Definitely a must to stop by here if you're going up to Yosemite. Hopefully you get Phyllis to help…read moreyou as she is a human chatgpt. Seriously though, she helped me plan my trip with many recommendations and tips and also adjustments to consider with my baby girl. Don't forget to stop by!

I love Visitor Centers but I think this one's focus is more on preserving you over heightening your…read moreexperience on your visit. I gave a friend a hand drawn map to a waterfall. My friend traveled 250 plus miles to see it. The staff here discouraged her from going because it's "dangerous." Next: I ask them about a waterfall near Nelder Grove. The employee tells me she's been there one hundred times. There is no waterfall! The map from the Friends of Nelder Grove website said it existed. I went out there, followed a trail that started next to a creek bed and found the Fall! Unless you want a restaurant recommendation, pass this Center by!

If it is your first time visiting Yosemite, I definitely recommend making a stop here. There is so…read moremuch staff throughout the center to help you find what you want to do while exploring this part of the park. Plus, they are experts in what is the most popular thing to do during your visit. I highly recommend stopping at all the exhibits throughout the center, the Ansel Adams gallery, and the museums about the history of the park. Plus, there are two gift shops to buy all your souvenirs. There is a theater that will go through the history of the park, which was pretty cool and informative. Once you are done exploring the exhibits, make sure to follow the trails to the nearest trail to capture some cool photos in nature and even walk over to Yosemite Falls. All in all, definitely a must-see and can be spent in one day to hit all the landmarks in this area. You will be entertained and amazed by the beauty of Yosemite National Park. Happy trailing and sight-seeing! Embrace the nature!

Small visitor center with passport stamps and a few souvenirs. It's a great place to gather…read moreinformation and grab a map of the park. The rangers were helpful and offered great suggestions for easy day hikes, especially since some routes are seasonal.

The Yosemite Welcome Center was a fun little spot to check out while we were in Yosemite last week…read more It is located in Yosemite Village next to the Museum and Post Office. It was a nice big open building with different counters to stop and ask about different information regarding Yosemite and the surrounding areas. They also sold t-shirts, magnets, books and even puzzles. My daughter picked up a Junior Rangers activity book for free which was really! They had all the information on different hikes, plus different programs each day like the Ranger Walk, Bear Walk and the Family Ranger Talk. We only stopped in briefly, but next time we will be staying longer to check out more of the programs. I highly suggest stopping in next time you visit Yosemite! We'll be back next time!

This welcome center is nice and big with plenty of information about the park. My kids ran into a…read morePark ranger at Glacier point and were asked if they wanted to become a junior ranger of course they agreed . A book for them to complete was handed to them and once done they can bring it into the welcome center. They had a mini ceremony it was such a great cute experience for the kids. You need to do this for your little ones when in yosemite. Note to self always have a map with you. They have some here.

Having never tempted your family from this direction, I stopped at the visitor center in Mariposa…read more So glad I did, Jacob was full of information, knowledge, and tips for both things local and for Yosemite. Got a bunch of brochures which I always love, and save, and got to look at and purchase some cool merch. Bonus: there is an awesome looking escape room right there. Do not miss this stop!!!

READ FOR PRO TIPS!!!…read more DO THE SCAVENGER HUNT! It's super fun (did it with our 9 & 10 year olds). It is normally $15 but you get a $5 discount if you ask for one. PLUS you get a free coupon per participant for ice cream at Happy Burger Diner and the ice cream scoop is HUGE!!! And 10% off your entire meal if you get anything else :) STAFF IS FRIENDLY They will hook you up! :) Enjoy!

Construction on Thursdays = Major Delays. Not recommended for families with babies or toddlers…read more We arrived at the Village at 8:30 a.m. to catch the 8:45 shuttle to Devils Postpile, only to be told the first shuttle was delayed until 10:05. Since we were already committed, we drove to Main Lodge instead, where we found a huge line from everyone waiting on the delayed shuttles. At every step, we asked staff for updates, but no one warned us how bad the delays would be. We were told the shuttle ride would take about 20 minutes, but it ended up taking over an hour because of stop-and-go traffic from construction. The return trip was even worse. We boarded the shuttle at 1:30 p.m. and didn't get back to Main Lodge until after 3:00 p.m. The shuttle was hot, overcrowded, made multiple stops, and even returned to Devils Postpile before heading back. Staff seemed just as uninformed as visitors, and no one could provide accurate wait times or expectations. Our timeline: * Arrived at the Village: 8:30 a.m. * First shuttle departed: 10:05 a.m. * Reached Devils Postpile: Just after 11:00 a.m. * Boarded return shuttle: 1:30 p.m. * Returned to Main Lodge: Just after 3:00 p.m. The ticket agent refunded our shuttle tickets and admitted they didn't realize how severe the delays were because multiple agencies are involved. If you're traveling with young children, especially babies or toddlers, I'd avoid visiting on Thursdays during construction. It turned what should have been a simple outing into an exhausting, all-day ordeal.

