I booked a guided snowshoe hike in Yosemite with YExplore as a Christmas gift for my wife Michelle…read moreand I (along with new snowshoes). We are avid hikers and spend a lot of time in Yosemite, but are novices with snowshoes. This was my first time and Michelle's second. We spoke with John on the phone before the trip and explained our goals were to primarily learn about snowshoeing and if possible try a new trail. John brainstormed with us and adjusted the original plan to accommodate both of our goals. Leading up to the trip, Catherine did a fantastic job with communication. She is incredibly detail oriented, professional and friendly. When we arrived at the link up spot, John had already scouted out the trails to make sure the conditions were right to have a good experience. While he certainly can't control the snow, I'm confident he would have been ready with a "Plan B" upon our arrival if required. He was patient as we cut the zip ties off our new shoes, adjusted our poles, and figured out how everything worked, coaching us along the way. The trail was perfect and beautiful and along the way, John took some amazing photos and gave us some photography tips. He explained some of the history of the area and at many points stopped to provide an ecology or history lesson. He was friendly and professional and and we both enjoyed both his company and his coaching. At the end of the day, John air-dropped to us a bunch of amazing photos he had taken along the way. Our objectives were fully accomplished and Michelle and I were both extremely grateful for a wonderful Christmas gift to each other.

Our tour guides were absolutely amazing (John and Mia) and they were very knowledgeable and helped…read moreanswer all of our questions (about Yosemite in general, specific famous features on our hike, and even random questions about birds and plant life). The hike is as advertised (in terms of ratings and what features you will see). They always put safety first and even offered to help carry our back packs when we got tired or were crossing a small stream! They treated us like close family/friends, were encouraging us along the way, and adapted to our pace and schedule. Our group ranged from age 6 to adult and we couldn't have made it to the end of the hike without them! Book them for your tours and have fun on your Yosemite Vacation!

Panorama trail changed my life it should be made into a poem:…read more Noses are red Butts are blue I'm so tired I came into this hiking trip with a massive cold and was sneezing literally everywhere. Honestly, I'm glad my camera was weather sealed because I was able to wash all the snot off of it, albeit involuntarily. Toward the beginning-middle we decided to go off-path to a relatively flat river bed. I will say though that thousands of years of water really polishes the riverbed quite nicely. It's more slippery than a freshly waxed bowling lane. Suffice it to say, I fell on my butt. And I slid down like 20 feet into a puddle in sub 40F weather. In all honesty, if this was actually a bowling lane I'd probably hit a strike. Pro-tip: I don't recommend it. But thankfully, nothing really happened besides the bluest ass cheeks outside of Vegas. So here's the rest of the review on this trail because the adventure doesn't stop there. We started this whole hike from top to bottom, so while it was mostly a downward hike, the sheer length and variety of obstacles of the trail made it more difficult than it had to be. Though there were small stretches of uphill hiking, the real exhausting part was toward the end with hundreds of steps of rocks that are a mix of slippery and laden with tourists - mostly of the Chinese variety. As the name implies, this whole hike is about going through all of Yosemite's landmark spots and is incredibly picturesque and photogenic. No matter the lack of an uphill climb, it was a 10 mile hike and we were obscenely tired toward the end. We walked and walked until we reached civilization, and passed the opposite entrance for the hike. And then it hit us. You know how all the guides suggest that you park at the bottom, and then take a shuttle to the top? Yeah. You should do that. The shuttles up to Glacier Point stop operating at 1 PM and we were well past that point. The National Park Service made it a point that they were not allowed to escort or give rides to people and that we were probably screwed. It was around 5 PM when we finished hiking, we were hangry at least 3 hours back, and we finally ate in a cafeteria at Yosemite village. We were rapidly losing daylight, phone battery (Yosemite at this point had no cell reception), and we had to figure out how to get back to the top parking lot. The only quick way up was a four mile ascent aptly named the Four Mile Trail. This basically condensed the whole 10 mile trip into a 4 mile struggle uphill past switchbacks, probably grizzly bears, man-eating plants, and at this point it was near pitch black. We decided at this point that it was best to split up - the other half stay back, and the other, more athletic half would tackle the trail. That was easier said than done because thirty minutes had passed and the group returned to the cafeteria, defeated, simply asking - where was the entrance? It was easily 8 PM at this point and we hadn't even started hiking up. After searching for another half hour, aided only by dimly lit cabin lights, they finally found the entrance after running into four hikers who had just descended from the trail. Unlike us, they parked at the bottom and they were willing to give us a ride back to our car. I followed them back to their car, waited 25 minutes while they were getting pizza, and began the almost hour long drive up the winding mountain roads. At this point, I honestly thought it was smooth sailing from here; I would pick them up at the cafeteria and that we could drive back to our hotel back at the park entrance. It was also at this point that I realized that my phone was dead. No maps, no contact. Yosemite is incredibly hard to navigate, doubly so with no GPS, and especially when its pitch black. It took me another half hour to get down to Yosemite village, and circled for another hour. When I thought all hope had been lost, I got pulled over by the park police. He stopped me for following another car too closely and speeding and questioned me on whether or not I had been drinking or smoking weed (I hadn't) but ultimately left me with just a warning. It was nearly midnight now, and I circled some more for 10 minutes. Apparently, I had passed my group because my friend threw a pen at the car and I was so tired and panicked that I hadn't noticed. A short U-turn later, I picked them up, headed back to the hotel, and we knocked out. Did I mention what a great trail this was?

