Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Cook's Meadow Loop

    4.5 (10 reviews)

    Cook's Meadow Loop Photos

    You might also consider

    More like Cook's Meadow Loop

    Recommended Reviews - Cook's Meadow Loop

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Early 20th century view of Yosemite Village in the Cook Meadows
    Robert C.

    Would you pay $35 to see a former land fill? Millions of visitors do just that! Visitors pay a $35 entrance fee when driving into Yosemite National Park, and will first see Yosemite Falls, at 2425' the tallest in North America, just as they drive around Cook Meadows. Cook Meadows is one of the few meadows at 4000' elevation. It is located at the very end of Yosemite Valley, with Glacier Point on one side, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls on another side, and Yosemite Village on a third side. There is a second prominent meadow in Yosemite, in the northern section. It no longer exists, as the meadow was dammed up in the early 1900s and now lies beneath 50 feet of water of the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, source of drinking water for much of the Bay Area. When the valley was settled by white men in the late 1800s, they built a town on Cook meadows, with Ford model T s parked diagonally next to stores alongside the dirt road. Later they moved the town over to the edge of the valley, and used Cook Meadows as a land fill. Eventually Cook Meadows became a campground for tourists in the 20th century. The area was trampled over quite a bit, as there were no trails built until much later. In the 1997-1998 El Nino year, the Yosemite Valley and Cook Meadows were flooded by the overflowing Merced river. Afterwards, the Meadows was dug up, and the garbage from the landfill removed, so that the Meadows would have a natural drainage for rising waters. Camping was banned, wooden boardwalks added, and the Meadows restored to its former luster. We walk from our hotel at the Ahwahnee, through Yosemite Village, to Yosemite Falls, around the edge of the Meadows. We continue walking through Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, the primary lodge in the park, and around the backside of the Lodge, which border on the meadow. Hiding in the bushes in the early morning is an adult stag deer, with an impressive set of antlers. During the winter these deer will shed their antlers to conserve energy, and grow a new set in the summer. We continue walking on asphalt trails, with small fences on both sides, to keep people from wandering off onto the yet to be fully restored areas of the meadows. We reach Swinging Bridge, a wooden pedestrian bridge, over the Merced River, with Yosemite Falls towering in the background. As we walk alongside the Valley Loop road, we see a coyote hunting for squirrels in the brush of the meadows. A bus slows down to allow the tourists to click away on their cameras. The wife and I walk slowly along side the road, checking out the coyote 100 feet away. Deer are very common, coyotes less common, black bears mainly seen at dusk and at night, and bobcats rare, and mountain lions all but gone from the meadows. Grizzly bears are extinct in California, but can be seen in Wyoming, Montana and Alaska. We walk back to our hotel, with the walk completely around the meadows taking some 3 hours. That evening, while still dusk, we do see a bobcat, catching a squirrel for dinner. Sorry, but that's not on my dinner plate tonight!

    A black bear
    Lara W.

    This is an awesome/easy little loop on the valley floor that I'd recommend for those with kids wanting to view the rock formations as well as the foliage. Go at dusk to see the deer come out and feed. We saw a bear too!

    The side of the road at Cook's Meadow.

    See all

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 20
    Thanks 0
    Love this 16
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lara W.
    34
    59
    103

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    great views and very peaceful relaxing atmosphere and there are benches every few miles. perfect to stop at for a snack!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Allie A.
    125
    2915
    1048

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Cook's Meadow Loop

    Review Highlights - Cook's Meadow Loop

    This short, easy walk offers stunning views of Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Glacier Point, and Sentinel Rock.

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Hiking 263 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Yosemite National Park - A fiery red Checkerspot butterfly (I think it's a Variable Checkerspot) along the Swinging Bridge Trail!

