Travel Guide: 2 Days in Yosemite National Park
Intro
Yosemite National Park has been on our bucket list for awhile and if it’s not on yours, add it! Immediately! This park is an incredible gem of the National Park system and shouldn’t be missed. While you could easily make a day trip into and out of the park, I was glad we had two full days. If you’re wanting to hike Half Dome, you will definitely want more than one day to see all of the sights.
Real Talk: We planned this trip in 2020 i.e. it almost didn’t happen. On top of things being limited due to COVID-19, wildfires were raging in California leading up to our trip. Yosemite and all the surrounding forests and campgrounds actually closed a few weeks before the trip. I had planned this trip for Rebecca’s 30th birthday and had about 5 backup plans in case the trip fell through. It was touch and go for about 3 weeks. Luckily by the time of our trip, the park reopened. We snagged a campground reservation and air quality was adequate for being outdoors. It was truly a 2020 miracle!
Are you wanting to visit this park and you need help planning your trip? Keep reading!
Before you go
When you think of California, you may think of year long sunshine and moderate weather. Yosemite, however, is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, so make sure you are aware of what is open during the season you plan to visit. Many roads and trails in Yosemite are closed for the majority of the year due to snow. Snow can come as early as October and typically remains until March. Although the snow may stop falling in March, this doesn't necessarily mean closed parts of the park suddenly open. Depending on conditions, all seasonally closed roads and trails don't open till May or June. Seasonal park closures are why the summer months are packed, making it the park's busiest time of year.
Weather & Packing
We visited Yosemite in mid-October and couldn’t have asked for better weather. Lows at night were in the mid-30’s with highs in the 60’s during the day. We brought jackets, tights, and layers to match the changing temperatures throughout the day. Because we were camping, we brought our big items (tent, sleeping bags/pads, Jetboil, plates, cutlery) in a checked bag and bought food and propane once we got there. If you need help deciding what to bring camping, use our Ultimate Camping Packing List.
Real Talk: Before we went, the weather predicted snow one night, so we brought hand warmers, fleece tights, and thick socks to sleep in. It ended up not snowing, but we were prepared in case the temperature dropped.
Reservations
Real Talk: This is what caused me the most strife in planning this trip. Not only was the park and campgrounds at 50% capacity due to COVID-19, the nearby forest fires were also making campgrounds inside and outside of the park close day by day. You even needed a reservation to enter the park - even just for the day. It was a MIRACLE we were able to book a campsite in the park. It took a few early mornings, sitting on the computer, refreshing the screen, calling the park, and checking the website every day. Study Yosemite’s main website for all information in regards to making reservations because this information will change frequently depending on the season and the circumstances impacting the park.
Yosemite National Park has 13 campgrounds - seven are on a reservation system. From April through September, reservations are essential and even the first-come, first-served campgrounds usually fill up in the morning from April through September. Campsites are known to reach capacity the moment they become available for booking. Check out Yosemite’s page for Campground Reservations for more information about when to book. (Example: For our trip in October, I had to book in May.) If you’re not planning in advance, they also have a helpful page on how to camp without reservations at their first-come, first-serve campgrounds. If you run out of luck inside the park, you can also search Recreation.gov for campgrounds outside of the park. If camping isn’t your thing, you can also find lodging inside the park (also very competitive reservations) and outside the park (hotels, lodges, AirBnBs, etc.)
Our 2 Day Yosemite National Park Itinerary
Travel Day: Arrive in California
Real Talk: We opted to fly into San Francisco because of 1) price of flight tickets and 2) we thought it would be fun to spend a half day in the city. San Francisco is 200 miles from the park, so you may want to fly into a closer airport for more time at the park if you have limited time.
This is what we did during our half day in San Francisco but is in no way a comprehension guide to the city!
Pick up baked goods at Tartine Bakery & grab coffee at Sightglass
Sit in Alamo Square Park to eat your breakfast while you admire the Painted Ladies (houses from the intro of “Full House”)
Run to REI to pick up any last minute camping supplies you need
We needed propane for our Jetboil and Rebecca loves to browse REI.
Walk through Chinatown
We browsed the shops, saw the Fortune Cookie Factory, and ate some delicious dim sum at City View Restaurant.