BEWARE TOURISTS. THIS HIKE IS NOT FOR YOU…read more I'm in my thirties and not an avid hiker. I'm not going to sugar coat this review because of the views. I'm going to be brutally honest about this trail, which changes from nicely paved dirt path to treacherous piles of jagged rocks (sometimes slippery if you're at Mist trail) that you need to figure out how to get down or up (depending on what direction you are taking) without falling and hurting yourself badly. Also, keep in mind there are other people sharing this path with you in the opposite direction so you not only need to navigate through the treachery of the rocks but also the people sharing them with you. I had planned to do the four mile trail (from Glacier point) because it was shorter but the Glacier point gift shop employee Jeremy said he had done this hike in 2 hours with his 40 year old mom and all he took was one water bottle with no problem. LIES!! The other gift shop employee Olivia said panorama trail was longer but definitely easier than four mile because it was less steep and all downhill. MORE LIES!!! Its because of what they both said that changed my mind to switch from four mile to panoramic trail. This trail is labeled as strenuous but should have "treacherous" added to it. There are parts of the trail where there are no signs and you lose your way because there is no clear path on where to go. At Vernal Falls, after you cross the bridge, you have to walk up a huge slab of rock to figure out which direction to go to continue on (you go right). It was late in the afternoon for us so there wasn't anyone around for us to follow. The bad signage, or lack thereof, was frustrating. If you see squiggly marks on the map (that you can get at the visitor centers) it means you have to walk down jagged/slippery rocks. 99% do not have rails. You could fall hard on your way to Neveda Falls or fall straight down slippery rocks at Mist trail (your shoes will get wet--mine were completely soaked). Some of the trail were paved dirt roads (which was what I was expecting, including the switchbacks) but many parts of this trail were just rocks stacked on top of rocks done by Yosemite staff to create a challenging hiking experience. You are climbing down these rocks for miles non stop. Your knees will hate you. There are no bathrooms. The first bathroom is at Nevada Falls. The first place where you will see a water fountain to refill your water is after Vernal Falls on the Mist trail and before you reach the Happy Isles Nature Center. After you reach the Happy Isles Nature center, you still have to walk a bit to the #16 shuttle stop. Our driver was ending her shift so she was making select stops. Thankfully she stopped at stop #8 to the Yosemite Valley Lodge where we had left our car. We got to our car by 8pm and took off for our hotel by 830pm. We were exhausted and now had to drive home down a winding trail to exit the park in the dark. It was a tough drive back to our hotel and we didn't expect to have a day like this. This trail is not all downhill from Glacier point. You have a good 2 miles of steep uphill hiking. There was not a lot of shade in the day hours during summer. I carried with me 3 waters, 1 gatorade, 1 snapple (bought at gift shop located at Glacier Point) and it was not enough to last me the 9 hours it took for us to complete this trail. I recommend bringing more if you plan to do this complete 9 mile route. Also, I recommend bringing a walking stick (or buying one at the gift shop for $22.99) and a bucket hat for $32.00). These are definitely worth the investment or added weight to your gear because in the 90 degree heat and the treacherous areas of the trail you will be so thankful to have had them. All in all, the waterfalls started to look the same to me. Illilouette Fall and Nevada falls looked very similar. If you want to get misty, do lower yosemite falls and walk towards the bottom of the falls (off trail) instead of Vernal Falls. Or take shuttle #16 and walk to Vernal Falls instead of seeing it from panoramic trail. In my opinion this trail was not worth the energy, sweat and tears. I was more impressed by Igazu falls and Niagara Falls when I visited them. I thought this trail would be like others I've taken when visiting other National parks or International parks. I thought it would be a cleared dirt path. I was WRONG. If you want to get great pictures of everything from Panoramic trail, I recommend breaking up your trip in two. First trip: park at Glacier point, walk to Illilouette Fall, then turn back. Second trip: take shuttle to #16 stop, walk Mist trail to see Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall. In my opinion, this is a much less strenuous and treacherous itinerary and you can see everything you would have seen on the Panoramic trail without the pain and stress.

