Yosemite National Park
Managed by National Park Service
1,350 acres13.2 mi of trail
Valley Loop TrailMonday Morning Slab Climbers ApproachNorth Valley TrailCook's Meadow Trail+1
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Mark James Miller · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Yosemite Valley
More than half of Yosemite Valley’s land is conserved: 100%
100% of Yosemite Valley’s land is conserved, about 1,340 acres. 14 miles of mapped trail cross Yosemite Valley, 6.7 per square mile of land. 1,213 acres are parks and preserves, 609 per 1,000 residents.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
100%
1,340 acres · of 2.1 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
6.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,213 ac
609 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.5 mi
6.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
5 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Yosemite Valley?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild100% of the land is conserved; a typical California town, 4%.A trail town6.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, among the top 1% of U.S. towns.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.History along the way7 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Yosemite Valley have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Yosemite Valley is among the top 1% of U.S. towns. All four inputs put Yosemite Valley near the top nationally; conserved land ranks highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Yosemite Valley’s overall grade.
Conserved land100% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails6.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land609 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,213 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Yosemite National Park, with 13.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Yosemite Wilderness
Managed by National Park Service
138 acres0.6 mi of trail
Monday Morning Slab Climbers ApproachHarry Daley Route Approach
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto Valley Trailhead ParkingWebsite ↗
Who protects it
1,340 conserved acres
100% of Yosemite Valley’s land. Who manages Yosemite Valley’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service1,340 ac
National Park · 1,340 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yosemite National Park National Park | National Park Service | 1,340 | Open |
Things to do
21 places to go in Yosemite Valley
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Yosemite Valley
5 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Yosemite Valley
Staircase FallsIn Yosemite Wilderness
DirectionsScenic views in Yosemite Valley
Lower Yosemite Falls Vista PointIn Yosemite National Park
DirectionsYosemite Falls ViewIn Yosemite National Park
DirectionsPlus 4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Yosemite Valley
Swinging Bridge Picnic AreaIn Yosemite National Park
DirectionsPlus 2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Yosemite Valley
Curry VillageFee · In Yosemite National Park
DirectionsHousekeeping CampIn Yosemite National Park
DirectionsLower Pines CampgroundFee · In Yosemite National Park · Yosemite National Park
DirectionsNorth Pines CampgroundFee · In Yosemite National Park · Yosemite National Park
DirectionsUpper Pines CampgroundIn Yosemite National Park
DirectionsYosemite Valley Backpackers CampgroundFee · In Yosemite National Park
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 8.2 mi
Valley Loop Trail2.9 mi
Monday Morning Slab Climbers Approach0.3 mi
North Valley Trail0.2 mi
Cook's Meadow Trail0.2 mi
Lower Yosemite Fall Trail0.2 mi
Glacier Point Apron Approach0.1 mi
Stock trail0.1 mi
Staircase Falls Climbing Approach0.1 mi
Chapel Boardwalk0.1 mi
Happy Isles Fen Boardwalk0.1 mi
1 more trails
Harry Daley Route Approach
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.7 mi
off-road bike paths
0.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Yosemite Valley: May to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 49 | 53 | 58 | 65 | 75 | 83 | 83 | 77 | 66 | 55 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 6.6 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 3.6 | 6.1 |
August is the driest month (0.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 6.6 inches fall in January, the wettest month. The climate in Yosemite Valley →
Questions about parks and trails in Yosemite Valley
Where can I hike in Yosemite Valley?
The longest trail networks: Yosemite National Park, 13.2 miles; Yosemite Wilderness, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Yosemite Valley is conserved land?
100% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Yosemite Valley’s trails?
Yosemite National Park and Yosemite Wilderness don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Yosemite Valley?
7.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.7 of off-road paths and 0.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Yosemite Valley?
20,115 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Yosemite Valley or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,213 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Yosemite Valley have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Yosemite Valley neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →