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Yosemite Valley, CA

California · Sierra Nevada

Entry $35 / vehicle

Scale 4.3M (2025)

Est. 1890

Season Apr-Jun, Sep

Granite walls, giant sequoias and the kind of light that makes phone cameras give up.

Getting there

Closest airport: Fresno (FAT), about 1.5 hours from Wawona. Entrance fees are cashless at all gates; non-US residents 16+ pay an extra $100 each.

Don't miss

Yosemite Valley - waterfalls, meadows and cliffs, drivable year-round
Glacier Point - overlook of the valley, Half Dome and Yosemite Falls
Mariposa Grove - the park's largest sequoia grove, 500+ mature trees

Best time to go

April to June for peak waterfall flow; May to October for full road access. No timed entry reservation is required in 2026.

Nearby

Tuolumne Meadows Mariposa Grove June Lake

Costs and seasons change

Fees and visitor figures are taken from the National Park Service pages for this park; re-check nps.gov before you book. The planning copy is ours.

More like this

$35 / vehicle

Zion National Park, UT

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$35 / vehicle

Grand Canyon South Rim, AZ

Colorado Plateau

$35 / vehicle

Yellowstone Geysers, WY

Rocky Mountains

Before you go

Do I need a reservation to visit the big parks?

Not at the time of writing. Yosemite dropped its timed-entry system, Grand Canyon states there is no timed entry, and Yellowstone does not require a vehicle reservation. Acadia is the exception: Cadillac Summit Road needs a $6 vehicle reservation between 20 May and 25 October 2026.

What does the $35 entrance fee actually cover?

One private vehicle and everyone inside it, for the park's stated period: seven days at Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Acadia, one to seven days at Zion. Motorcycles pay $30 and walkers or cyclists pay $20 per person.

Is there a surcharge for international visitors?

Yes. Each park page states that non-US residents aged 16 and over pay an additional $100 each, unless they hold an America the Beautiful annual pass or an annual park pass. It is per person, not per vehicle.