Best Time to Visit Yosemite National Park

Pick a month. Best months are in bold.

The best months to visit Yosemite National Park are March, April and May — computed from official NPS visitation (2021–2025 average), NOAA weather normals and daylight. August is the crowd peak (537,020 monthly visits); January is quietest at 21% of peak.

Planning Yosemite? Pack a guidebook: Moon Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon on Amazon. · affiliate link, VisitWhen earns from qualifying purchases

Best months for fewer crowds

The quietest months at Yosemite, leaving out harsh weather and months when main access is typically closed.

Monthly crowd curve

Average monthly recreation visits, 2021–2025 (NPS Visitor Use Statistics). Amber bar = current month.

Yosemite month by month

Crowds: NPS Visitor Use Statistics, mean of 2021–2025 (2020 excluded as a COVID-19 anomaly). Weather: NOAA 1991–2020 monthly normals, station YOSEMITE PARK HQ, CA US (3 mi from park coordinates). Daylight: computed for the 15th of each month at the park's location. Methodology.

How many people visit Yosemite each year

Yosemite National Park had 4,278,413 recreation visits in 2025, 4% more than 2024 (NPS Visitor Use Statistics). The busiest year since 2015 was 2016, with 5,028,868. Over 2021–2025 it averaged 3,850,488 visits a year, which makes it the 7th most-visited of the 63 national parks.

Calendar-year recreation visits as published by NPS Visitor Use Statistics. 2020 is shown here but left out of the monthly averages above, because the COVID-19 pandemic makes it unrepresentative. See how every park compares: all 63 parks ranked by visits.

What to pack for Yosemite in March

Computed from March's weather normals — Yosemite's best month above. Visiting another month? Each month page has its own weather-computed list.

• Warm mid-layer (fleece or light puffy) — mornings average 34°F
• Rain shell + pack cover — 5.5″ of precipitation is normal this month
• Waterproof boots — plus navigation and a basic first-aid kit — 5.5″ of precipitation is normal this month

As an Amazon Associate, VisitWhen earns from qualifying purchases. Gear names above link to Amazon searches or to a specific product — we don't show or set prices; you always see Amazon's current price.

Common questions

Yosemite month by month: notes from the park service

• January: January visits to Yosemite stay in the lower park: Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road are closed for snow from November until late May or early June, the park service says. Yosemite Valley is still reachable year-round on Wawona Road (Highway 41), El Portal Road (Highway 140) and Big Oak Flat Road, but chains may be required at any point between late fall and early spring, so keep a set in the car and check road conditions before you go.
• February: February is ski season on the Glacier Point Road: from about mid-December through March the first five miles stay open to the Badger Pass Ski Area, though the road beyond to Glacier Point is shut. Yosemite Valley averages about 51°F in the afternoon and 6.5 inches of precipitation, while Tuolumne Meadows, at 8,600 feet, sits around 12°F at night.
• March: In March, Yosemite's high country is still closed to cars: the park service says Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road are usually shut for snow from November until late May or early June, with plowing updates starting April 15. You can still reach Yosemite Valley on the roads that stay open all year, including Wawona Road (Highway 41), El Portal Road (Highway 140) and Big Oak Flat Road, but tire chains may be required through early spring, so carry them.
• April: April 15 is when the park begins plowing updates for Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road, which usually reopen in late May or early June. Mariposa Grove Road and its shuttle reopen no earlier than April 15, typically sometime in April; until then the two-mile Washburn Trail, with 500 feet of climbing, is the way in.
• May: May is the month Yosemite starts reopening its high country, though not reliably: the park service says Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road, closed by snow since November, usually reopen in late May or early June, and it posts plowing updates from April 15. Until they open, plan around the valley, reached all year by Wawona, El Portal and Big Oak Flat roads.
• June: Driving into Yosemite in June 2026 needed no timed reservation: the park service announced it would not use one that year. It said it would handle busy days with traffic monitoring, parking management and more staff, and it encouraged visitors to come on weekdays when they can and to plan early for weekends and holidays.
• July: Yosemite dropped its timed reservation system for 2026, so a July visit needed no entry booking. Instead the park said it would manage peak days with traffic monitoring, parking management and extra staff, and it asked visitors to come on weekdays where possible and to plan early for weekends and holidays.
• August: August is one of the months when all of Yosemite's main roads are open: Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road, which close for snow sometime in November, are clear in summer. In 2026 no timed entry reservation was required, and the park service said it would handle busy days with traffic monitoring, parking management and extra staff, encouraging weekday visits and early planning for weekends.
• September: In September, Yosemite's high roads, Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road, stay open until snow closes them, which the park service says happens sometime in November. No timed reservation was needed to enter in 2026; the park instead manages busy days with traffic monitoring and parking control, and it asks visitors to favour weekdays and plan weekends early.
• October: October is usually the last full month for Yosemite's high country by car: the park service says Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road close for snow sometime in November and stay closed until late May or early June, and storms can close them temporarily before that. Tire chains may be required from late fall, so carry them on any October trip over the high roads.
• November: November usually closes Yosemite's high roads: Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road shut for snow from sometime this month, and Mariposa Grove Road and its shuttle close on or about November 30. With Tioga closed you cannot enter from the east, but the Highway 41, 140, Big Oak Flat and Hetch Hetchy entrances stay open all year.
• December: By December, Yosemite's high roads are shut for the season: the park service says Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road close for snow sometime in November and do not reopen until late May or early June. The three roads into Yosemite Valley, Wawona, El Portal and Big Oak Flat, are open all year, though chain requirements can apply through the winter.

Each month page carries the full note and the NPS page it comes from.

Dive into a month

Comparing parks for the same trip? See how Yosemite ranks against all 63 parks in March, April and May.

Last verified 2026-09-24 · all parks