Best 3-Day Yosemite Valley Itinerary with Short Day Hikes
Last Updated: March 24, 2024
Yosemite National Park is one of the most stunning national parks in the U.S. The sprawling mountains and unique rock structures make Yosemite unlike anywhere else in the world. But Yosemite is vast and so it can be hard to choose the top places to see in just 3 days. We’ve got you covered with our 3-day Yosemite Valley itinerary. Most of the top sites to see in Yosemite are in or near Yosemite Valley. And the good news is that you can see many of the best sites in Yosemite by only going on short day hikes.
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Complete Guide to Spending 3 Days in Yosemite National Park
How many days do you need in Yosemite?
Anywhere from 1-5 days. Yosemite is huge, with no shortage of amazing sites to see, and you could easily fill up many days there. But we think 3 days is a good amount of time to see the top sites near Yosemite Valley and not feel too rushed. If you have more than 3 days, we suggest a few other top sites you can see and experiences you can try out.
But if you have 3 days, here we give you our best 3-day itinerary around Yosemite Valley!
Yosemite Itinerary Overview:
How our Yosemite Valley Itinerary Works
Our 3-day itinerary in Yosemite Valley prioritizes the best views, and includes only a mild amount of hiking. We were somewhat surprised to find that Yosemite Valley really doesn’t have all that many options when it comes to hiking, because Yosemite Valley is the home to the iconic Yosemite sites like Half Dome and El Capitan.
But there are only a few day hikes from Yosemite Valley, and most are either very easy or very hard. We were surprised to realize this, since we assumed Yosemite would be brimming with different day hiking options.
Note – There are plenty of hikes to lesser known viewpoints throughout other parts of the park (Yosemite National Park as a whole is huge!), but you would have to drive for 1.5 to 2 hours to other regions of the park. The iconic Yosemite views are all near Yosemite Valley, and the day hiking options are more limited there.
So for our Yosemite Valley itinerary, we decided to gradually build the difficulty level of our hikes from one day to the next. You’ll see below that the first day is very easy hikes, the second day is moderate, and the third day is our only strenuous hike (though still not bad by Yosemite standards).
Day 1 in Yosemite
Tunnel View
You can’t miss a stop at Tunnel View, the iconic lookout point as you enter Yosemite Valley via Wawona Road. Tunnel View is not a hike, it’s simply a viewpoint where you can pull over, take amazing photos, and enjoy a perfect view of Yosemite Valley’s majesty.
From Tunnel View, you can see El Capitan, Bridalveil Falls, and Half Dome. Tunnel View is a popular spot, so there are likely to be many people there vying for the perfect photo spot. Even when we got to Tunnel View before sunrise, there was already a crowd of people gathered. But don’t worry, there are plenty of amazing photo ops in our Yosemite Valley, so if you can’t get the perfect one here, you’ll have more opportunities.
Cook’s Meadow Loop
Cook’s Meadow Loop is a somewhat underrated stop in Yosemite, but it was honestly one of our favorite places. This hidden gem in Yosemite is a flat 1-mile loop around a meadow, offering perfect views of Yosemite Falls and Half Dome.
Because Cook’s Meadow is less well known, we had the trail almost entirely to ourselves (plus we arrived early in the morning, around 7:30 am). While walking, we got to see a deer and take in the serenity of the morning sun rising behind Half Dome.
It’s hard to convey the majesty of Yosemite Valley in words and photos. Walking around Cook’s Meadow Loop was a really special experience. Cook’s Meadow is the perfect way to start off your Yosemite Itinerary.
Where should you park for Cook’s Meadow Loop?
You can park at the day parking lot next to Yosemite Village, which is about a 10 minute walk from Cook’s Meadow Loop. Or you can park in the day parking lot at Yosemite Lodge, about a 15-minute walk from Cook’s Meadow.
Parking was the one tricky aspect of doing Cook’s Meadow Loop, because Google Maps will take you right up to the shuttle stop for Cook’s Meadow, but there is no parking there, and because of the one-way road around the Valley, you can’t turn around to go back toward the parking at Yosemite Village. So just plan ahead when it comes to parking at Cook’s Meadow Loop.
Lower Yosemite Falls
After you finish Cook’s Meadow Loop, you’ll be right next to the start of the walk up to Lower Yosemite Falls. It’s an easy 15-minute walk up a paved trail to the viewpoint of Lower Yosemite Falls. You can enjoy the beautiful Lower Falls, which make up the bottom portion of the 3-part Yosemite Falls (the 3 parts are: Upper Falls, Middle Cascades, and Lower Falls).
