Our family of 8 recently returned from a trip to California and Yosemite National Park. We were having a brief mini family reunion with our family, my dad and stepmom, and my sister and her family. We were in the Yosemite area for only about 3 days, but we did a fair amount of research of different things to do in Yosemite, and I thought I’d share some of that research with you. This of course will not be an exhaustive list of all the things you can do in Yosemite for teens and families, but it may give you an idea as you plan your own trip. Some of these are things that our family personally did, while others are ones that we considered but ended up not doing.
Where To Stay In Yosemite
Deciding where to stay will depend a lot on the different things that you want to do in Yosemite National Park. Yosemite is HUGE, and there are several different entrances into the park. We were staying at an Airbnb in Midpines, which is one of the last (small) towns on the west side of the park. We were just off of CA-140, which is the main road that goes into Yosemite from the west. Keep in mind that during peak hours, you need to have reserved a vehicle permit in order to get into the park, as well as pay the National Park fee (it was $35 / car for us, good for a week)
11 Things To Do in Yosemite For Families
Here are our top recommendations for things to do in Yosemite
- Start your day at the Yosemite Valley Welcome Center – one of the best recommendations I heard from one of the park rangers was to park at the Yosemite Valley Welcome Center, park your car and don’t move it. It gets CROWDED during the day, and if you move your car, you may not be able to find a parking place. Instead, use the free valley shuttle system to get around.
- Explore Yosemite Village – this is a nice place to orient yourself and read up on the history of the native people of the area and the rest of the history of the Yosemite Valley
- Stage an Ansel Adams photography contest – Ansel Adams is one of the iconic photographers of Yosemite, and one day we had a photo contest. I tried to “cheat” by downloading an ACTUAL Ansel Adams photograph to my phone and passing it off as my own, but I still was only judged as 2nd place :-).
- Go creeking – the Merced River and other small streams go through the park. There are plenty of places to turn off the main road and spend some time playing in the river.
- Take a hike – We didn’t have many hiking enthusiasts, but there are a wide variety of hikes in the park for people of all skill levels. Bridal Veil Falls (see below), Lower Mariposa Grove, Mirror Lake and Glacier Point are all fairly easy hikes
- Bridal Veil Falls –Â this was our first stop in the park and is a short hike with a wheelchair-accessible trail.
- Check out Half Dome – unless you’re a serious rock climber, you’re probably not climbing Half Dome as a family. But it’s still an iconic part of Yosemite, and you may even be able to see climbers on the rocks.
- Visit Curry Village – there are tents and other accommodations at Curry Village – we stopped by because they also have a microwave inside one of the stores, so that’s where we had our picnic lunch one day
- Yosemite Falls – another short hike with a waterfall, this was one that most of my kids said they enjoyed the most. Several of my kids went with me up on the rocks to get up close to the spray of the falls, while some of the rest of the family stayed back and just enjoyed the view
- On the way to Glacier Point (Below), stop by Tunnel View – just outside the Wawona Tunnel on State Highway 41. No hiking required, it’s a quick pull off to the side of the road and has some breathtaking views.
- Glacier Point Overlook – on our last day at the park, we drove up to Glacier Point overlook, where you can look out over the whole Yosemite Valley
One thing to keep in mind is that, as mentioned before, Yosemite is HUGE and no matter where you are, it takes awhile to get to anywhere else. You can stay inside the park itself, though we were staying just outside the park. It still took nearly an hour to get to Yosemite Valley, and many of the other destinations mentioned are quite a bit further away. So plan accordingly and leave yourself plenty of time.
The Bottom Line
Our family had a short but sweet time in Yosemite National Park, and we only really scratched the surface of the things that you can do in the park. This list is by no means exhaustive, and the things that you want to do may depend on your family’s interests as well as where you are staying. I hope you enjoyed our suggestion of the best things to do in Yosemite – I know we had a blast during our time in the park, and I hope that you do too.
What are your favorite things to do in Yosemite National Park? Leave your suggestions in the comments
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
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