We love this place! We always stop here to walk the trails amongst the giant Sequoias…read more You need to park and take a shuttle to the Grove. The shuttle runs pretty frequently so the wait isn't very long but the line can get long during the weekends. We like to go early in the day when it's not so busy. The main loop has a wide wooden boardwalk. The trails are well maintained and busy. There are restrooms at the start and benches along the main loop. Highly recommend.

Firstly, if this is a must see, be sure and ask the ranger for a pocket trail map when you drive…read morein. The ranger handed us one when we arrived at the Wawona Gate and told her we hoped to find parking at Mariposa, since the weekend proved too crowded (folks were parking along the main road and walking uphill to the Welcome Plaza, something that would have been too much of a challenge for us in the midday sun). She assured us it was much less crowded this Monday morning, and handed us the pocket map, which became very helpful, once I remembered it was actually IN MY POCKET! This is the first time I've been able to see this grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite. It reopened in June 2018 after a long closure and refurbishment to allow better access while protecting the trees in their ideal conditions - meaning, keep humans at bay. When you arrive at Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza, there are nice bathrooms and a small bookstore, sundries, souvenir shop and information about the various hikes, maps of trails(I suggest taking a pic of, if you don't have the pocket map), and volunteers happy to guide you through hiking options, or easy routes to just see the largest of the popular Sequoias, Grizzly Giant. You catch the shuttle here for the 6 mins ride to the trailhead for Mariposa Grove, Big Tree Loop and Grizzly Giant Loop trails. We opted for the "moderate" hike along the Mariposa Grove Trail to Tunnel Tree, in which we saw the famous Grizzly Giant as well as the notable Bachelor and Three Graces trees. Our elevation gain was about 300ft. We then continued .2 miles to Tunnel Tree. After queuing for our turn to take pics, we added on treks to see Faithful Couple and Clothespin trees and still found it mildly challenging, but not strenuous. I believe we hiked a total of 1.25 miles up, then it was all an easy downhill back. This total visit, with shuttle rides up and back, took 3 hours. We did not find this to be "moderate," but rather enjoyable and only slightly more challenging than a level walk around a forest. My friend often has to stop periodically for heart rest breaks when hiking, but didn't need any breaks on during today's hike. Take plenty of drinking water with you and maybe a light snack. If you need a restroom, try holding out for the ones at the Welcome Center. The set up at the shuttle pickup/drop-off were not as well maintained, lacked TP, had on stall marked "Closed for the Season," like THAT would be a thing, and defunct hand dryers, but no paper towels. All in all, if you're a fan of Giant Sequoias, you'll want to add Mariposa Grove to your list. We are hitting all the Giant Sequoia areas we can during this road trip, so I would say, comparing the 2 so far, Calaveras Big Trees Park was more enjoyable and an easier tour of these amazing Goliaths, but soon we will add Sequoia Ntl Park & Kings Cyn, so THEN we will know definitively which park towers above the rest. Cheers! "CC"