    Yosemite National Park

    4.6(1.4k reviews)
    0.3 mi

    Visited Yosemite Falls on May 1st, and it felt just right…read more No crowds, perfect weather -- not too hot, not too cold. The waterfall was powerful, full of life, rushing down like it had something to say. Yosemite National Park felt wild and peaceful at the same time -- clean, untouched, and deeply beautiful. Grateful for everyone who takes care of this place

    Visited Yosemite National Park for the first time in a while on Easter weekend! Definitely…read morerecommend coming on a weekday/non-holiday time or arriving early as the park gets pretty crowded - we waited about 30 minutes to get through the entrance on Saturday. Park is well maintained and very prompt on trail closures. There's something for everyone here from straightforward and short paved walks to more intense ones like Half Dome. We hiked the Vernal Falls & Nevada Falls trail on Friday, and part of the John Muir trail was closed due to snow so we had to do it out and back instead of a loop. Views were stunning and there was a lot of water in the falls this time of year! Took us a little over 4 hours to complete. Only downside was that this is a very popular trail so we were having to move slowly and wait behind people on some narrow portions. We stopped by Lower Yosemite Falls on Saturday and it is a simple, easy stroll with a great view, but super super packed. We weren't able to find parking so one person had to keep circling the lot until. Gift shops were nice and I picked up a couple of magnets as souvenirs. Overall, I would definitely return, and will plan my next visit around the crowds. Pro tip: find accommodation inside the park if possible. The roads leading into the park are very windy and going back and forth made me a bit car sick. All the lodges were already completely booked, so next time I will plan well in advance.

    Photos
    Yosemite National Park - ***AMAZING PLACE***

    ***AMAZING PLACE***

    Yosemite National Park - Sweat lodge

    Sweat lodge

    Yosemite National Park - Our Half Dome hike started at 4:45 AM

    See all

    Our Half Dome hike started at 4:45 AM

    Yosemite Family Adventures

    Yosemite Family Adventures

    4.6(11 reviews)
    6.5 mi

    Dave is AMAZING! We had the best day with him on our private tour of Yosemite. He is so fun,…read moreknowledgeable, a great conversationalist and made the day fabulous. I had the best time and felt like we got to really see Yosemite and get to know the park. I would 100% recommend booking with him and his company. Hands down the BEST!!

    I cannot say enough about David and the two days he spent with us in the park. It was our first…read moretrip to Yosemite and David planned two great days that really gave us a feel for the incredible natural beauty that surrounds you in the Valley. While you can only see so much in two days, his skillful guiding made the most of that time covering the multiple waterfalls in the valley, the Sequoia Grove, Hatch Hatchy and many others. He is a self taught naturalist and gave us just the right mix of park history and insights into the floral and fauna. He also balanced our hiking so it was challenging enough to keep me interested but not to difficult that Thelma could not enjoy it as well. He was also terrific about assisting her through some of the more difficult and rocky sections so she was never uncomfortable. His planning was simply impeccable and more than worth every penny as we could never have enjoyed as much as we did on our own. There is just no substitute for having a professional guide a Dave was as professional as it gets. Simply cannot thank him enough and more highly recommend him to anyone who wants an extraordinary experience.

    Photos
    Yosemite Family Adventures - Cathedral Lake in the High country of Yosemite

    Cathedral Lake in the High country of Yosemite

    Yosemite Family Adventures - Jumping for excitement in Yosemite.

    Jumping for excitement in Yosemite.

    Yosemite Family Adventures - Remarkable landscape and beautiful visitas

    See all

    Remarkable landscape and beautiful visitas

    YExplore Yosemite Adventures - Heads in the Clouds on Sentinel Dome

    YExplore Yosemite Adventures

    4.8(37 reviews)
    8.8 mi

    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!

    Will definitely be booking again with John and Y Explore!!! Honestly when we booked the guided half…read moredome hike I went into it thinking we were just utilizing the purchased permits as hadn't won the lottery ourselves but as the day progressed I became more and more grateful for the wisdom and knowledge of our guide. From breathing techniques and tips for ascending and descending the cables to the order of of our group and perfectly timed rest breaks this was worth every penny as we had not only a successful summit but an overwhelming positive experience! Hubby and I are excited to travel again to more destination with Y Explore in the near future!

    Photos
    YExplore Yosemite Adventures - Half Dome

    Half Dome

    YExplore Yosemite Adventures - Yosemite North Dome Adventure

    Yosemite North Dome Adventure

    YExplore Yosemite Adventures - Sun on Half Dome

    See all

    Sun on Half Dome

    Cook's Meadow Loop - hiking - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...