Viewing Lower Yosemite Falls is a great wheelchair accessible activity in Yosemite. And, because it’s all a paved trail, that means Lower Yosemite Falls is pet-friendly too.
If you’re thinking about doing the big hike to Upper Yosemite Falls, that’s a MUCH more challenging endeavor. The hike to Upper Yosemite Falls takes around 6-8 hours, with 2,700 feet elevation gain. So if you’re simply looking for good views and photos, Lower Yosemite Falls might be a better option for you.
El Capitan Meadow + Cathedral Beach
El Capitan Meadow and Cathedral Beach are the next stops on day 1 of our Yosemite Valley itinerary. These spots are very close to each other, and they offer perfect views of the towering El Capitan cliff, with very few crowds.
El Capitan Meadow
Where do you park for El Capitan Meadow? There is plenty of parking along the side of the street by the bridge over the Merced River. Just be sure to check the signs, because the park rangers will ticket you if you are in an area where parking is not allowed.
For this stop, you don’t have to walk an entire loop around the meadow, we just recommend walking around the area and admiring the scenery and snapping good photos wherever you like. We personally loved the view from the bridge over Merced River.
Cathedral Beach
From El Capitan Meadow, we next recommend stopping at Cathedral Beach. There is a spacious parking lot and picnic area. There were only two other people at Cathedral Beach when we arrived around 10:00 am. Cathedral Beach in Yosemite is serene and lovely, the perfect place to stop for a snack and take in the beauty of El Capitan.
Mirror Lake
The next item on this Yosemite itinerary is the hike to Mirror Lake, which offers beautiful views of Half Dome. However, after all the morning stops, you’ll probably be ready for lunch and a brief rest before hiking to Mirror Lake. There are lots of food options in Curry Village, including tacos, pizza, and boxed sandwiches in the market. Then, you can leave your car in the Curry Village parking lot, and catch the shuttle to the Mirror Lake trailhead (or walk about 20 minutes to the trailhead).
Mirror Lake trail is a 2-mile out and back trail up to the lake and back. The trail is mostly a paved road, and leashed pets are permitted on the paved portion. It’s ranked as easy to moderate, which we found to be true. There is slight elevation gain, only about 100 feet, which occurs very gradually.
At Mirror Lake, you can see Half Dome towering above you and reflected in the lake. (Note – the lake is filled by snow melt, so late in the summer the water levels may be low or nonexistent, making it more of a meadow. When we were there in September, there was still plenty of water, but it depends on the year.)
Can you swim in Mirror Lake? Yes! There were lots of kids and families swimming in Mirror Lake when we visited. It’s a great way to cool off and relax at the end of your first day in Yosemite.
Day 2 in Yosemite
Day 2 of our Yosemite Valley itinerary takes you up and out of the Valley to the surrounding cliffs, where you get breathtaking views looking over Yosemite Valley.
Note that the stops on day 2 are at much higher elevation, so we recommend bringing warm layers in case it gets chilly. In the morning when we drove out of the Valley to Glacier Point, the temperature dropped around 30 degrees!
Washburn Point
Although Glacier Point is the most famous and popular lookout point over Yosemite Valley, we highly recommend a stop at the underrated Washburn Point on your way to Glacier Point. At Washburn Point, you’ll have fewer crowds and amazing views of Half Dome, Vernal Falls, and Nevada Falls. You can hear the waterfalls roaring across the valley, adding the magical aura of the place.
There’s not much to do at Washburn Point except get out of your car, enjoy the view, and take some photos. But is Washburn Point worth stopping by? Yes, absolutely. It’s on Glacier Point Road, right on the way to Glacier Point, and Washburn Point is a little more peaceful than the more popular Glacier Point.
Glacier Point
No trip to Yosemite is complete without stopping by Glacier Point. From this lookout point, you can see Half Dome, Basket Dome, North Dome, Yosemite Falls, and more. The views are breathtaking and it is definitely worth stopping and enjoying Yosemite’s beauty for a while at Glacier Point.
Glacier Point has a wheelchair accessible path to the lookout point. And the path is entirely paved, so that means Glacier Point is a pet-friendly stop on this Yosemite itinerary. There is a small snack bar and gift shop at Glacier Point, which is open from 9:30 am – 5:00 pm. There are also vault toilets.
