Don’t Miss These 5 Experiences on Your Spring Trip to Yosemite

Seeing Yosemite for the first time is a spiritual experience. Few landscapes are as majestic, towering, or grand as the ones visible from Tunnel View or the top of Half Dome. Both are absolutely, stop-you-in-your-tracks massive.

Although the views are a highlight, there’s a lot more to Yosemite than photo ops, especially in the spring. That’s when the waterfalls are the most powerful, flowers begin to bud, winter temps start to thaw, and visitors get easier access to the entire park before the peak-season crowds.

What are some of the best experiences, then, when the valley is in full bloom? To get you inspired for a spring trip, here are five in particular that you don’t want to miss.

1. Waterfall viewing

Photo: topseller/Shutterstock

At 5,000 feet above the valley floor, Yosemite’s tallest cliffs are five times as high as the Eiffel Tower. Combine those cliffs with melting snowpack in April through June, and you get some seriously majestic waterfalls. Put these on your list:

• Yosemite Falls: This 2,245-foot goliath is Yosemite’s highest waterfall. A series of strenuous switchbacks will take you to the upper falls, and you’ll glimpse runner-up Sentinel Fall (about 2,000 feet tall) on the 7.2-mile round-trip hike, too.
• Bridalveil Fall: This fall famously flows year-round, but it’s mightiest in spring. Look for it across from El Capitan when you stop at Tunnel View on your way into the park, then follow the paved trail from the parking area to see it up close.
• Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall: These falls are a great twofer when you hike the Mist Trail, the John Muir Trail, or a loop that combines both. Vernal is a powerhouse while Ansel Adams helped make slide-shaped Nevada the icon that is.
• Chilnualna Falls: Not all of the great falls are in Yosemite Valley. You’ll find this one (well, technically five) in Wawona at the end of an 8.2-mile round-trip hike that covers more elevation than the height of Yosemite Falls.
• Wapama Fall: This Hetch Hetchy Valley fall is far removed from Yosemite Valley’s more famous cascades, but that’s exactly why you should go. Start your peaceful five-mile round-trip hike at O’Shaughnessy Dam, and keep an eye out for wildflowers on the way (more on those below).
• Diana Fall: Outside of Yosemite National Park, near Mariposa County’s Coulterville, Diana Fall is adorably diminutive compared to the others on this list but has something special: a swimming hole. Taking a dip is a pleasure even if you don’t work up a sweat on the 1.4-mile hike to get there.

If you plan to hike to a waterfall — on marked trails, of course — gear up with a raincoat, poncho, waterproof bag, grippy shoes or boots, and a tethered hat to keep waterfall winds from stealing it. While taking in the views, look out for ice cones at the base of the falls, rainbows when the sun is out, and moonbows as light refracts off the surface of the falling water.

2. Wildflower hiking

Photo: imageBROKER.com/Shutterstock

“Yosemite is a wildflower enthusiast’s paradise,” reports the National Park Service. That’s because the park’s 11,000-foot range in elevation “provides a phenomenal variety of growing conditions.”

Try to spot lower-elevation bloomers like poppies and lupines as you circle the Valley Floor Loop, which also showcases landmarks like El Capitan, Cathedral Rock, and Bridalveil and Yosemite Falls. The 3.5-mile Wawona Meadow Loop is about a third of the distance but no less dense with spring plant life. McGurk Meadow, on the other hand, sees some higher-elevation flora like the shockingly red snow plant. The wildflowers there have been known to stick around through spring and well into summer.

Outside of the park, Hite Cove is a Mariposa County must for wildflowers. On the 7.2-mile Hite Cove Trail, you could see upwards of 60 different species along the South Fork of the Merced River. Wherever you go, remember: Wildflowers are to be admired, not picked, and you should never prioritize photo ops over proper outdoors etiquette.

3. Museum hopping

Historic cabin at Yosemite History Center. Photo: Gilberto Mesquita/Shutterstock

If it weren’t for Yosemite, the US might not have a National Park Service. First visited by non-Indigenous people in 1850, Yosemite was later championed by John Muir, who’s known as the “father of national parks.” For a nice overview of this sacred place and its original inhabitants, visit the Yosemite Museum and nearby Ahwahneechee replica village.

Two more stops round out your park knowledge: Inside the park, the Happy Isles Art and Nature Center packages lessons on Yosemite’s ecology in interactive ways that kids love. In nearby Mariposa, the Yosemite Climbing Association Museum chronicles the daring feats of big-wall scalers like Alex Honnold of Free Solo fame. Just seeing the gear that pioneering climbers used to summit rock faces like El Capitan decades ago is a thrill.

Of course, there’s a lot more history to Mariposa County beyond the national park. Get a feel for the area’s Gold Rush legacy with a visit to Hornitos, a community once buzzing with forty-niners that’s now practically a ghost town. To learn more about the mining industry that helped shape the region, head to Coulterville and the Northern Mariposa County History Center, or circle back to Mariposa for the California State Mining & Mineral Museum.

A couple miles down the road, the Mariposa Museum & History Center packs a lot into a small space. Archival photographs and documents, memorabilia, and full-scale recreations really paint a picture of what life was like in the Sierra Nevada from the mid-19th to the early 20th century.

4. Valley picnicking

Photo: Maridav/Shutterstock

Spring is the perfect time to picnic in Mariposa County — especially along the Merced River. You’ll find a cluster of riverside spots in the Sierra National Forest, where you can dine among the oaks and pines at the Indian Flat, McClendon Beach, and Cranberry Flat Picnic Sites. Redbud is another day-use option in the national forest located a couple miles east along Highway 140. All are first-come, first-served and charge a small vehicle fee.

Yosemite Valley has several picnic areas near landmarks like Swinging Bridge and Sentinel Beach that are so pretty people have their weddings there. Most of those sites also have grills.

Now that you’ve got the scenery sorted, there’s the question of what you’ll eat. Swing by the Village Store in Yosemite Valley if you’re picnicking in the park, or go gourmet with a haul from High Country Health Foods & Cafe in Mariposa. In addition to locally grown produce, organic goods, and a full grocery’s worth of ingredients, you can keep things easy with deli sandwiches like the El Portal falafel wrap, Ponderosa Basin chicken salad sandwich, or Mariposan veggie burger. Also in Mariposa, The Californian Commissary carefully curates its selection of made-in-state products, from fine chocolates to charcuterie essentials, and even sells pre-prepared picnic baskets.

5. Epic lodging

Photo: Tenaya at Yosemite/Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau

Just as there’s no shortage of stunning views in Yosemite, there’s no shortage of lodging to fit every visitor’s budget and travel style. From iconic stays like The Ahwahnee and Tenaya at Yosemite to bed and breakfasts, motels, cabins, and campgrounds, there’s a lot to like about Yosemite and Mariposa County lodging in spring.

Because in-park lodging can be limited, even outside of peak season, basing yourself in the town of Mariposa is a good choice for its variety of accommodations, access to restaurants and nightlife, and greater affordability overall. Nearby, in Midpines, AutoCamp Yosemite is a pricier option, but splurging on a refurbished Airstream uniquely allows you to have your cake (read: connect with nature) and eat it too (read: keep your creature comforts).

Wherever you stay, you’re sure to appreciate the endless granite, timeless valleys, outstanding cliffs, cascading waterfalls, and giant sequoias that over four million visitors come to Yosemite for every year. It’s a special place that many argue is at its peak in spring — plan a visit this shoulder season, and you might become one of them.