Yosemite Driving Tour

Mariposa Grove & Yosemite’s Giant Sequoias

Enter Yosemite near a landscape inhabited by some of the largest living organisms on Earth. Giant sequoias can survive for thousands of years, and the tour reveals the surprising role that low-intensity fire plays in helping these enormous trees reproduce and thrive.

Wawona & the Pioneer Yosemite History Center

Step back into Yosemite’s stagecoach era at historic Wawona. Explore structures such as the old Wells Fargo office, blacksmith shop, cabins, jailhouse, and Wawona Covered Bridge while imagining the days when reaching Yosemite required wagons, horses, dusty roads, and considerably more effort than it does today.

Why Is It Called Yosemite?

The familiar name has a complicated history. Hear how “Yosemite” became associated with the valley during conflict surrounding the California Gold Rush and learn about the Ahwahneechee people, who lived in and around this landscape long before American settlers arrived.

John Muir’s Journey to Yosemite

Before becoming one of America’s most influential wilderness advocates, John Muir suffered an accident that temporarily threatened his eyesight. His recovery changed the direction of his life, eventually leading him west to Yosemite and toward a lifelong campaign to protect wild landscapes.

Theodore Roosevelt’s 1903 Yosemite Visit

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt traveled to Yosemite and spent three days camping with John Muir. Their wilderness trip—including a snowy night near Sentinel Dome—became part of a larger conservation story that helped strengthen federal protection of Yosemite.

The Yosemite Grant & Birth of a Conservation Legacy

Discover how photographer Carleton Watkins and landscape advocate Frederick Law Olmsted helped bring Yosemite to national attention. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant, protecting Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove for public use and preservation.

Wawona Tunnel & the Approach to Yosemite Valley

Continue along Wawona Road toward the tunnel blasted through solid granite and opened in 1933. The engineering changed the automobile approach to Yosemite Valley and prepared motorists for one of the route’s most dramatic transitions into the landscape ahead.

Bridalveil Fall & the Hanging Valley

Look beyond the waterfall and examine the geology behind it. Bridalveil Fall descends from a “hanging valley,” created when Yosemite’s enormous main glacier carved much deeper into the granite than the smaller tributary glacier feeding the side canyon.

Cathedral Beach & El Capitan

Pause beside the Merced River at Cathedral Beach Picnic Area for an impressive view of El Capitan’s immense granite face. It is an inviting optional stop for photographs, a quiet riverside break, or simply appreciating Yosemite Valley from below.

Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center

Visit the historic stone building constructed in 1903 by the Sierra Club, formerly known as the LeConte Memorial Lodge. Built from native granite and tied closely to Yosemite’s conservation history, it became the park’s first public visitor center and library.

Yosemite Falls

See all three tiers of Yosemite Falls from the meadow vantage point before considering the optional Lower Yosemite Falls Trail. The gentle one-mile loop approaches the base of the lower drop, where visitors can experience the sound and spray of the waterfall at close range.

Yosemite Valley View

Finish your Yosemite driving tour beside the Merced River with El Capitan rising on one side and Bridalveil Fall sweeping down the other. Yosemite Valley View brings together river, granite, forest, and waterfall in one unforgettable final panorama.