Yosemite National Park Details

Yosemite National Park is open 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.  During the winter, crowds within the park are much smaller and the lower angles of sunlight combined with breathtaking snow-covered panoramas throughout the park provide a completely different feel and experience than you will find during summers within the park. 

 
There are many winter activities to keep you happy and busy during the winter season, and lodging is much easier to find.   It is important to keep in mind however that some roads are closed due to snow from around November through May or June.

Like most of our national parks, California's Yosemite sees the vast majority of its visitors during warm weather months. Few of the annual 3.5 million visitors come to see the park in its winter splendor--an ideal time to enjoy her serenity and beauty.  Even if you don't ski; a visit to Yosemite in winter is well worth the trip.

Winter in Yosemite is snowy and cold, however sunny and mild days are not uncommon either. Water levels tend to be low, but once some snow and rain have fallen, Yosemite Falls usually begins flowing again (albeit not at springtime levels).

Though many of the roads within the park close during the winter, the Glacier Point/Badger Pass Road remains open mid-December though early April and is regularly plowed to the Badger Pass Ski Area, where both downhill and cross-country skiing are popular winter attractions.