Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( yoh-SEM-ih-tee) is a national park of the United States in California.
.jpg){kind=link}
A national park, 1 mi northwest of Yosemite Valley
One of the most looked-up attractions in the U.S.
About 373K people a year read its Wikipedia article, more than for 99% of the 7,799 attractions we track.
August is the busiest month
August averages about 563,266 visitors, 4.4 times January. When to go ↓
You can sleep inside the park
34 places to stay are inside the park: Curry Village and Yosemite Valley Lodge. The nearest town with more is Yosemite Valley. Where to stay ↓
3 towns sit inside the park
Yosemite Valley, Yosemite West and Wawona sit inside the park’s boundary. Where to stay ↓
A day trip from Fresno
Fresno is about 68 miles south (straight-line). Where to stay ↓
Written from National Park Service visitor counts, NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia. Updated when the Park Service posts a new month.
Crowds and weather, month by month
Bars: average monthly visitors, 2022–2025. Line: the typical afternoon high. Green months are mild and quieter than average.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( yoh-SEM-ih-tee) is a national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by the Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers 1,187 mi2 (3,070 km2) in four counties – centered in Tuolumne and Mariposa, extending north and east to Mono and south to Madera. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, groves of giant sequoia, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity. Almost 95 percent of the park is designated wilderness. Yosemite is one of the largest and least fragmented habitat blocks in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
- Type
- National Park
- Established
- 1890
- Area
- 1,189 square miles
- Elevation
- 8,812 ft
- Run by
- National Park Service
- Listed
- World Heritage Site (1984)
- Wikipedia readers
- 373K a year
- Official site
- nps.gov/yose
Before you go
- Private Vehicle$35
- Motorcycle$30
- Per Person$20
- Non-commercial Groups$300
Where to stay near Yosemite National Park
You can sleep inside the park (34 places). The closest towns with hotels, motels or campgrounds are Yosemite Valley (17) and Yosemite West (10).
- 1Half Dome
- 2Mono Lake
- 3Yosemite Falls
- 4Hetch Hetchy
- 5Glacier Point
- 6Mammoth Mountain
- 7Taft Point
- 8Devils Postpile
Stay in the park
- Curry Village lodge or cabins
- Yosemite Valley Lodge lodge or cabins
- Tuolumne Meadows Lodge lodge or cabins
- Jolie Cabin lodge or cabins
- Friends Lodge lodge or cabins
- Awhanee Hotel hotel
Yosemite Valley
The closest town with somewhere to stay.
1,991 people
1 mi southeast of Yosemite Valley Welcome Center
Yosemite West
31 people · 66% vacation homes
10 mi southwest of Yosemite Valley Welcome Center
Mammoth Lakes
6,867 people · 57% vacation homes
34 mi east of Yosemite Valley Welcome Center · 16 mi to the park
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From the visitor center | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yosemite Valley | inside the park | — | 17 8 hotels · 2 lodges & cabins · 7 campgrounds | 1,991 | — | — |
| Yosemite West 66% vacation homes | inside the park | 15 min | 10 2 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 7 lodges & cabins | 31 | — | — |
| Mammoth Lakes 57% vacation homes | 34 mi east | 50 min | 84 48 hotels · 2 motels · 5 inns & B&Bs · 16 lodges & cabins · 2 hostels · 10 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 6,867 | $867K | C |
| Oakhurst | 28 mi south | 40 min | 44 22 hotels · 8 inns & B&Bs · 10 lodges & cabins · 3 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 6,091 | $393K | — |
| Fish Camp 100% vacation homes | 19 mi south | 30 min | 13 5 hotels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 2 lodges & cabins · 3 campgrounds | — | — | — |
| Wawona 36% vacation homes | inside the park | 20 min | 7 1 hotel · 2 lodges & cabins · 4 campgrounds | 125 | $750K | — |
| June Lake 70% vacation homes | 26 mi east | 40 min | 25 5 hotels · 1 motel · 9 lodges & cabins · 8 campgrounds · 2 RV parks | 209 | — | — |
| El Portal | 12 mi southwest | 20 min | 2 1 inn or B&B · 1 lodge or cabins | 505 | $248K | — |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service, from the visitor center
Also near Yosemite
Other well-known places within 35 miles. Numbered ones are on the map above.
Big draw1in town MountainHalf Dome
234 mi LakeMono Lake
33 mi WaterfallYosemite Falls
420 mi LakeHetch Hetchy
52 mi AttractionGlacier Point
630 mi Ski areaMammoth Mountain153 runs · 2,962 ft vertical
74 mi AttractionTaft Point
826 mi National MonumentDevils Postpile National Monument100K visitors a yearPhoto credits
Half Dome: Jon Sullivan, Public domain · Mono Lake: File:Mono lake sat.jpg: created by NASA Rotation and crop: Hike395, Public domain · Yosemite Falls: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hetch Hetchy: Vulpinus2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Glacier Point: Tuxyso, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mammoth Mountain: Hike395 (talk · contribs), CC BY 3.0 · Taft Point: Dave from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Devils Postpile National Monument: Frank Kovalchek from Anchorage, Alaska, USA, CC BY 2.0
4,278,413 visitors in 2025
Every full year the Park Service has counted. 2020 (gold) was the pandemic year. Green is the record (2016).
Visiting Yosemite
What town is Yosemite National Park near?
Yosemite Valley, CA, about 1 miles southeast.
When is the best time to visit Yosemite National Park?
June, July, August and September, with highs of 75–83°. August is the busiest month (about 563,266 visitors).
How many people visit Yosemite National Park each year?
4,278,413 in 2025, according to the National Park Service. The record is 5,028,868, set in 2016.
How far is Yosemite National Park from Fresno and Stockton?
About 68 miles south of Fresno and about 95 miles west of Stockton, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Yosemite National Park?
Mammoth Yosemite (MMH), about 41 miles away. The nearest big hub is Fresno Yosemite (FAT), about 67 miles.
Where should I stay near Yosemite National Park?
Inside the park: Curry Village, Yosemite Valley Lodge and Tuolumne Meadows Lodge. Nearby: Yosemite Valley (1 mi, 17 places to stay), Yosemite West (10 mi, 10 places to stay) and Mammoth Lakes (34 mi, 84 places to stay).
Tips from people in Yosemite Valley
No tips yet. Ask, or answer, in Yosemite Valley’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · National Park Service visitor use statistics · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.