Trips & tickets
Hotel pick-up in San Francisco and a small-group van to Tunnel View, the base of Bridalveil Fall, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, El Capitan and Valley View, with free time for a picnic and a one-mile hike to the giant sequoias of the Tuolumne Grove (not in the snow season). Park entrance fees for US residents are included; the nonresident fee is not.
Pick-up across San Francisco and an early-bird arrival for over 5 hours in the park: Tunnel View, Valley View, El Capitan and Half Dome, 2 hours of free time in Yosemite Valley and a walk among the giant sequoias of the Tuolumne Grove (weather permitting). The park entry fee for US residents is included; the nonresident fee is not.
Hotel pick-up in Coarsegold, Oakhurst, Bass Lake or Fish Camp and a guided day past El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall, with Yosemite Falls, the Mariposa Grove and Glacier Point when seasonally open. Lunch and park entrance fees are included; the $100 nonresident fee is collected by the Park Service at the gate.
The full GetYourGuide listing for Yosemite National Park — day trips from San Francisco, small-group and overnight tours, the Sugar Pine steam railroad and trips from Lake Tahoe, with live prices.
Yosemite is not one trip but several, sold by different people: the park's own entrance pass, which you buy at the gate by card; day tours from San Francisco and the Bay Area; small-group and overnight tours that stay near the park; trips from Oakhurst, Fresno and Lake Tahoe; the YARTS buses from Merced, Mariposa and Fresno; the park concessioner's bus tours that start in Yosemite Valley; and the Sugar Pine steam railroad just outside the South Entrance.
Which one is right depends on where you are starting, whether you have a car, the season, and how much time you want inside the park rather than on the road. These pages compare them plainly.
Plan it properly
Driving routes and times to Yosemite from San Francisco, Fresno and Lake Tahoe, the YARTS buses and Amtrak via Merced, and what to know about parking, chains and the gate.
What Yosemite costs to enter in 2026: the $35 vehicle pass, the new $100 nonresident fee, annual passes, whether you need a reservation, Half Dome permits and tour tickets.
Yosemite tours side by side: day trips from San Francisco, small-group and sequoia tours, tours from Oakhurst and Lake Tahoe, two-day trips, the park's own buses and the Sugar Pine railroad.
The park
Photographs licensed from Shutterstock.
A private vehicle pays $35, valid for seven consecutive days for everyone inside; a motorcycle $30; and anyone arriving on foot or by bicycle $20 per person. Children under 16 are free. Non-US residents aged 16 and older pay an extra $100 each unless they hold an America the Beautiful pass, and the gates take cards only; our entrance fees and reservations guide has the full table.
No. The park announced it is not using a timed entry reservation system in 2026, and you simply pay the entrance fee when you arrive. You still need a permit to climb Half Dome while the cables are up, and lodging and campsites should be booked early; our entrance fees and reservations guide covers both.
About 195 miles, or 4 to 5 hours, by I-580 and I-205 to Highway 120 through Manteca or Highway 140 through Merced. Without a car, Amtrak and Greyhound reach Merced, where YARTS buses continue to Yosemite Valley for $44 round trip; our guide to getting there compares every option.
By Highway 41: Fresno to Yosemite Valley is 94 miles, about 2 hours 15 minutes, entering at the South Entrance near the Mariposa Grove. In summer YARTS runs a Highway 41 bus from Fresno to the Valley for $40 round trip; in 2026 it ran from May 22 to September 25.