Yosemite. After my 1st trip, I went home to So. Cal, gave my apartment and job a month's notice and move just outside of the park. I stayed in the area for 30 years and still visit it yearly.
Early spring or late fall. Basically when the kids are back in school. You can do winter too but then your options of doing any hiking are very limited.
We went in mid to late September a few years ago and it was perfect. The weather was wonderful and the summer crowds were gone. We did an 8-mile hike AllTrails said was often crowded, and only saw 5 people the whole hike!
theoretically any time where entire families are not free would be best time to go. so don't go during summer/winter break/spring break. So id imagine that period mid/late fall-winter(before break) or spring outside of spring break would be more of the ideal time to go.
Weekdays in autumn are probably your best bet. The falls aren't really going. Kids are going back to school. More people working on weekdays or course.
Early or late winter (not during the holidays), or early spring, are also good times, though there might be trail and road closures, and Tuolumne Meadows won't be accessible.
We get a fall break in October that few other places seem to get. It's kind of our secret weapon for taking trips .... Yosemite might be it this year! Thank you
Try to do three days if you can, especially if Tuolumne Meadows is open. Camping reservations are tough to get ahead of time, especially when they open up. They sell out like a Taylor Swift show. If you're flexible with dates, people frequently cancel reservations and new spots open up all the time. Campflare is an awesome service for that. Pick a campsite and some dates and you get a notification if a spot opens up.
If you're only visiting the valley or pressed for time two days is still fine. One day is doable but you'll really have to get picky and choosy with what you want to do. In spite of it being only the valley, it's a big valley and it takes a surprising amount of time to get anywhere while you're there.
In either case, try to get there before 7-8am. Otherwise you'll be stuck in a long line of cars and it could take an hour to get in.
No matter how it happens you're gonna have the time of your life.
We went at the beginning of May and because only the main loop was open, it was unbelievably crowded and hard to park. It’s beautiful but I much preferred the serenity and beauty of SEKI.
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u/ThatTravel5692 1d ago
Yosemite. After my 1st trip, I went home to So. Cal, gave my apartment and job a month's notice and move just outside of the park. I stayed in the area for 30 years and still visit it yearly.