Escape San Francisco and head to Yosemite on this hassle-free tour. After easy pickup from the city, your driver will take you straight to the park’s best sites: Yosemite Valley, the Tuolumne Grove of giant sequoias, Bridalveil Falls, Half Dome, and more. With plenty of time for pictures, hikes, and meals, explore the park at your own pace after a jam-packed day—seeing yet even more on the next. Please note accommodations are not included in this tour.
Hassle-free transfers to and from many San Francisco hotels
This semi-guided tour allows time for spontaneous adventure
Visit the iconic sites without worrying about parking lots and crowds
Departures 365 days a year, guaranteed
What To Expect
Day 1 – San Francisco to Yosemite
Bay Bridge
The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, known locally as the Bay Bridge, is a complex of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay in California. As part of Interstate 80 and the direct road between San Francisco and Oakland, it carries about 260,000 vehicles a day on its two decks.
• Admission Ticket Free
San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge
The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, known locally as the Bay Bridge, is a complex of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay in California. As part of Interstate 80 and the direct road between San Francisco and Oakland, it carries about 260,000 vehicles a day on its two decks.
• Admission Ticket Free
Treasure Island
Treasure Island is an artificial island in the San Francisco Bay and a neighborhood in the city and county of San Francisco. Built 1936–37 for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, the island’s World’s Fair site is a California Historical Landmark.
• Admission Ticket Free
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin.
• Admission Ticket Free
Big Oak Flat Road
Traveling the historic Big Oak Flat Road from the western entrance of Yosemite National Park across to the Tioga Pass entrance on the east, provides drivers easy access to the stunning beauty of Yosemite’s high country landscapes.
• Admission Ticket Free
Big Oak Flat Information Station
The Big Oak Flat entrance to Yosemite National Park is located on CA Highway 120 roughly 24 miles (39 km) east of Groveland, CA. CA Highway 120 is the most direct route into Yosemite National Park from the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and Northern California locations.
• Admission Ticket Free
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about 7.5 miles long and approximately 3000–3500 feet deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines.
12 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias
Tuolumne Grove is a sequoia grove located near Crane Flat in Yosemite National Park. It is about 16 miles west of Yosemite Village on Tioga Pass Road. The grove contains many conifers, including a few Sequoiadendron giganteum as well as Abies concolor and Pinus lambertiana.
Weather permitting
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Tunnel View
Tunnel View is a scenic viewpoint on State Route 41 in Yosemite National Park. Visitors have seen and documented the iconic and expansive views of Yosemite Valley from the overlook since its opening in 1933.
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Ansel Adams Gallery
Gallery showcasing & selling photography by celebrated landscape artist Ansel Adams, among others.
• Admission Ticket Free
Bridalveil Fall
Bridalveil Fall is one of the most prominent waterfalls in the Yosemite Valley in California, Yosemite National Park.
• Admission Ticket Free
El Capitan
El Capitan, also known as El Cap, is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about 3,000 feet from base to summit along its tallest face, and is a popular objective for rock climbers.
• Admission Ticket Free
Half Dome
Half Dome is a granite dome at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. It is a well-known rock formation in the park, named for its distinct shape.
• Admission Ticket Free
Horsetail Fire Fall
Horsetail Fall, located in Yosemite National Park in California, is a seasonal waterfall that flows in the winter and early spring. The fall occurs on the east side of El Capitan. Around the second week of February, the setting sun hits Horsetail Fall at just the right angle to illuminate the upper reaches of the waterfall.
Can only be seen at certain time of year
• Admission Ticket Free
Mist Trail
The Mist Trail is one of the most popular short hikes in Yosemite National Park, California, USA. The steep hike follows the Merced River, starting at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley, past Vernal Fall and Emerald Pool, to Nevada Fall.
• Admission Ticket Free
Nevada Fall
Nevada Fall is a 594-foot high waterfall on the Merced River in Yosemite National Park, California. It is located below the granite dome, Liberty Cap, at the west end of Little Yosemite Valley.
• Admission Ticket Free
Lower Yosemite Fall Trail
A quarter-mile (one way) hike to a spectacular mist-blown view from the base of 320-foot Lower Yosemite Falls. Lower Yosemite Falls Hike is a must visit for its accessibility and proximity to this massive waterfall and has spectacular views of both falls.
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Merced River
The Merced River in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is 145 miles (233 km) long. Tenaya, Yosemite, Bridalveil and Pigeon Creeks join the Merced River in Yosemite Valley.
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Yosemite Falls
Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in Yosemite National Park, dropping a total of 2,425 feet from the top of the upper fall to the base of the lower fall
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Valley Visitor Center
The Valley Visitor Center is located in Yosemite Valley and is the largest and most comprehensive in terms of displays, books, postcards and maps. The Valley Visitor Center is open year round and offers natural history displays, audiovisual programs and is staffed with individuals who are happy to answer all your questions.
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Yosemite Valley Lodge
Yosemite Valley Lodge is a favorite choice for families and large groups. Its close proximity to Yosemite Falls makes it the perfect base camp for exploring Yosemite National Park.
• Admission Ticket Free
Day 2 – Yosemite to San Francisco
Curry Village
Beneath the grandeur of Glacier Point, Half Dome Village is known for the same warm, hospitable feeling that was instilled by its founders, David and Jennie Curry in 1899.
