Yosemite Hikes, Hiking Trails

If some tells you to "take a hike", it is not an insult if you happen to be in Yosemite National Park. The Park has over 800 miles of designated hiking trails. The best way to "experience" Yosemite is to put on your hiking boots and truly "take a hike". The miles of hiking trails cross the vast green meadows and wind through the woodlands – rising and falling with the increases and decreases in elevation.

On foot, the visitor has a front row seat to the wildlife in the Park including black bears, mule deer, and hundreds of bird species. Don't forget to bring along your binoculars and bird identification book. Whether you prefer paved thoroughfares that never take you beyond shouting distance of a restaurant or remote paths where man has never before set foot (except perhaps to build the trail you're on), you'll find it all here.

Each of the five regions of Yosemite National Park has unique landscape and is well worth the time to take one, two or more hikes through the area. The majority of visitors to Yosemite National Park never venture far from Yosemite Valley. This is the place for hikes to the base of different waterfalls and to get great views of the surrounding mountains.

If you don't know where to go or what you want to see, take the Tioga Pass Road. Here you will find granite peaks, meadows and lakes, a giant sequoia grove and some easy hikes to the north rim of Yosemite Valley. The Mariposa Grove has Giant Sequoias just hanging out in the parking lot , yet most visitors here are focused on the Grizzly Giant, the California Tunnel Tree, and outstanding other individual trees.

Don't take the hikes off Glacier Point Road if you are afraid of heights. If you see a hike with "Point" in the name, you can be assured that at the end of that trail you will be treated to breath taking, awe-inspiring views of the Yosemite Valley.

There are easy hikes and more strenuous ones, but there is something for everyone. Some of the hikes are also accessible for individuals in wheelchairs if they have some assistance.