The Best 2-Day Yosemite Itinerary

Post author:Michelle Steinhardt

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Yosemite National Park is a fantastic place to unwind and enjoy nature’s beauty. In this 2-day Yosemite itinerary, you can take in views of rushing waterfalls, massive granite rocks, wide-open meadows, giant sequoias, and a vast wilderness where over 400 species of wild animals roam freely. You will see Yosemite’s highlights while still having time to stop and smell the sequoias.

Day 1 of Your 2-Day Yosemite Itinerary

Mariposa Grove

If you are coming from the south entrance, your first stop should be Mariposa Grove. It’s only a few minutes from Yosemite’s south gate. You can either take the shuttle (if it’s running straight to Mariposa Grove) or park at the Mariposa Grove Welcome Center and walk the four-mile round trip trail to reach Mariposa Grove. The hike was scenic and easy.

Once you reach Mariposa Grove, you have several options. You can either take a short walk (0.3 miles) on a raised platform around the grove to see the Fallen Monarch or opt for a two-mile Grizzly Giant Loop trail to see the Fallen Monarch, Bachelor & Three Graces, Grizzly Giant (estimated to be over 2,700 years old), and the California Tunnel Tree. I highly recommend walking the Grizzly Giant Loop trail.

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There are a couple of other longer hikes accessible through Mariposa Grove too. However, after I walked the Grizzly Giant Loop trail, I was ready for my next destination. In total, I would rate the six-mile round trip hike, including the Grizzly Giant Loop trail, a 3 on a difficulty scale of 1 to 10.

Glacier Point

Glacier Point is the next stop on this 2-day Yosemite itinerary and a must-see Yosemite highlight. At Glacier Point, you’ll see famous landmarks like Half Dome, Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall, and Yosemite Valley. Once you make the turn onto Glacier Point Road, it’s a 16-mile drive with stunning views. We stopped at Washburn Point as soon as we saw Half Dome to check out the vista.

The view is terrific, but we should have listened to our GyPSy Guide to Yosemite app (a GPS enabled audio guide that I highly recommend), which forewarned us that the view from Glacier Point would be even better, and it was! Having the GyPSy Guide was like having our own personal tour guide through Yosemite. Wherever we drove, we turned on our audio guide and heard amazing stories, learned more about the park, and were given tips like the one mentioned above!

Once you park your car, it’s a short easy walk to access the breathtaking view at Glacier Point.

There are several other ways to access Glacier Point:

You can also hike from Sentinel Dome to Glacier Point. It’s about 2.8 miles roundtrip from the middle of the Sentinel Dome hike. Taking this route is an excellent option to avoid parking at Glacier Point.
Four Mile Trail: The 4.7 mile trail each way is a very steep and strenuous climb from the Valley floor, but very scenic.
Panorama Trail: The trail is 8.5 miles each way from Glacier Point to the Valley floor past Nevada Fall and down Mist Trail.
Pohono Trail: The trail is 13 miles each way.

Sentinel Dome / Taft Point

On the drive to/from Glacier Point on Glacier Point Road, you will notice cars parked on the side of the road and a parking lot near Glacier Point. You are probably looking at the trailhead for Sentinel Dome and Taft Point.

Sentinel Dome is a 2.2-mile round trip hike (about 1-2 hours depending on how long you stay to take in the view). On a difficulty scale of 1 to 10, this hike is a 3 because of the push to the top and the altitude. The reward of 360ᵒ views of Yosemite, including Half Dome, El Capitan, and Yosemite and Nevada Falls is worth the effort.

A visit to Sentinel Dome is a must-do activity on this 2-day Yosemite itinerary.

Taft Point

Taft Point is accessible through the same parking lot as Sentinel Dome on Glacier Point Road. The trail takes you 1.1 miles in the opposite direction out to a point. Taft Point will test whether you are afraid of heights as there are limited guardrails at the top of the point. The view is excellent, especially at sunset.

It will take you more time to hike the Sentinel Dome and Taft Point Loop (5.1 miles) than walking each one separately. But, the views on the Sentinel Dome and Taft Point Loop are highly rated. I hiked each one separately on different trips to Yosemite. But both are worth seeing.

I suggest hiking Taft Point about an hour and a half before sunset to give yourself time to get to Taft Point, take a few pictures, and enjoy the sunset.