What a great experience at Devil's Postpile NP. Easy 1/2 mile hike with some climbing, steep…read moreportions of trail. What an incredible experience. Steep climb to top but worth it. Ample parking in dirt lots. Cool info signage about the area. Seeing this phenomenon was amazing. Two miles further to Rainbow Falls. Devil's Postpile is closed 10/6-10/11, major road work repairs.

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"

Fantastic drive up over Hwy 120 (from US 395)..east gate heavy snow. Drove through to west gate…read morewhere it was mid 80's and sunny. Excellent customer service at both gates. Great roads, lots of scenic pullouts, clear signage, beautiful and clean, ample bear proof trash bins, what a wonderful surprise to get the first snow and the Indian summer fall weather, all in the same day.

Lots of driving Huge park…read moreBreathtaking lakes way up in the mountains Beautiful forests with sequoia grove as well Very pretty

Yosemite was breathtakingly beautiful! Recent visit with my family was a nice time to unplug, get…read moreaway and spend some quality time together. We had a blast hanging all over the park a doing a few easier hikes since we had our little one with us. It was pretty hot for the kids, but we're more conditioned with the heat. We'll have to come back and hike without our kids. We were able to cool by the river and get lunch in Curry village. We did a bit of shopping there before heading back out to the South gate of Yosemite. I'm am looking forward to planning a camping trip with some family or lodging in the park for the upcoming year when the falls are fuller. Thank you Yosemite for the good memories.

Reservation is required to drive into or through the park on some dates/times through Oct 27. Check…read morethe website for more information. You can enter the park without a reservation before 5 am or after 4 pm. Reservations are required at any time in between. The YNP South Side is amazing! Breath breathtaking views, beautiful waterfalls (Vernal & Nevada Falls), and much to explore. It takes about 45mins-1hr to get from the South Entrance to Yosemite Valley. We stayed about 25 minutes from the South Side Entrance and arrived at YNP around 4:30 am. We did not have to pay entrance fees and could experience the beautiful sunrise. If you can do that, please don't hesitate; it's so worth it. Plus, if you start early, you avoid the crowds and see more of YNP!

Rainbow Falls is a must do if you're in the area! We also stopped at Devils Postpile, and it was…read moredefinitely worth seeing while you're there :) Make sure to bring plenty of water, wear comfortable shoes, and be ready for the hike down to the actual waterfall once you get to the top, you'll go down to the actual water. The hike back up is a bit of a workout, but it's 100% worth it. The views are beautiful! The water is chilly, but we got getting in. Such a fun experience, and one of our favorite stops on the trip!

Pro tip: Take the shuttle (approximately $15 per person round-trip). You take it from the Main…read moreLodge and they run every 20-30mins from 7amish to 730pmish (as of Aug 2025). You want to get off at Red's Meadow and hike to the falls. It's easy-easy/moderate and is the shortest distance to the falls. Do not take it from Devil's Postpile because it will add 1.5 miles of open sun hike to the falls. Once there, reward yourself with glass of wine and lunch. The water is cool to cold (depending on the time of year) and refreshing. Highly recommended

9/29/2022 Stopped to…read moretake a bathroom break... Always clean and friendly staff! I love all the cool merchandise... Today's purchases: Baseball hat, and shea butter for cuticles. Sales clerk was friendly and asked if we wanted to become members of the Mono Lake ? If you purchase $25 worth , $25 would go towards the Mono lake protection... Why not... of course! Now, this will be another must stop to support Mono lake! Also got a free dvd about Mono Lake...

Great place to start if you're not familiar the story of Mono Lake, the tufas, or the efforts to…read morerestore the land bridge and water levels. Open 9-5, with a free film about the region and lake, a gift shop, interactive learning stations and stunning views of the lake from the back terrace. Plenty of free parking. Cheers! "CC"