Yosemite National Park: valley, granite and the crowds question

Where

Sierra Nevada, California

Best months

May for waterfalls, September to October for calm

Time needed

Three days for the valley and one high country day

Nearest airports

Fresno, Sacramento, San Francisco

Almost everything you picture when you picture Yosemite happens in a valley seven miles long and one mile wide, which receives a very large share of the park's four million annual visitors. The park is roughly the size of Rhode Island. Understanding that mismatch is the whole trick to enjoying the place.

Waterfalls have a season, and it is short

Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil and the rest are snowmelt-fed. They peak in May, run well through June, and by August many are a stain on the rock or gone entirely. If waterfalls are why you are coming, come in May and accept the crowds. If granite, hiking and quiet are why you are coming, come in late September.

Tioga Road and the high country

Tuolumne Meadows and the high country along Tioga Road are the park most visitors never see, and they are glorious: open meadow, granite domes, alpine lakes, a fraction of the people. The catch is that Tioga Road is closed by snow from roughly November until late May or June, and the opening date moves by weeks year to year. Check before you build a trip around it.

Location: Yosemite National Park

Hikes worth the legs

• Mist Trail to Vernal Fall: steep granite steps, genuine soaking in spring, and the best short payoff in the valley. Continue to Nevada Fall if the legs agree.
• Upper Yosemite Falls: a hard 3,200 foot climb for a view straight down the tallest waterfall in North America.
• Half Dome: 14 to 16 miles, cables on the final pitch, and a permit lottery you must enter months ahead. Not a casual day out.
• Sentinel Dome and Taft Point: modest effort, enormous view, and far fewer people than the valley floor.
• Valley Loop: flat, shaded and the best way to actually look at El Capitan rather than at the car in front of you.

Beating the valley crowds

1. 1 Sleep inside the park or in El Portal, so you are on the valley floor before eight rather than queueing at the gate at ten.
2. 2 Park once, at Curry Village or the Yosemite Village day lot, then use the free valley shuttle all day.
3. 3 Do the famous viewpoints early or late. Tunnel View at sunrise is a different experience from Tunnel View at noon.
4. 4 Check whether a peak-season entry reservation is required for your dates, because the rule has come and gone repeatedly. The official planning page is the only reliable source.