese couple who was wanting to touch El Cap, and suddenly I thought, of course I want to do that! I ran head and made my way to the base of this famous climbing destination. Even though I’m not personally a climber, I find the climbing culture fascinating, I consume all kinds of climbing content and I wanted to just touch this piece of outdoor history. I have to say, it was moving. My dad and the couple met me up there and we all took super silly photos pretending to climb the wall and marveled at this massive rock face on which so many women and men have conquered amazing feats. My dad and I hurried back to the rest of the family feeling super giddy after this experience.

MIRROR LAKE TRAIL: 2 miles total, out and back. This trail is rated easy.

We learned on the tram to the trailhead that Mirror Lake is actually a seasonal lake that pools up from a creek that runs along this area. Even still, the trail was absolutely stunning! The path has the forest to the right and the creek to the left. By the time we got to “Mirror Lake” it was more like “Mirror Puddle” but I would say it was still worth going because it did also offer up a completely different view of Half Dome as well.

Gear We Used Hiking in Yosemite

These are products we genuinely love and use while hiking and exploring!

FOOTWEAR: Matt and I are both huge fans of Merrell hiking boots. (mens option, women’s option). I also am a huge fan of these hiking socks! In the summer, I’m also a major fan of Teva Hurricane sandals. These are especially great for transitioning from land to water or on hikes without a bunch of brush across the trails. They’re also great for slipping on to walk to restaurants or around camp.

WHAT’S IN MY DAYPACK: I have an Osprey Daylite Daypack, it’s the perfect size to throw all my necessities. I always have my Nalgene, a simple first aid kit, my sunglasses, snacks, headlamp and some sort of clothing layer (jacket, fleece or rain jacket). If we’re hiking with our kiddos, I throw these things in our Deuter Kid Comforts since we hike carrying them at this point.

Other Favorite Things We Did In Yosemite

There’s even more to do in Yosemite than just hike – although, I have to say that’s my favorite activity, personally, but I loved doing these things too!

DRIVE THE PARK: I would argue that Yosemite is one of the most beautiful national parks to drive through. The roads are so well planned out to make this park enjoyable for truly anyone! We took a few different roads in the park and said Wow! at each. I highly recommend stopping at overlooks, if you’re able and have the time.

WATCH THE CLIMBERS ON EL CAP: I so wish I had brought binoculars to watch the climbers even closer, but I was obsessed with spotting climbers throughout the day. After a sunset hike, though, we came back through Tunnel View, I thought I saw a bright star along the horizon, but it was a headlamp – then I noticed a couple dozen headlamps! We drove down to the El Cap Meadow and just sat in wonder of the climbers doing their thing.

STARGAZE: Even though Yosemite isn’t technically an International Dark Sky Park, it’s still quite dark here. We saw the Milky Way with our naked eye and it actually went right over the top of El Cap!

WASHBURN OVERLOOK: This was actually my favorite roadside overlook. You get such a stunning look at Half Dome. We came here for sunrise one morning, but the clouds were simply too thick to see any color, but we stopped up here at least 4 different times. It’s such a wow to see it!

GLACIER POINT: While this is technically essentially just an overlook, getting to the actual Glacier Point is 0.6 miles total, round trip. It’s such an iconic viewpoint, in fact, it’s one of the places John Muir took Teddy Roosevelt! From here, you can easily see Half Dome, Vernal Falls, Yosemite Falls and down into Yosemite Valley. We did this short little trek twice and loved it just as much each time!

STOP AT TUNNEL VIEW: This first insane vantage point of Yosemite Valley will do one of two things: take your breath away or make you teary-eyed. For us, we gasped and cried as we saw the sheer scale, magnitude and beauty of this special place. It’s something that you just can’t understand until you see it first-hand.

I GOT TO MEET THE LEGENDARY CHONGO: Chongo Chuck is a Yosemite fixture of climbing culture. This famously intentionally “houseless” man has spent a massive amount of time climbing here, becoming the godfather of slacklining and writing books on topics varying from rock climbing to quantum mechanics to “How to Be Bitchin’“. I recognized him from the documentary Valley Uprising and had to go tell him how much I admire him, his climbing talent, his way of life and his philosophies. It was a genuine honor to get meet Chongo.

VISIT THE YOSEMITE MUSEUM: I found the exhibits on the human history of Yosemite really interesting. The Museum isn’t massive, but it’s a nice, quick visit. If the hours don’t fit into your schedule, at least pop by the outside to check out the wood cookie of a giant sequoia, they have moments in history marked on the rings and it was just so humbling.

JUNIOR RANGER PROGRAM: I mentioned above that Yosemite does have a Junior Ranger program. We did their program with Charleigh and I loved their prompts in this park. We got to talk a lot about glaciers, mountains and the human history of the park.

OTHER THINGS TO DO: Other things you can do in Yosemite, that I didn’t have the pleasure of doing are rock climbing or rafting. Both of these things are things that I would love to do at some point. They have guided rock climbing tours, even, that I would especially love to do!

Where to Stay for Your Own Yosemite Trip

INSIDE THE PARK: Staying within the park would be my recommendation so that you can wake up and start exploring. We stayed at Yosemite Valley Lodge which was perfect for our family of 4. We were essentially at the trailhead for Lower Yosemite Falls, there were restaurants and even a Starbucks nearby which gave us a lot of ease with our two little ones. There is a more luxury accommodation within the park as well called The Ahwahnee. Prices here are much higher, it’s a little further from popular natural sites and has a more fine dining restaurant inside. There are several other lodges and campgrounds here as well. You do pay a more premium price to stay in the park, but they’re not much higher than outside the park and save you gas money.

OUTSIDE OF THE PARK: Need help looking for places to stay outside the park? This map widget can help! It shows price and distance all in one place!

Yosemite National Park is just one of those places that finds a spot in your heart and just takes hold. I’ve found John Muir’s dedication to conservation and love for the Sierra Nevadas so admirable for over a decade now, but now I feel like I have a better understanding and a better appreciation for the work he did to save these beautiful lands for me, my children and the billions of others that will get to explore these mountains and forests and climb these walls.

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