We spent one full day in Yosemite National Park with our toddlers. Here’s what we did to make the most out of our day.

We maximized our morning energy exploring the park on foot and bike, and spent our afternoon during car naps (woohoo!) to check out viewpoints with little to no walking necessary. You may be considering pushing off visiting Yosemite until your kids are older, but there’s no need. There’s plenty to do with little kids there, and you’ll wish you could stay longer!

Are you interested in other fall getaways and Yosemite? Read more here:

• Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite – Perfect Fall Getaway
• 30+ Weekend Getaways from San Francisco with Kids
• Top 10 Things to Do in the Fall in San Francisco Bay Area
• 10 Amazing Pumpkin Patches and Celebration Across the World

Morning in Yosemite with Toddlers

Start driving as early as possible into Yosemite National Park if you’re not staying within the park. When we went, even during the week in a low season, the line was starting to form at the entrance around 8:30am!

We got to the Half Dome Village around 9:30 to go grab bikes from the rental spot that opens at 10. If you have time before the bike rental opens like we did, get picnic food and drinks at the General Store. They had plenty of different kinds of sandwiches, cheese, crackers, meats, fruits, and veggies. Other snacks like beef jerky, nuts, chips, and bars were available too. We also got a little souvenir there. A perfect one-stop shop while you wait for your bikes!

Biking Rental in Yosemite with Toddlers

You can rent bikes with ease at Yosemite Village and at the Half Dome Village, including bikes with trailers for kids. We chose Half Dome Village because we thought it would be less crowded than Yosemite Village. When we got there, 10 minutes before they opened, we were the second group in line. When they opened, they gave us a form to fill out. I’m a fast writer/form filler-outer, so I was able to get us first in line for finishing fast. Not bad!

The bike trailers hold – I believe – up to about 80lbs. Our kids were right under the limit! Helmet rentals are included with the cost of the bike rentals. Apparently, theft is not an issue at Yosemite, so you don’t have to rent or bring a lock.

Be sure to note your bike number (or take a picture of your bike) just in case something happens, and have their phone number handy. There are about 12 miles of designated bike paths and it is basically all flat! We did 4 miles on the bike, plus a 1-mile hike and a picnic, all in about 2 hours. We had chosen the all-day rental (super ambitious) but came back in 2 hours, so they gave us a refund for the difference. How nice is that??

Once we finished the rental process, we got on our bikes and rode about 1.5 miles to Mirror Lake. It was a little confusing to get there, but we asked equally confused bikers and checked out periodic signs along the way, and eventually, we made it. Overall, it’s not hard to get lost with a map and signs, so trust your gut. There is a designated bike rack, and it was an easy and fall-foliage-filled half-mile hike to the “lake”.

 

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Mid-Day/Lunch Time in Yosemite with Toddlers

We took our bikes from the Half Dome Village to and from Mirror Lake for a quick hike and picnic. At this time of year (early fall), Mirror Lake is basically a big sand dune. When we went, the lake was dried up, and there was no water. We had fun sliding down the sand dunes and so did a bunch of other kids.

We found a rock to sit on and have our picnic when we were greeted by a family of coyotes. They didn’t come very close and ran away as soon as they noticed us looking at them. They were so cute!

After Mirror Lake, we biked down to Yosemite Valley Village. There was an open pathway that gave us the full view of El Capitan and Half Dome. It was an absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking bike ride. We went back to Half Dome Village after this, and were back at the bike rental spot at around 12:30pm.

Biking can help guarantee that you’ll see Yosemite Valley area sites in just 2 hours’ time. Much faster and more fun with toddlers than hiking/driving everywhere!

Afternoon in Yosemite with Toddlers

After we dropped off our bikes, we got in the car and we knew it was naptime. Tony and I decided to make the most of it and drive to viewpoints where we could take turns getting out. If the kids woke up, they can easily access these viewpoints with us too. (And – they didn’t wake up until we were close to the hotel so we got to see all this in “peace”.)

We made the following 3 stops in less than 2 hours, including a short walk by both Tony and I separately at Glacier Point (about a 0.25 mile walk to the viewpoint).

Tunnel View

This panoramic view of Yosemite and all that it offers greets you right when you get out of the Wawona Tunnel on State Highway 41. You can see El Capitan (the flat top), Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall. It’s wonderfully expansive, and you see it all from the parking lot! Perfect car nap spot.

Glacier Point

This is about an hour drive from Yosemite Valley, and it’s famous for stunning sunset views. We couldn’t quite make it there for sunset, but it was still very impressive during the early afternoon bright light. It is about a quarter-mile (or less) walk from the parking lot.

We went there during non-peak times during a low season on a weekday, and the parking lot was pretty full near the entrance. I heard the traffic/parking gets congested here, so plan accordingly.

Washburn Point

This is just down the street from Glacier Point, and you might be tempted to skip over because of the similar views, but don’t!

You’ll see the very impressive “half” shape from here and it’s another viewpoint where you barely have to get out of the car. It took me just 30 seconds to get out, take a few pics, take a deep breath and wonder how in the world the half dome took this impressively perfect cut-off shape. 30 seconds I would never take back. Just do it, even if your toddlers are awake and complaining about how they are so done with sightseeing.

Late Afternoon/Evening in Yosemite with Toddlers

At this point, we decided to go back to our hotel (read more about the amazing Tenaya Lodge here), and go on a little nature walk. But, if you still have the energy, you can go to Mariposa Grove! (We did this when we arrived at the Tenaya Lodge the day before, which is about 15 minutes away.)

Mariposa Grove with Toddlers

If you’re in Yosemite with toddlers, don’t skip Mariposa Grove. It’s an easy 2-mile loop, and you see 3 amazing sites that even little kids will be impressed by. First, you’ll see a gigantic uprooted Sequoia tree, or as Henry called it, the “Halloween Tree”.

Then, you’ll see one of the oldest living Sequoia trees (over 2700 years old!!!), the Grizzly Giant.

You then walk another 0.25 miles or so, and you will see the California Tree Tunnel, a living tree tunnel that you can actually walk through.

On the way to the California Tree Tunnel, we saw so many deer.

So, the Halloween Tree, a huge sequoia named “Grizzly Giant”, a tree tunnel, and deer—all in a 2-mile hike. Can’t get any more toddler-friendly than that!

There you have it!

You might think that Yosemite is better with older kids, but that doesn’t have to be true! We had a blast with our toddlers, and they definitely had fun too.

Are you interested in other Fall getaways? Read more here:

• Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite – Perfect Fall Getaway
• 30+ Weekend Getaways from San Francisco with Kids
• Top 10 Things to Do in the Fall in San Francisco Bay Area
• 10 Amazing Pumpkin Patches and Celebration Across the World

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Have you been to any of these amazing locations in Yosemite with your toddlers? Share us any thoughts you have in the comments or contact us!