Yosemite National Park

About

Yosemite sits in the Sierra Nevada of central California and protects granite walls, waterfalls and groves of giant sequoias. El Capitan rises about 3,000 feet straight up from the valley floor, Half Dome anchors the eastern skyline, and Yosemite Falls drops in tiers above the valley meadows. Most visitors spend at least a full day in Yosemite Valley and add a second day for Glacier Point or the Mariposa Grove if time allows.

Yosemite Valley is the hub. From the visitor center and museum, trails and roads reach Yosemite Village, Curry Village, and the base of Lower Yosemite Fall. A separate road climbs to Glacier Point, where a short paved path leads to a view down onto the valley and across to Half Dome. South of the valley, the Mariposa Grove holds the Grizzly Giant and hundreds of other sequoias reached by a network of trails, some paved and level near the grove entrance.

Getting around without a car is straightforward in the valley. A free shuttle bus loops past the main trailheads, lodges and visitor facilities. The Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) runs buses into the park from gateway towns along Highways 41, 120 and 140, and a ranger-led Valley Floor Tour tram covers the main viewpoints in about two hours; in 2026 it costs $41.25 for an adult and $28.25 for a child.

The park is a multi-hour drive from San Francisco, Sacramento and Fresno, and most people stay overnight in the valley, in gateway towns along Highway 140, or in campgrounds inside the park. Mariposa Grove and Glacier Point are worth building into a second day; both require their own drive or shuttle connection from the valley floor.

Accessibility

Yosemite National Park is accessible in the places it has built for it. Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point and the Grizzly Giant Trail in Mariposa Grove have paved, wheelchair-usable routes, but the park has not published details on some categories, such as door widths, tactile paving or staff training, so call ahead if those matter to your trip.

Parking and arrival: Yosemite Village Parking has designated accessible spaces near the shuttle stop, and a restroom next to that lot includes two wheelchair accessible family restrooms. Glacier Point's main parking lot also has designated accessible spaces, and cars with a disability placard can drive Mariposa Grove Road to the Grizzly Giant Accessible Parking area when the road is open to vehicles.

Getting around: the eastern half of the Lower Yosemite Fall loop, about 0.6 miles from the shuttle stop, is paved and wheelchair accessible, ending at a viewing area with boulders at wheelchair height; the western half past the footbridge gets slippery and is not recommended off the pavement. At Glacier Point, a 300-yard paved switchback trail runs from the parking lot to the overlook, and the restrooms, snack bar and gift shop there are accessible. In Mariposa Grove, the Grizzly Giant Trail is a flat 0.26-mile round trip that is wheelchair accessible. The free Yosemite Valley shuttle bus is fully accessible, and YARTS buses into the park carry wheelchair lifts, though the park recommends requesting accessible seating 48 hours ahead. The Valley Floor Tour tram can adjust seating for wheelchair users if you ask when you book.

Services: free sign language interpreting and assistive listening devices are available for park programs, with about two weeks notice requested for an interpreter. The park's Accessibility Guide and its visitor brochure are both available in Braille, and the UniDescription app provides an audio description of the brochure.

Before you go: call the park at (209) 372-0200 to confirm current conditions, since trail and shuttle accessibility can change with snow or construction. The park does not publish information on tactile paving, curb cuts, door widths, sensory-friendly hours or wheelchair rental availability, so ask about those directly if you need them.

Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in California

• Griffith Observatory (Los Angeles)
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) (Los Angeles)
• San Diego Zoo (San Diego)
• Exploratorium (San Francisco)
• Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach)
• California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco)

Photo credits

• El Capitan and Half Dome frame Yosemite Valley with Bridalveil Fall, seen from Tunnel View.: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)
• El Capitan and Half Dome tower over forested Yosemite Valley as seen from Tunnel View.: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)
• A rainbow arcs over Yosemite Valley with a waterfall and cliffs at sunset.: National Park Service, Public domain (U.S. National Park Service)
• An adult bighorn sheep and a lamb rest on a rocky outcrop above a lake.: National Park Service, Public domain (U.S. National Park Service)
• Half Dome's sheer granite face rises above the forested valley, viewed from Glacier Point at sunset.: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)
• The granite face of Half Dome catches evening light above forested ridges in Yosemite National Park.: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source)
• El Capitan's granite face rises above a pine forest under a hazy sky.: National Park Service, Public domain (U.S. National Park Service)
• Lower Yosemite Falls cascades down a granite cliff framed by tall pine trees.: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• Lower Yosemite Fall drops down a granite cliff framed by tall pine trees.: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)