Coverage · 436 NPS places tracked 86 source-reviewed briefsPlanning · Seasonal windows modeled and labeledOperations · Official alerts verify at nps.govSource-reviewed · Place briefs with dated source cardsCatalog · Preview pages identity snapshot onlyListening · Procedural cues never field recordings
National Park · Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park

Best primary window for Yosemite: April, with May and October as strong shoulder months.

Best time to visit Yosemite National Park · listed primary window April, May, and October

Not just a great valley, but a shrine to human foresight, the strength of granite, the power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra. First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.

This page identifies Yosemite National Park from the checked-in NPS snapshot, dated source cards, and the month windows listed here.

Answer Brief

Answer-first planning signal

Best current use
Yosemite National Park is listed as National Park in CA in the checked-in NPS identity snapshot. Not just a great valley, but a shrine to human foresight, the strength of granite, the power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra. First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more. Official NPS page Data snapshot: October 27, 2026: https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm.
Best months
April, May, October
Peak crowd months
July, August, June
Current signal
Yosemite National Park is listed as a National Park in CA in the checked-in NPS identity snapshot. 5 source cards on this page. Data snapshot: October 27, 2026. Official NPS page: https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm.
Visitor takeaway
Official NPS access, hours, and alerts for Yosemite are at https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm.
What it sounds like
Yosemite audio on this page is a labeled modeled cue, not a field recording.

Summary at a glance

Yosemite National Park is listed as National Park in CA in the checked-in NPS identity snapshot. Not just a great valley, but a shrine to human foresight, the strength of granite, the power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra. First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more. Official NPS page Data snapshot: October 27, 2026: https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm.

Yosemite National Park is listed as a National Park in the checked-in NPS identity snapshot. 5 source cards on this page. Data snapshot: October 27, 2026. Listed month windows: April, May, and October.

Best Months
April
↑ May, October
Budget Months
October
April, May
Peak Crowd
July
August, June
Region
california sierra
Core Experiences
architecture-and-buildingafrican-american-heritagearcheologyartspaintingArts and CultureAuto and ATVScenic DrivingAstronomyBiking

Month-by-month

Month windows on this page: April, May, and October listed as the primary window; July, August, and June listed as peak months; October, April, and May listed as lower-crowd months.

Primary Window

Listed primary window: April, May, and October.

Peak months

Listed peak months: July, August, and June.

Lower-crowd months

Listed lower-crowd months: October, April, and May.

Getting there

Use the closest major airport and a regional drive plan for Yosemite.

You can drive to Yosemite year-round and enter via Highways 41, 140, and 120 from the west. Tioga Pass Entrance (via Highway 120 from the east) is closed from approximately November through late May or June. Hetch Hetchy is open all year but may close intermittently due to snow. Please note that GPS units do not always provide accurate directions to or within Yosemite.

SERPRadio origin links provide flight-research entry points without replacing local route planning.

Place instrument

Clock, compare, and listen

Season and now

Twelve-month planning is modeled from the published seasonal profile. The current hand stays unavailable until sourced alerts, hours, events, roads, and weather are fresh.

Current hand
Not available

Three listening lanes

Official NPS audio: Not provided for this snapshot.

Synthetic browser audio, never a field recording or live observation.

Jamcorder: Shared station.

Text equivalent for the seasonal place clock
MonthVisitabilityCrowd pressure
January5116
February5418
March5828
April6242
May6260
June5882
July5294
August5292
September6170
October6244
November5724
December5216

The cue is a browser-generated composition, not a field recording. How NPS Sounds modeled audio works.

Methodology

This page uses the checked-in NPS identity snapshot for Yosemite National Park, the 5 source cards below, and the figures listed above. Data snapshot: October 27, 2026. Read the NPS Sounds methodology and about NPS Sounds for how pages are assembled.

  • Data snapshot: October 27, 2026
  • Source cards: 5

Data Behind This Reading

Source provenance

NPS identity

high

Yosemite National Park is identified as National Park with NPS code yose.

Available · Data snapshot: October 27, 2026

Source

NPS operations and access

high

Official NPS page for Yosemite, Data snapshot: October 27, 2026: https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm.

Official source linked · Data snapshot: October 27, 2026

Source

Weather signal

medium

Yosemite coordinates 37.84883288, -119.5571873 map to the NWS points URL. Data snapshot: October 27, 2026.

Linked endpoint · Data snapshot: October 27, 2026

Source

Activities and visit modes

medium

Yosemite NPS snapshot lists activities including Arts and Culture, Auto and ATV, Scenic Driving, and Astronomy.

From the data snapshot · Data snapshot: October 27, 2026

Source

How this page is assembled

high

place page source cards come from the data snapshot October 27, 2026.

Data snapshot: October 27, 2026

Source