Freshly fallen snow dusting towering redwoods. A waterfall that looks like lava. Wait, are we still talking about Yosemite National Park? Yes, y’all: Yosemite in winter is a whole new park!
If you’ve only visited Yosemite in the warmer months, prepare to be dazzled, because it’s just as beautiful (arguably more) in the winter. And a LOT less crowded.
The colors of the distant mountains are replaced with bright, white snow, and evergreens send wafts of pine resin skirting the air. The entire park is transformed, and most trails off the Yosemite Valley trails are accessible, except after unusually heavy snowfalls.
Spending a day just driving around Yosemite National Park is the best way to see as much of the massive park as possible. The snowfall makes it even more magical.
Snowshoeing in Yosemite can be a great way to explore trails otherwise covered in snow. You’d be surprised how much easier it is than trying to walk through the snow with just boots.
Even if it’s not snowing, the dew and fog lifting out of the Valley in the mornings can be absolutely stunning. That’s probably why the Ansel Adams Gallery runs all their photography walks in the mornings all winter!
At the Badger Pass Ski Area, you can hit the slopes. With gently rolling hills through snow-dusted evergreens, it’s actually a great spot for beginners!
Horsetail Falls is one of six waterfalls in the valley. It mostly flows during winter, starting in around January, when there’s enough daily snowmelt. However, for two weeks in February, it’s the site of the famous “Firefall," when the reflection of the sunset makes it look bright orange – like fire flowing over the cliff.