You can also hike to Glacier Point from Yosemite Valley, but that is a strenuous 9.6-mile roundtrip hike, with 3,200 feet of elevation gain. The trail is misleadingly called the Four Mile Trail, because the old original trail back in 1872 was 4 miles up (now it’s closer to 5 miles up). This trail should not be underestimated. If you’re just trying to get the best views, you can enjoy Glacier Point by driving there. But if you enjoy the challenge of a long difficult hike, you can try the Four Mile Trail in Yosemite.
Is there parking at Glacier Point?
Yes, there is a spacious parking lot at Glacier Point, with multiple levels. If you come at a busy time, you may need to be prepared to wait for a few minutes for a parking spot to come available. But when we arrived at around 8:00 am, there were plenty of parking spots available.
Taft Point
The next two stops on this Yosemite itinerary are right next to each other on Glacier Point Road—Taft Point and Sentinel Dome. These are two different viewpoints, which each involve a 2.2-mile out and back hike. But they share a trailhead and parking lot. From the parking lot, you go left for Taft Point and right for Sentinel Dome.
How difficult is the hike to Taft Point?
The hike is rated easy, and we found that to be accurate. The trail is mostly a gradual sloping trail through the woods, which eventually opens up into the rocky terrain next to the cliffs. There is a bit of an incline on your way back, as you climb the rocks towards the woods, but it was pretty short.
The views at Taft Point are amazing and a little unnerving, because you can walk right up to the cliff’s edge. You get awesome views of El Capitan and the Merced River snaking through Yosemite Valley. If you’re up for a little hiking, Taft Point is an awesome short hike to do near Yosemite Valley. In total, it took us around 2 hours, which included plenty of time for photos and a snack at Taft Point.
Sentinel Dome - the better of the 2!
Sentinel Dome is the last stop in Day 2, and in our opinion, it was better than Taft Point. In fact, Sentinel Dome has possibly the best views of anywhere on our Yosemite itinerary.
Which is better – Sentinel Dome or Taft Point?
If you have to choose between Sentinel Dome and Taft Point, we’d say Sentinel Dome is better. You get 360-views of Yosemite Valley—including El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Nevada Falls, and more. It is really surreal.
Sentinel Dome does involve a slightly more challenging hike—it’s a 2-mile out and back hike, and there’s 400 feet of elevation gain. Most of the elevation gain occurs as you’re approaching the top of Sentinel Dome. The hike is appropriately ranked moderate. So be sure to wear proper hiking shoes.
In total, the hike to and from Sentinel Dome took us around 2 hours and 15 minutes, including a lot of time spent at the top enjoying the view. With perfect views of all of Yosemite Valley, Sentinel Dome is a great way to end day 2 of your Yosemite Valley itinerary.
Day 3 in Yosemite
Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls
On the last day of our short-hikes-Yosemite-Valley-itinerary, we recommend going for the beautiful Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls hike. This hike is the most difficult hike on our Yosemite itinerary, but it is still much easier than other hikes in Yosemite (e.g. Upper Yosemite Falls or Half Dome).
We found this hike to be the perfect level of challenge—enough that you feel like you have to work for the views, but not so hard that you’re in pain and/or risking injury. If you follow our suggested route, the Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls hike is around 6.5 miles roundtrip, and includes 2,200 feet of elevation gain.
Because this is a slightly longer hike, there is a lot more to know before you go. So be sure to check out the National Park’s page about this hike before you go.
Overall, the hike to Vernal and Nevada Falls is an amazing day hike in Yosemite, and it is a great way to end your Yosemite Itinerary. You will be pleasantly tired and ready for a pizza in Curry Village!
Things to Keep in Mind when Visiting Yosemite National Park
Visiting Yosemite is a big undertaking, so you definitely need to plan ahead. Plan your itinerary in advance, as you will have very limited cell service in Yosemite Valley.
Also be sure to bring layers, as temperatures can change dramatically at different times of the day and at different elevations within the park.
To fully prepare, check out our article on 8 mistakes to avoid in Yosemite so that you’re completely ready for your visit to Yosemite National Park.
Is Yosemite National Park dog friendly?
Yes and no. Dogs and other pets are only allowed on the roads, paved pathway, and at all campgrounds except Camp 4. Pets must be leashed at all times. Dogs and other pets are NOT allowed on any hiking trails, in the backcountry, on shuttle buses, or in park buildings. You can read the full Yosemite pet policy on the National Park Service website.
Best Yosemite Valley Itinerary for 1-Day
There you have it—our complete 3-day itinerary with short hikes near Yosemite Valley. We hope you’re able to use our guide to help you plan the best visit to Yosemite National Park. Yosemite is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places to visit in the United States, and you really have to experience it for yourself!
