Hikes and backpacking

Hands down, the best way to get out and see Yosemite is to go for a hike, and this park is home to some of the most spectacular trails in the country. If you’re looking for quick, family-friendly options, take in the powerful spray of California’s tallest waterfall on the one-mile, wheelchair-accessible Lower Yosemite Fall Trail , then head to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and go for a romp along the 0.3-mile Big Trees Loop or the two-mile Grizzly Giant Loop.

Yosemite is also a bastion of calf-burning all-day adventures for serious hikers. Along the road to Glacier Point, trekkers can soak up gobsmacking views of the valley on the five-mile Sentinel Dome and Taft Point Loop . Or, head for the high country on a seven-mile round trip up to Cathedral Lakes , two postcard-worthy sapphire tarns that sit beneath a toothy granite summit.

Want to escape the crowds?…