Travel Guide to Yosemite During a Pandemic
Yosemite is one of the most magnificent places I have ever been. I feel incredibly lucky to live close enough to pull off a day trip! Visiting during a pandemic is slightly different than an ordinary time.
Tickets are difficult to get, many campgrounds are closed, and you’ll need to bring a mask.
This guide gives you all the info on getting tickets, staying over night, safety during this pandemic, how to get there, the food situation, and things to do!
Getting tickets
Due to the current pandemic, Yosemite tickets are difficult to get your hands on. They are only allowing 50% capacity, which limits the available tickets significantly. You MUST purchase tickets online, in advance to be able to enter the park.
There are two ways to purchase tickets:
On the 1st of each month at 7am, a portion of tickets are released for the following month (e.g., Tickets for September 1-30th are released on August 1st).
The rest of tickets are available at 7am each day for 2 days later (e.g., Tickets for July 17th are available at 7am on July 15th).
Visit the Reservations website to for all details and to buy tickets!
TIP: Create an account prior to purchasing tickets.
I made the mistake of not creating an account first and tickets sold out the first time I tried because it took extra time for account creation (you must have an account to checkout).
DO NOT forget to bring your ID. You must have an ID that matches the name on the tickets to get in.
Overnight Stay
We did not stay overnight – it was just a day trip! Campgrounds inside the park are mostly closed for the 2020 season, with the exception of Wawona Horse Campground and Upper Pines Campground. For all detailed information, visit the Campgrounds Reservation page.
Curry Village is still open, but unfortunately are booked though end of October as of July 2020. Another option is staying outside of the park. There are some hotels that are available, but are also priced pretty high.
For us, it just wasn’t worth the risk of staying somewhere that we could possibly contract the virus. We also would need a pet sitter and did not want to have someone come into our house out of caution.
Safety Info
Despite only 50% capacity and visiting on a Monday, Yosemite was CROWDED.
Bring a mask! There are stores that you may want to go in and you’ll need a mask to be safe. It was not possible to social distance in the stores.
The narrow trails were also packed you have to pass people within a couple feet of them. We wore masks our entire uphill hike in the heat without any issues! My mom even has asthma and did not have any issues breathing. It’s easy!
It was stressful because this was the first time I was out around people somewhere other than the grocery store and so many people weren’t social distancing or wearing masks.
How to Get There
We drove from the East Bay to Yosemite Valley. You can read my blog post A Day Trip to Yosemite From San Francisco for more detailed information about the routes to take!
There are a few different routes that slightly range in drive time. I recommend taking 140 for a gorgeous drive along the Merced River without a steep drive or 120 if you want to stop at Rainbow Pool, despite a steep grade.
Make time for lots of stops – there are so many beautiful spaces along the way to the valley!
Eating in the Park
We made our lunches the night before and packed a cooler full of food the morning before we left. It was great! We also loaded up a basket with snacks for the drive.
If you want to eat in the park, Curry Village has a restaurant with a walk-up window and outdoor seating, two food trucks, and a grocery store. We stopped at the grocery store and my family got some ice cream after our hike.
We also grabbed some taco plates from the Get Yo-Tacos food truck. Spoiler alert: They were AMAZING. It’s $13 for two tacos, rice, and beans – vegetarian, blackened fish, or carnitas. The staff was wearing gloves and masks which made it feel safe.
Things to Do and See
Rainbow Pool
I highly recommend making a stop at Rainbow Pool before entering the park. It is incredibly easy to miss the exit for this as it looks like a turnout. Make sure to use your phone GPS so you know when it is coming up!
This can only be reached if you take the 120 route as mentioned above. It is a beautiful pool with a large waterfall. There were actually quite a lot of people there swimming and sitting on the rocks.
The only available bathrooms were two of the most disgusting Porta Potties I’ve ever used, but better than nothing when you really gotta go!
Yosemite Valley
This is, of course, the place you’ll hit before any hikes or other excursions. You will get picturesque views of multiple waterfalls and Half Dome.
We stopped at a picnic bench next to Ahwahnee Meadow (on the Ahwahnee Drive side) to sit and have lunch when we first arrived. There were trash/recycling receptacles nearby, as well as a nice bathroom!
Swinging Bridge
Park in the public lot across Northside Drive from Camp 4 parking lot (which is for campers-only). There is a trailhead that will take you across Swinging Bridge which crosses the Merced River.
Before crossing the bridge, you can walk under it to a large beach area where many people were laying out and swimming in the river!
Across the bridge there is a little dirt trail that goes between tall grasses where you can get beautiful views of a waterfall (the first photo of this post was taken on this trail).
Half Dome View
If you want a great shot of Half Dome from the valley, drive along Northside Drive. Park on the side of the road at the Yosemite Falls trailhead and walk across the street for the best view!
There was not any parking when we drove by because it was so crowded, so I didn’t get any photos from this spot. Below is a photo taken when I visited in October 2019.
Vernal Falls Hike
We parked in the Curry Village lot and walked the paved path to the High Sierra Loop Trail. There are many options for this hike, but we just hiked to Vernal Falls Bridge and back down.
It is a pretty steep hike, which makes it feel longer than 0.8mi one-way! There are multiple waterfalls along the way and the top view is worth the uphill! Bring water :)
We wore our masks the whole time since it was not possible to social distance from people walking the opposite direction.
El Capitan and Cathedral Rocks
On your way out of the valley, make sure to pull over for views of El Capitan on the right and Cathedral Rocks on the left. We stopped on Northside Drive just after 140 joins it. There is space for parking along the side of the road!
Valley View
Not too long after the El Capitan and Cathedral Rocks stop, there’s a little parking area on the left-hand side with incredible views of Bridalveil Falls across from Bridalveil Meadow.
Type “Valley View” or “Bridalveil Meadow” into maps to find this spot!
