Yosemite National Park
Walking & Hiking
With over 800 miles of hiking trails, what better way to enjoy the beauty of Yosemite than on foot? Whether you're interested in an easy stroll or a challenging hike, there's a trail for you. For more information, talk with a ranger at any visitor center and get one of several free, day-hike hand-outs. Excellent maps and guidebooks are available at bookstores throughout the park or online at www.YosemiteStore.com.
Note: Bicycles, pets, and strollers are only allowed on park roads and paved paths on the floor of Yosemite Valley. They are not allowed on trails off of the Valley floor or in any areas of the wilderness.
For your safety, always carry plenty of water and be prepared for sudden changes in weather. While it may look shallow and inviting, wading in pools upstream from the brink of waterfalls is extremely dangerous. Each year, unsuspecting visitors drown or are swept over to their deaths when swimming in these areas.
YOSEMITE VALLEY HIKES
For visitors in the park for only one day, the short trails to Bridalveil Fall and Lower Yosemite Fall are a must. For additional waterfall viewing, The Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls provides close views of these two cascades. Bring rain gear in spring, as this trail is true to its name; in summer, expect crowds most of the day. This trail is also one of two starting points for the strenuous hike to the summit of Half Dome. The Half Dome hike is not for the out of shape or unprepared as it is 16—19 miles long with an elevation change to 48009; neither is this hike for the faint of heart as the last portion is an exposed ascent along cables fixed to the granite. Most hikers take 10—12 hours or more to complete this trek. Check sunrise and sunset times before you begin, particularly in spring or fall. Every member of a party should carry a flashlight with good batteries and although the trail is well marked, hikers should be prepared with a good topographic map and compass, and the skills to use them. Be aware that the summit of Half Dome is a dangerous place during lightning storms. Take plenty of water and allow plenty of time to complete your hiking adventure. Remember that pools upstream from the brink of waterfalls are closed to swimming. Visit the Valley Visitor Center for full descriptions of all trails and current conditions.
BEYOND YOSEMITE VALLEY
Travel outside of the Valley for a variety of hikes with fewer crowds. Hiking to Sentinel Dome will provide you with a glorious, 360-degree panoramic view; an excursion to Taft Point will take you past rock fissures to an overhanging rock looking down thousands of feet on Yosemite Valley. Along the Tioga Road, take a hike to a high country lake. Trails departing from the Tuolumne Meadows area will offer amazing views of peaks and meadows; a journey to the top of Lembert Dome offers unparalleled views of Tuolumne Meadows. If hiking in Wawona, the Meadow Loop Trail is an easy, picturesque walk that skirts the edges of Wawona Meadow; the fairly strenuous hike to Chilnualna Falls leads to a view of one of the tallest cascades outside of Yosemite Valley.
Yosemite In Depth
News from the Parks
Denali National Park Goes Greener With New Hybrid Commercial Bus From IC Bus
July 18, 2008 - 12:55pm
DENALI, Alaska, July 17, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----Visitors to Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve, one of the largest protected intact ecosystems in the world, will now have the opportunity to explore the park with the aid of an environmentally friendly vehicle -- a fuel-efficient and emissions-reducing hybrid bus. IC Bus, North America's largest school bus and commercial bus manufacturer, is delivering the Park's first hybrid bus on July 17.
July 18, 2008 - 12:55pm
DENALI, Alaska, July 17, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----Visitors to Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve, one of the largest protected intact ecosystems in the world, will now have the opportunity to explore the park with the aid of an environmentally friendly vehicle -- a fuel-efficient and emissions-reducing hybrid bus. IC Bus, North America's largest school bus and commercial bus manufacturer, is delivering the Park's first hybrid bus on July 17.
Canyoneering Heaven At Zion National Park
July 18, 2008 - 10:17am
Lee and Brian are loaded like sherpas, each hauling an end of the 700-foot-long rope and moving in lockstep as they hike down a dry creek bed through a ponderosa pine forest atop a mesa about 6,000 feet above sea level. Behind us, at the end of a wretched logging road that almost made a couple of people in our group sick, is Lee's truck, which we'll come back for the next day. Ahead of us is . . . one big drop. The creek bed ends at a sheer cliff that plunges into what looks like an enormous hole. Walking to the edge, I peer over and can't see the bottom. This is the start of Engelstead Canyon.