Tunnel View

Now, it’s time to see Yosemite Valley! As you get closer to Yosemite Valley, you will pass through Wawona Tunnel. Get your cameras ready for an unbelievable view and another must stop on this 2-day Yosemite itinerary. Immediately after the tunnel on Highway 41, turn into the parking lot on your right. Park and walk across the street to marvel at the sight of El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall. Given there is no hiking required, there is no excuse to miss this stunning vista.

Sunrise and sunset are popular times for photographers to capture the majestic beauty from the Tunnel View.

Bridalveil Fall

Your day is not over yet! Continue to Yosemite Valley, where you will see cars parked on both sides of the street by an open meadow. Find a spot to park and walk the easy 1.2-mile round trip path to Bridalveil Fall. During peak runoff, you’ll want to wear water-resistant clothes as the fall is extremely powerful, and there is a good chance you will get wet. Yosemite Hikes describes the viewing experience as “taking a shower in a tornado, sans the flying cows.”

The path to Bridalveil Fall was closed during my visit for restoration, and sadly we did not get to experience mother nature’s power firsthand.

Yosemite Itinerary Day 1 Wrap-Up

All of these hikes together will take you about 8 hours, including a stop for lunch. On this route, there isn’t a great place to buy food, so I highly recommend you bring a packed lunch that you can enjoy at one of the beautiful stops along the way.

If you want to see more of the Park on day one, consider a stroll through Cooks Meadow. But, if you were like us, you will be ready to go to your hotel (The Ahwahnee Hotel) for a hot meal and a drink while you take in the views from Yosemite’s Valley floor. Or, if it’s sunset, head to the back of the property and walk along the road where you will see the sun glowing almost as if Yosemite is on fire.

Day 2 of Your 2-Day Yosemite Itinerary

Rise and shine for day two in Yosemite National Park. Day two of this Yosemite itinerary is all about hiking to the top of Nevada Fall via Mist Trail and Vernal Fall with the descent down the John Muir Trail. You’ll want to get up bright and early to beat the crowds and enjoy the morning sun.

If you are not a hiker, consider driving the Tioga Pass for the day and seeing Yosemite from a higher elevation and a different perspective. My post about the Tioga Pass will give you additional suggestions of things to do in Yosemite.

Mist Trail

Mist Trail is 1.5-miles to Vernal Fall with 1,000 feet of elevation gain. The elevation gain is significant. I was huffing and puffing a bit before I found my stride.

As you hike Mist Trial, make sure you stop on the footbridge about 0.8 miles into your hike to take a picture with a view of Vernal Fall in the background.

Continue your trek until you come to a fork in the road. At this point, you can turn around, hike up to the John Muir trail to Nevada Fall (long steady and steep switchbacks), or continue straight ahead toward Vernal Fall. We choose to hike up the Vernal Fall path.

Getting to Mist Trail

We were able to find a parking spot at the Upper Pines Trailhead. Although most people take the shuttle (when it’s running) to the Happy Isles shuttle stop (#16) or Park at Half Dome Village (formerly Curry Village) and walk to the trailhead. The Mist Trail to Nevada Fall is one of the most popular hikes in Yosemite.

Vernal Fall

I finally found my hiking rhythm, and then I looked up to see 600 steep granite stairs I would need to ascend to reach the top of Vernal Fall.

We stopped along the way to take a few pictures and have a snack. After all, there was no rush, and it gave me a chance to catch my breath.

Reaching the top of Vernal Fall was an experience. The jaw-dropping views straight down the length of the 317-foot waterfall are spectacular.

Emerald Pond and Silver Apron

After taking a few pictures, we continued our trek along the river to see the Emerald Pond and Silver Apron. The color of the water in Emerald Pond is a unique deep green color that comes from algae living at the bottom of the pond. Water flows down the Silver Apron into the Emerald Pond. It’s easy to miss these if you follow the trail away from the water. They are both worth stopping at to snap a picture and have a sip of water.

Warning: The water may look inviting but resist your sense of adventure. The Park prohibits people from entering the water and for a good reason. Several years ago, two swimmers almost died after growing fatigued as they tried to swim against an initially unseen current in frigid water temperatures.

Clark Point

The trek from the top of Vernal Fall to the Clark Point is 500 additional feet of elevation gain.