• Admission Ticket Free
Yosemite Valley Lodge
Yosemite Valley Lodge is a favorite choice for families and large groups. Its close proximity to Yosemite Falls makes it the perfect base camp for exploring Yosemite National Park.
• Admission Ticket Free
Valley Visitor Center
The Valley Visitor Center is located in Yosemite Valley and is the largest and most comprehensive in terms of displays, books, postcards and maps. The Valley Visitor Center is open year round and offers natural history displays, audiovisual programs and is staffed with individuals who are happy to answer all your questions.
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Yosemite Falls
Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in Yosemite National Park, dropping a total of 2,425 feet from the top of the upper fall to the base of the lower fall
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Merced River
The Merced River in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is 145 miles (233 km) long. Tenaya, Yosemite, Bridalveil and Pigeon Creeks join the Merced River in Yosemite Valley.
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Lower Yosemite Fall Trail
A quarter-mile (one way) hike to a spectacular mist-blown view from the base of 320-foot Lower Yosemite Falls. Lower Yosemite Falls Hike is a must visit for its accessibility and proximity to this massive waterfall and has spectacular views of both falls.
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Half Dome
Half Dome is a granite dome at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. It is a well-known rock formation in the park, named for its distinct shape.
• Admission Ticket Free
El Capitan
El Capitan, also known as El Cap, is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about 3,000 feet from base to summit along its tallest face, and is a popular objective for rock climbers.
• Admission Ticket Free
Bridalveil Fall
Bridalveil Fall is one of the most prominent waterfalls in the Yosemite Valley in California, Yosemite National Park.
• Admission Ticket Free
Ansel Adams Gallery
Gallery showcasing & selling photography by celebrated landscape artist Ansel Adams, among others.
• Admission Ticket Free
Tunnel View
Tunnel View is a scenic viewpoint on State Route 41 in Yosemite National Park. Visitors have seen and documented the iconic and expansive views of Yosemite Valley from the overlook since its opening in 1933.
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about 7.5 miles long and approximately 3000–3500 feet deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines.
12 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Big Oak Flat Information Station
The Big Oak Flat entrance to Yosemite National Park is located on CA Highway 120 roughly 24 miles (39 km) east of Groveland, CA. CA Highway 120 is the most direct route into Yosemite National Park from the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and Northern California locations.
• Admission Ticket Included
Big Oak Flat Road
Traveling the historic Big Oak Flat Road from the western entrance of Yosemite National Park across to the Tioga Pass entrance on the east, provides drivers easy access to the stunning beauty of Yosemite’s high country landscapes.
• Admission Ticket Included
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin.
• Admission Ticket Included
Treasure Island
Treasure Island is an artificial island in the San Francisco Bay and a neighborhood in the city and county of San Francisco. Built 1936–37 for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, the island’s World’s Fair site is a California Historical Landmark.
• Admission Ticket Included
Bay Bridge
The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, known locally as the Bay Bridge, is a complex of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay in California. As part of Interstate 80 and the direct road between San Francisco and Oakland, it carries about 260,000 vehicles a day on its two decks.
• Admission Ticket Included
San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge
The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, known locally as the Bay Bridge, is a complex of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay in California. As part of Interstate 80 and the direct road between San Francisco and Oakland, it carries about 260,000 vehicles a day on its two decks.
• Admission Ticket Included
Highlight
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Access to the Sequoia Grove can be difficult during winter months, generally October through May, and other activities may be substituted at the discretion of the guide.
During winter months, temperatures in Yosemite can vary drastically to the ones in San Francisco. Therefore, it is recommend to wear winter clothes, especially shoes or boots with rubber soles and treads.
The Giant Sequoias Grove is located at a higher elevation and the hike is dependent on trail conditions, especially from October through May. Ice and snow might make the trail unsafe to hike. The decision of whether it is safe to go on the hike will be made on a day by day basis. Therefore, a visit cannot be guaranteed. However, while the trail might be closed, guests get to spend more time in Yosemite Valley. There you can see all the other great sights Yosemite has to offer, including El Capitan, Inspiration Point, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and more.
Since there is limited to no storage within Yosemite, please make sure to only bring what you can easily carry with you. Oversized luggage will be subject to an additional $50 fee from the local operator.
Tour makes stops for breakfast, lunch, and on the trip back for dinner. Meals are not included.
For hotel pickups, please select the Hilton Union Square if your hotel is not listed.
Audio guides are available in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. Specify language at time of booking under special requirements.
California law requires tour guests to bring a car safety seat for all children under 8 years and under 4′ 9″ (1.4 meters) in height. Any guest that does not provide their child’s safety seat at the time of the tour and does not inform the tour operator in advance may not be allowed to board the tour and will not be subject to refund.
Exact destinations & itinerary may differ due to weather, road conditions, and the guide’s discretion.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 41 travelers
Include
San Francisco pick-up from most hotels
Transportation to Yosemite National Park
Drop-off at Yosemite Lodge
Free unique geo-based audio guides in 8 languages
Exclude
Accommodations are not included in this package
Meals
Transportation from Yosemite Valley Lodge to your separately-booked accommodation
Gratuities
Oversized luggage will be subject to an additional $50 fee from the local operator.