July 18, 2008 - 10:17am
Lee and Brian are loaded like sherpas, each hauling an end of the 700-foot-long rope and moving in lockstep as they hike down a dry creek bed through a ponderosa pine forest atop a mesa about 6,000 feet above sea level. Behind us, at the end of a wretched logging road that almost made a couple of people in our group sick, is Lee's truck, which we'll come back for the next day. Ahead of us is . . . one big drop. The creek bed ends at a sheer cliff that plunges into what looks like an enormous hole. Walking to the edge, I peer over and can't see the bottom. This is the start of Engelstead Canyon.
Shenandoah National Park Launches Multimedia Tour Inviting Visitors to Experience the Blue Ridge Mountains Like Never Before
July 18, 2008 - 9:30am
Austin, Texas - Greta Miller, Executive Director of the Shenandoah National Park Association announced today the launch of a new interpretive tool, the GPS Ranger™, for visitors at Shenandoah National Park. Visitors to the park can experience the Blue Ridge Mountains and learn more about the park’s unique history, land, plants, and animals with the assistance of the multimedia GPS Ranger™ tour guide system. Informative and educational ranger-narrated videos automatically play as guests hike.
July 18, 2008 - 9:30am
Austin, Texas - Greta Miller, Executive Director of the Shenandoah National Park Association announced today the launch of a new interpretive tool, the GPS Ranger™, for visitors at Shenandoah National Park. Visitors to the park can experience the Blue Ridge Mountains and learn more about the park’s unique history, land, plants, and animals with the assistance of the multimedia GPS Ranger™ tour guide system. Informative and educational ranger-narrated videos automatically play as guests hike.
Hiker tackles every mile of trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
July 18, 2008 - 9:28am
Sixty-three year old Diane Scarbrough loves to spend time in the Smoky Mountains. "Anybody that can be out there for any length of time," she says. "It's uplifting." Diane's passion for hiking turned into a mission to hike every mile of trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. "We call it the 900 mile club. Actually it comes out to be 845, but I think they round that off because it takes a long time to get to a trail. We may hike 4 miles to get to the trail we are hiking on," Diane explains.
July 18, 2008 - 9:28am
Sixty-three year old Diane Scarbrough loves to spend time in the Smoky Mountains. "Anybody that can be out there for any length of time," she says. "It's uplifting." Diane's passion for hiking turned into a mission to hike every mile of trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. "We call it the 900 mile club. Actually it comes out to be 845, but I think they round that off because it takes a long time to get to a trail. We may hike 4 miles to get to the trail we are hiking on," Diane explains.
Rabid bat in Olympic National Park puts visitor, three employees in treatment
July 18, 2008 - 9:25am
The Olympic National Park's first possible case of rabies since 1977 has struck a woman who was in the Ozette campground late last week. The 55-year-old woman is getting rabies prevention treatment after a bat scratched her in the Ozette campground. Three Olympic National Park employees who responded to the incident are also receiving treatment. The bat approached the woman at her campsite. She knocked the bat to the ground and got scratched. The stunned bat remained on the ground until the next morning. Park employees removed the bat for rabies testing. The rabies virus was found in the bat. The only other known case of rabies in Olympic National Park was recorded 33 years ago in July 1975, when a child was bitten by a bat in the Elwha Valley.
July 18, 2008 - 9:25am
The Olympic National Park's first possible case of rabies since 1977 has struck a woman who was in the Ozette campground late last week. The 55-year-old woman is getting rabies prevention treatment after a bat scratched her in the Ozette campground. Three Olympic National Park employees who responded to the incident are also receiving treatment. The bat approached the woman at her campsite. She knocked the bat to the ground and got scratched. The stunned bat remained on the ground until the next morning. Park employees removed the bat for rabies testing. The rabies virus was found in the bat. The only other known case of rabies in Olympic National Park was recorded 33 years ago in July 1975, when a child was bitten by a bat in the Elwha Valley.