Nevada Fall

Nevada Fall is a major highlight of your 2-day Yosemite itinerary. As we climbed steep switchbacks, the views around each corner became increasingly better. The closer we got to the top of Nevada Fall, the louder the sounds of rushing water became. Once we reached the top of the hike, we veered right across the bridge to check out the 594-foot drop from the top of Nevada Fall.

We sought out a place for lunch where we could see and hear the waterfall and take in the view of Liberty Cap. During our quest to find the perfect lunch spot, we crossed back over the bridge and headed diagonally left over the rocks. While exploring, we found a few steps down with a handrail and a short path that lets you look straight down over Nevada Fall into the pool below.

We picked an optimal viewing spot to eat our picnic lunch!

Half Dome Hike

If you have a permit to hike Half Dome, this is where you continue up the mountain. If you don’t have a permit, then you can hike until you reach the base of the subdome, or turn around and take the John Muir Trail down.

The hike up Half Dome is intense but worth the effort. But it is important to be prepared and have the proper gear. If you are hiking Half Dome, check out my ultimate guide to hiking Half Dome and get my Half Dome packing list and gear guide.

John Muir Trail

With a belly full of food, it was time to make our descent. To make our hike a loop, we opted to take the John Muir trail down. Even though the John Muir trail was longer (approximately 4 miles one-way compared to the Mist Trail’s 2.5 miles), the views of Nevada Fall and Liberty Cap were superb, the trek down the partial asphalt trail was much, much gentler and the trail offers some shade. My knees were thankful I didn’t have to climb down 600 stairs that were a little wet from the spray of Vernal Fall.

Nevada Fall / John Muir Ratings / Length

I would rate this hike as a 10 for beauty, and a 7 out of 10 for difficulty. In total, the hike up to Nevada Fall with the loop down the John Muir trail took about 5 hours with multiple stops to enjoy the views and a picnic lunch.

Yosemite Falls and Columbia Rock

Lower Yosemite Falls

The next stop on this 2-day Yosemite itinerary is Yosemite Falls. There are multiple ways to see Yosemite Falls while you are in the Park. The best and easiest way to get up close and personal with Yosemite Falls is to walk the Lower Yosemite Falls path. If there are crowds in Yosemite Valley, consider biking or taking a shuttle to Lower Yosemite Falls because parking is extremely limited. The round trip stroll to lower Yosemite Falls is about thirty minutes.

Columbia Rock and Upper Yosemite Falls

If you are interested in exploring Yosemite Falls further, you can climb up to Columbia Rock, which is a mile up the trail and provides views of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, and Sentinel Rock. If the falls are running and you can manage the trek, climb another half mile to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls.

Additional Hikes in Yosemite

For more information about hiking in Yosemite National Park, check out Yosemite Hikes where you can find information about the length and difficulty of the hiking trails in Yosemite. Yosemite Hikes also provides information about scenery, location information, anticipated crowd size, the best time of year to visit, and bathroom availability.

Biking in Yosemite

If you still have more energy, you can rent a bike at Half Dome Village or The Ahwahnee (if you’re a guest) to check out any highlights you missed. A bike is a great way to get around when the Valley is crowded. Many people bring their own bikes, since bike rentals are first come first serve.

Rafting in Yosemite

Another popular activity in Yosemite is floating down the Merced River. Generally, you can rent a raft, paddle, and personal floatation device in Half Dome Village or bring your own gear. However, by early August, the Merced River was too low and we didn’t get a chance to enjoy this favorite pastime.

If you plan to float the Merced River, a popular spot to hop in is at Stoneman’s Bridge (a short walk from Half Dome Village), where you can float down to Sentinel Beach picnic areas or continue to the South Fork below the Swinging Bridge in Wawona. If the shuttles are not running, make sure you plan to park a car at your end destination. Otherwise, it would be quite a trek to get back to Half Dome Village with all your floatation gear.

Have a drink at The Ahwahnee

After a long day of hiking and site seeing, it’s time to relax. Head to the back lawn of The Ahwahnee Hotel for a cold drink. Sit and take in the view of Glacier Point and think about all of the fantastic sites you were able to see over the last couple of days by following my 2-day Yosemite itinerary.

Gear and Accessories

When hiking in Yosemite, you should expect and be prepared for the unexpected.

Clothing

The right clothing and gear can make your trip to Yosemite so much better. Here are a few things to help keep you comfortable while hiking the trails.