Drive down to Fisherman’s Wharf
You should not only grab a famous sourdough bowl of clam chowder at Boudin Bakery & Cafe, but you can also admire the view of the bay, look through the tourist shops, and stop at Ghirardelli Square for some chocolate.
See the Golden Gate Bridge
You can’t come to San Francisco without getting an amazing view of this bridge. We opted for Battery Spencer which seemed like the perfect spot for pictures.
Drive to Yosemite National Park (200 miles/approximately 5 hours)
We hit some major traffic on our way out of the city (shocker), so it took us longer to get to the park than expected. We also stopped at a grocery store on the way to pick up food for the next few days.
Arrive in the park and set up camp
If I didn’t make it clear earlier, it was a MIRACLE we got a campground reservation. We got a spot in Lower Pines and it was awesome. We loved the location!
Day 1: Explore the valley and Glacier Point Road
Start your day with coffee
Rebecca made some coffee on her JetBoil, but she also couldn’t resist stopping at the Starbucks in Yosemite Lodge.
Scenic Stop at El Capitan
If you're a fan of the movie “Free Solo,” I’m sure this is on your bucket list. There are plenty of places to pull off in front of El Capitan to watch climbers, but make sure to bring your binoculars because they look pretty tiny climbing that wall.
Scenic Stop at Valley View
Scenic Stop at Tunnel View
Drive up Glacier Point Road for some major stops
Hike Taft Point Trail (2.2 miles roundtrip)
Scenic Stop at Washburn Point
Scenic Stop at Glacier Point (The best spot of views of Half Dome)
Browse the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center
Hike Mist Trail to Vernal Falls (3 miles roundtrip)
The waterfall is a trickle by autumn, so we ended up not doing this hike and decided to rest instead. I’ve heard it’s a must do when the falls are at their peak!
Eat dinner at The Ahwahnee Dining Room
While we normally settle for campfire meals on our trips, I wanted a fun meal since we were celebrating a 30th birthday! This place was incredibly beautiful and the food was amazing. Because of COVID, the restaurant was take-out only, but they still let you sit at the tables in this amazing room. We loved it!
Option: Drive backup Glacier Point Road for sunset at Taft Point (2.2 mile hike), Sentinel Dome (2 mile hike), or Glacier Point
We were prepared to do this one of our two nights there, but since the sun was setting earlier and we were tired, we didn’t drive back up for sunset pictures.
Day 2: See North Yosemite on Tioga Road
Start your morning with the Sentinel / Cook’s Meadow Loop Boardwalks (2.25 miles roundtrip)
This includes the Lower Yosemite Falls which was not running while we were there. This is an easy walk through the valley on both paved paths and fun boardwalks. (We also saw TWO bears while doing this easy walk!)
See the redwoods at either Mariposa Grove or Tuolumne Grove
I had planned for us to go to Mariposa Grove, but due to the forest fires close by, it was closed during our visit.
Drive down Tioga Road for a northern view of the park
Scenic Stop at Olmstead Point
Walk around Tenaya Lake
See Tuolumne Meadows
Hike to May Lake (2.5 miles)
Drive back to the valley and try one of these hikes:
Mirror Lake Trail (2.4 miles)
Artist Point (2 miles)
Columbia Rock Trail (3 miles) or Upper Yosemite Falls Trail (7 miles)
Rent bikes from Curry Village to ride along the paved paths
Real Talk: I will be honest, we didn’t end up doing any of those hikes. We decided to take it easy and rest at camp and then take sunset pictures in the meadows in front of Half Dome and El Capitan. Like I mentioned earlier, most of the falls are at a trickle or non-existent by the fall and Mirror Lake is also dried up. We tend to hike a lot in most of the National Parks we visit, but Yosemite has very good views even from the road. We were also tired, so we took it easy this trip.
Travel Day: Catch your flight back home!
That’s It!
2020 tried to stop us, but I am so thankful this trip worked out for Rebecca’s 30th birthday! Yosemite is an epic park to visit, even if you only have one day and want to stay in your car. I would definitely go back, but only if I was camping again. Camping in this National Park truly is an amazing experience I would recommend to everyone (if you can get a reservation!)
Do you have any comments or questions? Add them below!