This was my first time visiting Yosemite National Park as an adult, and I honestly cannot get over…read morehow incredibly LARGE and beautiful this park is! I left Yosemite completely in awe. The views were absolutely incredible, and every hike we did , from easy trails to some that were challenging, was amazing in its own way. There is truly something for everyone here. One thing I really appreciated is that you can drive into the park, and there is parking available, which made exploring much easier. Yosemite is also a very family-friendly park. We saw everyone from babies and young children to elderly visitors enjoying the trails and taking in the scenery. There are SOOO many beautiful spots throughout the park to take pictures, so definitely bring a camera! We visited in October, and there hadn't been any rain, so some of the waterfalls were still flowing. They weren't as strong as they might be during other times of the year, but they were still beautiful to see. Yosemite has so much to do that I honestly wish we had stayed a couple more days. There are hiking trails, scenic areas, waterfalls, museums, historical and cultural sites, dining options, and so much more. I also noticed that the park has campgrounds, as well as glamping tents available for reservations, which I thought was pretty cool. We were told that you have to reserve up till a year in advance for those. The park also has a shuttle system that regularly takes visitors to different areas, so you don't have to walk everywhere. We definitely utilized the shuttles, and they were very easy to use and navigate. The buses were air-conditioned, and the drivers were friendly and helpful. They let you know which stops are available and where you can get off to explore different parts of the park. There is also a museum, a Native village, several places to eat, plenty of bathrooms, and water stations where you can fill up your bottles. We even came across employees who had displays with different artifacts and were explaining their history and significance. And one of the craziest things we saw was a man who showed us the skin of a bear with the actual claws still attached! Please make sure you follow the park's safety guidelines and pick up after yourself. There aren't a lot of trash cans along the trails, especially because of the wildlife and bears. We didn't see any bears during our visit, but there are signs throughout the park explaining what to do if you encounter one and what to do if there is a sighting. The park does a really good job of keeping everything clean and well maintained. The bathrooms we used were clean and fully stocked, and overall, the entire park felt very organized. Yosemite is definitely busy, but because the park is so enormous, it never felt like there wasn't room for everyone. There is a really great system in place for managing the number of visitors while still allowing people to enjoy the beauty of the park. I honestly cannot wait to go back! If you're planning a trip to Yosemite, make sure you bring the proper hiking gear, comfortable shoes, plenty of water, a camera. And give yourself more time than you think you'll need because there is sooo much to see and do! Yosemite is definitely a new favorite, and I already know this won't be my last visit.

Yosemite National Park is absolutely stunning and has been a favorite destination of ours for many…read moreyears. That makes the drastic increase in entrance fees since January 2026 all the more disappointing. In our opinion, charging a family of four from outside the United States a total of $435 for a visit is completely disproportionate and difficult to justify. This kind of pricing policy makes one of America's most impressive natural wonders unnecessarily unattractive to international visitors and effectively puts it out of reach for many families. As beautiful as the park is, at these prices, we can unfortunately no longer wholeheartedly recommend visiting it to international tourists. It is truly a shame that a place we have enjoyed visiting for so many years is losing much of its appeal because of such excessive pricing.

Elizabeth Lake is a spectacular lake you can hike to when traveling in Yosemite along Tioga Pass…read more There's no roadside signs pointing to it, as the trailhead begins at the back of the Tuolumne Meadows campground. There's a parking lot just prior to the entrance to the campground that is for general parking, if you're coming from the direction of Tenaya Lake (go past the Cathedral Lakes and Visitor Center parking.) There was also a small lot near the trailhead itself but it wasn't clear if it was reserved for campers or not. Parking at the lot just prior to the campgrounds, I took a small path through the woods and followed the "B" campsites to B50, towards the back of the campgrounds. There's a restroom with flush toilets and the sign to the trail itself you'll see facing the woods. The trail climbs steadily but not too steeply. You'll gain about 900 feet over about 1.5 miles, then it levels out a bit until you reach a signed junction to Elizabeth Lake on your right. That's where the real views begin. While it's a nice forested hike, on the way up, the scenery is average. Once you turn off towards the lake, though, you start to get more spectacular views of the granite peaks, rock hop across a creek and wind your way over to the lake itself. It's a beautiful area with the reflection of granite peaks visible with the right lighting. There's a discernible trail to take all the way around the lake, which I decided to do, since out and back to the lake itself is short (less than 5 miles RT.) Around the lake had a few muddy patches and I would imagine that early in the summer, it may be too muddy to take the full trail around. After doing the full loop, it was nice to sit on the lakeside boulders to enjoy lunch before heading back down the trail. It's either flat or all downhill on the way back. Not too crowded on a weekday-we saw about 5 other parties the whole way there and back. Great way to experience the higher elevation hiking of Yosemite on a fairly moderate, shorter hike.

Activity Type: Hiking Nearby City: Cathedral Range…read moreLength: 4.6 total miles Elevation Gain: Minimal Trail Type: Out-and-back Skill Level: Moderate, only because of steady climbing Duration: 2 to 4 hours Season: All summer; whenever Tioga Road is open Local Contacts: Yosemite National Park Local Maps: USGS Vogelsang Peak quad Elizabeth Lake lies in a picture postcard setting at the foot of Unicorn Peak, a walk of only an hour or two from the Tuolumne Meadows Campground, so it is very popular; start early in the morning to avoid the crowds. If you have less than a full day to spend in the high country, but would like a true taste of subalpine backcountry travel in a small dose, this hike is a good choice. It?s also a perfect warm-up hike if you have just arrived in Tuolumne Meadows and need to acclimatize before tackling a longer or more demanding trip.

