Beginning in May, the hiking cables for Yosemite’s Half Dome trails are again ready for a busy season of adventure. If you’ve made the trip out to California, you should make the most of it. Here are 24 ways to add more adventure and immersive experiences to your Yosemite area itinerary.
After Your Half Dome Hike, Check Out These Yosemite Adventures
If you’re looking to spend more time in Yosemite, these activities are perfect additions to your Half Dome hike. Some are less active than a hike, while a few are more active than a hike. Take your pick of these fun experiences in and around Yosemite.
1. Pay Homage to John Muir’s Legacy
When John Muir passed away in 1914, he had left an indelible mark in many wild spaces of the United States. He was the force behind the National Park System and the founder of the Sierra Club, and among the tours named in his honor, Tauck’s Yosemite and Sequoia: John Muir’s California trip is a standout due to its inclusion of documentary film footage and focus on John Muir’s pioneering adventures in Yosemite.
2. Book at Photography Walk With the Ansel Adams Gallery
Named for the famed nature photographer, The Ansel Adams Gallery offers a variety of classes and workshops, including free guided photography walks. The low-key hikes focus on nature photography and essentials such as composition and exposure. The visual allure of the woods just might inspire you to elope in Sequoia National Park.
3. Join Yosemite Conservancy for a Night Sky Naturalist Walk
Yosemite Valley has little light pollution, making it perfect for dark sky outings. The Yosemite Conservancy Night Sky Walk registration opens each February, and a naturalist leads each 2-mile nighttime walk and chats about topics as far-reaching as constellations to cosmic mythology.
4. Register for a 3-Day Yosemite Miwok-Paiute Basketry Workshop
This incredible 3-day Miwok-Paiute Basketry class features Dr. Julia Parker, a cultural demonstrator in Yosemite for six decades. Alongside Parker and her family, you’ll learn traditional Miwok-Paiute basket-weaving techniques (supplies included in the program fee) and create a handmade basket while hearing stories of Native American history, Parker’s elders, and their culture.
5. Watch This National Parks Documentary and Meet Its Famous Park Ranger
The documentary series The National Parks, America’s Best Idea is a beautiful 2009 PBS film by Ken Burns. Celebrated park ranger Shelton Johnson is featured as a narrator, and he is a passionate advocate for National Parks. Park Ranger Johnson still works at Yosemite National Park, and you can walk right into the visitor center to ask if he’s around.
6. Book a Yosemite Yoga Retreat
You’re fresh off the trail after your Half Dome hike and exhilarated but likely tired and sore. Join Lasting Adventures for a chill three-day yoga retreat at their backcountry studio. Reflect on your recent trek and rejuvenate between short hikes to May Lake and daily yoga sessions.
7. Connect With the Yosemite Climbing Association
The roots of the Yosemite Climbing Association (YCA) run deep, and the organization partners with brands born in Yosemite, like adventure wear Royal Robbin, whose founders were iconic Sierra Nevada rock climbers in the 1960s. These relationships help the YCA host climbing clinics and Facelift Events, designed to help keep wild spaces clean.
8. Explore Yosemite’s Rugged Terrain in a UTV
Did you know there are off-roading approved trails throughout Yosemite’s mountains and valleys? See the landscape in a new, exciting way by booking a guided off-road adventure through Yosemite Adventure Co.—just wear water-repellent gear, of course.
9. Make Time for the Yosemite Museum
Nestled within the grandeur of Yosemite National Park’s giant sequoia groves, waterfalls, and lakes is the building that houses the park’s history. Credited as the first museum-style building in the National Parks system, The Yosemite Museum includes a geology room, paintings, natural history exhibits, and more.
10. Horse Around on Yosemite’s Trails
The folks at Yosemite Trails Horseback Adventures offer an exclusive opportunity—a five-hour horseback ride to Grizzly Giant, a mind-boggling 2000-year-old giant sequoia. Alternatively, they also offer shorter, one and two-hour trail rides.
11. Experience the Thrill of a Class IV Rafting Trip
The Merced River is a high-volume, beautiful river as it weaves through Yosemite’s landscape. Further downriver, in El Portal, the rapids are confined into a narrow pass, and it’s a not-to-miss half or whole-day trip for would-be outdoorsy adventurers. Tack this on to the end of your trip since it’s an hour outside the immediate park area.
12. Learn About Local Wine at Queen’s Inn by the River
The Idle Hour Winery is a beloved local hub that makes Yosemite visitors feel right at home. Spend time by the river learning about their single vineyard sips, hang out in the Wine Bar and Beer Garden, or book a room at their inn—all just 13 miles south of Yosemite National Park.
