You probably know by now that our family loves National Parks. Luckily, California has a lot of amazing ones to choose from. I know that not everyone is fortunate enough to live near a National Park. For those of you that are though, you have the unique opportunity to go for the day. Even being a few hours away, sometimes we don’t have more than a day to spend at Yosemite. Here are my suggestions for what to do with 24 hours in Yosemite with kids.
what to do if you have 24 hours in Yosemite
It can be overwhelming when you’re thinking about trying to hit all the major spots in less than a day. So today I’m excited to share with you some tips for spending 24 hours in Yosemite National Park. It should be noted that I’m focusing on Yosemite Valley. However, if you’re going on a day that might be busier then it would probably be better for you to explore one of the other beautiful parts of the park. Consider areas such as Tuolumne Meadows, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, or Wawona on holidays or weekends.
| Read: Stay near Hetch Hetchy at Evergreen Lodge |
planning a Yosemite Day Trip
First and foremost, you must get an early start. Definitely try and be in the park by noon. Earlier is better, and a 9:00 am goal is even better during the summer or weekends. We happen to live four hours from Yosemite Valley so that means an early start for us! Parking can fill up quickly so it’s best to get there early. I also recommend that you find a central place where you can stay parked all day. From there you can plan to walk, take the shuttle buses, or ride a bike. I recommend parking at the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, if you can. It is centrally located and from there you can walk to see several sites easily, or hop on a shuttle to visit other parts of Yosemite Valley.
Places to walk to from the Valley Visitor Center parking:
- Yosemite Falls
- Yosemite Village (visitor center, food, and gift shops)
- Yosemite Museum
Consider taking the shuttle bus to:
- Mirror Lake
- Nature Center at Happy Isles
- Half Dome Village
When you’re ready to head home at the end of the day I highly recommended stopping at Bridalveil Fall. It will mean some extra driving around due to the one way roads in Yosemite Valley, but it’s worth it. Bridalveil Fall gives you the unique opportunity to take a very short walk right to the base of a waterfall. You’re able to get much closer than even at Yosemite Falls! Since the walk is so short this also means that most people are not sticking around for very long and it’s easier to find parking here.
A note of caution always–Yosemite is beautiful but the waterways and falls can be very dangerous. Always obey posted signs and take precautions.
Looking for more National Park travel tips? Check out these posts:
See these National Parks Near Las Vegas
Visit these National Parks Near Phoenix
5 National Parks Near Los Angeles
Have you spent much time in Yosemite National Park?
19 Responses to a California mom’s guide to 24 hours in Yosemite
Nice! Just a note – Only do Upper Yosemite with seasoned hikers and kids you trust on rocky edges! Even doing 1/2 way up Upper Yosemite is quite challenging!
So funny you mention Yosemite as that is where we went this weekend! 🙂 It was so much fun. I can’t wait to go, except our drive is more like 7.5 hours with no stops…so let’s just call it 9 hours. Yikes! But it was so worth it! We hit up Lower Yosemite Falls, Vernal Falls and went swimming in the river, although not me…way too cold!
Yosemite is definitely on our bucketlist of places to visit! It’s so beautiful!
This is truly an awesome place! Yosemite is an place to visit on my USA tour next year.
We went on a road trip in fifth grade (from MI to CA and back to MI. We stayed in a pop-up trailer). Yosemite was so pretty! I hope to take my girls there one day!
Yosemite is one of my favorite childhood memories. I have not taken my boys yet. These are great tips for a day trip never thought of doing that.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
[…] about National Parks not to miss, especially those in the state of California, and not bring up Yosemite! Anyone who has visited Yosemite can tell you that it is VERY popular, which translates to VERY […]
[…] earlier, hint hint. After only one stay Rush Creek Lodge has become a new favorite near one of our favorite National Parks and we can’t wait to experience it with our kids! Be sure to check out Rush Creek Lodge the […]
[…] Only have 24 hours in Yosemite? Check out our tips here! […]
[…] a family (you can read about when Mike and I went here). This wasn’t our first time going to Yosemite, and it was actually my second time staying at Half Dome Village (I stayed there for my eighth […]
[…] | See what you should do if you only have 24 hours to visit Yosemite with kids here! | […]
[…] spend several days here. However, if you’re lucky enough to live within a short drive it makes for a fantastic California day trip. Keep in mind that in 2020 they will be requiring day use reservations indefinitely to limit […]
[…] than four hours away from us it’s an easy one to visit. Originally we were just planning to go for the day. However, the more we talked about it the more we decided we’d like to take advantage of […]
[…] | See our recommendations for exploring Yosemite with kids! | […]
[…] Lower Yosemite Falls. Lower Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park is a great hike for families. If your little hikers are wilderness explorers in training, no worries–the path is short and fairly level. If you have a sturdy stroller the path is also paved and accessible which is a bonus. The base of the falls is the perfect place to stop for a snack and water break but be sure to stay on the trail and stay off the slick rocks. […]
[…] | See what to do in 24 hours at Yosemite National Park here. | […]
[…] A California Mom’s Guide to 24 Hours in Yosemite […]
[…] 24 Hours in Yosemite […]
[…] Yosemite National Park and Camp Curry Review […]