We had an amazing time on the one-day trip. Two dads and our twelve year old daughters. Everyone at…read moreSierra Mac was great. Brandon was our guide - he set up for each of the big falls perfectly and dialed us in for some fun "surfing" for the girls. Great trip. Will be back next year. Thanks for the good times.

Sierra Mac helped my boys and I to have the spring break of a lifetime! With no rafting…read moreexperience, Sierra Mac gave these newbies a taste of the Tuolumne River that was unforgettable. The group we rafted with was cohesive and kind, and the guides were patient, but challenging. We had the opportunity to be part of a rowing school and to understand the "science" of rafting. Examples of instruction were navigating into an eddy, ferrying across a current to the other side of the river, tying off a boat, setting up angles, and reading currents were just a few skills that were taught. Sierra Mac and our group was welcoming, eager to teach, and patient all the while giving appropriate feedback. The instruction truly was "hands on" as we got the opportunity to take a turn at rowing to learn the basic mechanics of boat rowing. While we expected to be in tents, we actually slept without them, and this ended up being a cool experience for us and pushed my teenagers to realize it can be done! Highly recommend Tom and the whole crew. Every guide was a class act, and we particularly appreciated how many combined years of experience they all brought. Next time, I'll bring a GoPro camera to capture the thrill a little better on the rapids. We hope to be able to do this again! Thank you Tom and Sierra Mac!

Bucket List: check…read more Not as scary as others say but expect the worst and it's better than what you hear. Started at two am, had some rookie hikers which slowed the pace but all but one made it to the top. Very difficult if you're not equipped properly. Advise LOTS of water, good shoes, poles, snacks, grippy gloves and a positive attitude. Gorgeous views. Plenty of parking in the early morning. There are few but minimal bathroom stops along the way.

Amazing, well maintained trails to get to Half Dome. We parked in the Curry Village lot and started…read moreour hike just after sunrise. This trail is a steep incline almost the entire way. I was pleasantly surprised that there were at least 3 bathrooms on the way up, the last one about 3 miles from the subdome at the backpackers campground. You hike up past 2 waterfalls on the way up. Lots of beautiful views. Bring lots of water and snacks/food that you may need for a full day. Permits are required and can be lotteried for on the recreation.gov app to climb the subdome and cables. I did not do the subdome and cables, but my hiking partner did. The park estimates that the subdome (30 mins up, 30 mins down) and cables (30 mins up, 30 mins down) will take 2 hours.

The Four Mile Trail is reviewed as having the best views for a hike from the valley and I agree. It…read morehas the best ROI for views as there are constant changing views of Yosemite Valley and Yosemite Falls. The hike can be difficult at times as much of it is exposed to the sun, so I recommend going as early as possible. We also encountered rattlesnakes going up and coming back down, so it might be good to be cautious during the rocky middle section. Glacier Point at the end of the trail is absolutely beautiful. It has views of all of the major peaks around. There's also a store with cold drinks and snacks to fuel your way back down.

Because Glacier Point Road was closed for construction (all of 2022 unfortunately), there were only…read more3 ways to reach Glacier Point. All 3 are very strenuous and at least 9 miles round trip, but the 4-mile trail is the least intensive. However this is not stroll in the park. My mother and I (between beginner and intermediate in physical ability and hiking experience) hiked from 7am - 2pm round trip. It took us 3.5 hrs to reach Glacier point from the valley (4.6 miles), we spent about an hour at the top, then took another 2.5 hrs to hike down. We stopped often for pictures and short breaks. The views get better along the way, but it probably wasn't until 2 miles into the hike that they became more spectacular and we started taking photos. The trail itself is easy to follow, dry, and easy to descend. It has roughly 3 sets of switchbacks, the 1st which gets you roughly 2 miles in (start of nice views), the 2nd which takes you to Union point (3 miles in, has a descent panoramic view of valley), and the last set which brings you close to glacier point. There aren't really any easier parts of the trail, it's a constant ascent (3200 feet total). It is a tougher trail, but if you start early enough in the day, bring lots of water and snacks, and take breaks when needed, it is do-able. The views at the top make it all worth it!