13. Splurge on a Yosemite Sunset 4×4 Jeep Tour
Venture into the depths of Yosemite by way of a Jeep and old-time logging roads on Tinggly’s Devils Peak Yosemite Sunset 4×4 Jeep Tour. Watch the sunset from Signal Peak (formerly Devil’s Peak) at 6,900 feet. Then relax by the campfire, roasting marshmallows until your starry-skied return to the trails for your trip back down.
14. Drive Along the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway
There’s no doubt that a Half Dome Hike is reason enough to visit Yosemite National Park, but you might as well explore a bit while you’re there. A low-key road trip along the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway includes sights such as Fresno Dome and Mile-High Vista with incredible views of the 123,000-acre Mammoth Pool Reservoir. Visit Yosemite Madera County offers a free map on page 23 of its free guide.
15. How About an Airplane Tour of Yosemite?
If you’ve explored the trails by foot, horse, and Jeep, it’s time to take to the skies with Yosemite Airways Scenic Tours. It’s a cool opportunity to add some aerial photos to your Half Dome hike scrapbook and get a bird’s eye view of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.
16. Rent a Cabin After Your Half Dome Hike
As a bonus to the 35-acre property’s RV and tent sites, Yosemite RV Resort offers cozy cabins and plenty of star-gazing opportunities. Onsite amenities include free Wifi, firepits, and a swimming pool. It’s about 20 minutes from Yosemite in the historic village of Coarsegold. Adventure by day, and watch the sunset from the porch of your cottage by night.
17. Unwind With a Massage at Rush Creek Lodge & Spa
After an exhilarating hike in Yosemite, you might be tired and sore. Cue up the private massage cabanas of Evergreen Wellness, Rush Creek Lodge & Spa’s massage program, designed with hikers in mind. The small log-cabin-style cabanas are tucked between mammoth pines, and massage options range from hot stone and gua sha to Swedish and beyond.
18. Create Yosemite-Inspired Artwork at a Class or Retreat
First things first, you don’t need to have any art experience to benefit from its joys. This is especially true when an artist’s creativity sprouts up from the inspiring landscape in Yosemite National Park. The artists associated with Yosemite Conservancy offer one-time classes (think watercolors, printmaking, and travel journaling), paint and wine experiences, and multi-day art retreats.
19. Trade Your Hiking Boots for a Bike
It’s no surprise that there are plenty of cycling tours in Yosemite, but Tenaya at Yosemite—a popular hotel—offers a sweet 2-hour ride. The shorter duration is a great addition after a long hike, a Goldilocks scenario where the ride is not too short or too long. You’ll take to the trails of the Sierra Nevada Forest and even visit the Instagram-worthy Tenaya Falls.
20. Catch Wild Trout With a Fly Fishing Guide
Whether you’re looking for a half-day excursion or a five-day all-inclusive fly fishing trip, Yosemite Fly Fishing Guide caters to all levels of fishing experience. They fish the rivers and lakes within Yosemite National Park and the nearby area, including kayak fly fishing.
21. Visit Sierra Cider for Tastings or a Boozy Orchard Brunch
Don’t miss out on visiting Sierra Cider either on your way in or out of the Yosemite area. It’s in Mariposa, and their passion for cider—or campfire champagne, as they call it—is nearly unmatched. Stop by for one of the tastings and U-Pick apple sessions, one of their many Boozy Orchard Brunches, or book a stay at Sierra Cider’s Yosemite Orchard Barn Loft.
22. Channel Your Inner Yosemite Lumberjack
This isn’t the run-of-the-mill urban axe-throwing hangout. Yosemite Axe Throwing challenges its guests to hit a much different target—actual logs salvaged from trees downed from drought, bark beetles, or wildfires. Sure, it’s more challenging, but the bragging rights alone make it worth it.
23. Rent a Pontoon Boat on Lake Bass
About 16 miles south of Yosemite, which is one of the best California National Parks, you’ll find all the usual joyous lake life shenanigans at Bass Lake, where you can rent pontoon boats, jet skis, and kayaks from Bass Lake Watersports. Grab a bite and cocktails at their waterfront Marina Bar & Grill between boating and floating.
24. Take a Train Ride Through the Sierra National Forest
Jazz and Moonlit outings are just a few of the themed train excursions offered by Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad, but they all include breathtaking views of the Sierra National Forest, and most are pet-friendly and wheelchair accessible. It’s the perfect low-key way to relax after a Half Dome Hike or other Yosemite adventures.
