Best Dog Friendly Hikes Yosemite – National parks in the United States are often not friendly to dogs or other pets, but did you know that Yosemite National Park is one of the best parks to take your four-legged friend to?! Right! Yosemite National Park is unique in its ability to give you breathtaking views without being in a valley. This means you (and your best friend) can enjoy America’s top national parks together!
Yosemite is famous for its majestic and powerful waterfalls, historic granite boulders, towering redwoods and some of the best camping in California. While Yosemite has many trails (find our recommendations here), Yosemite is so accessible that you can leave your car, enjoy the amazing views, and not even have to hike! Read on for everything you need to know about visiting Yosemite with your dog (or pet)!
Best Dog Friendly Hikes Yosemite
Yosemite National Park is located in central eastern California and is known as one of the best national parks in the United States. Yosemite attracts visitors from all over the world!
Dog-friendly Hike & Camping
If you are coming from San Francisco, it takes 3-4 hours to get to Yosemite. From Los Angeles, your trip will be 5-6 hours longer. You can fly into the nearest airport and rent a car at Fresno Yosemite International Airport, just an hour away. For us, we drove from Reno, Nevada after visiting Lake Tahoe on a 7-day trip to Northern California. Whichever way you go, you’ll have a stunningly beautiful trip to Yosemite National Park!
Maybe I’m biased but I think everyone needs to experience camping in Yosemite National Park! Yosemite has some of the best campgrounds in California, and reservations fill up as they sell out. If you’re lucky like us, you’ll find last-minute cancellations on the Recreation.gov website Camping can be booked from 15th of the month up to 5 months. You can find more information on the Recreation.gov website. We stayed at Lower Pines and North Pines Campgrounds and loved them both!
During Yosemite’s peak season, reservations are required to drive through the park between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. This means that from April 13 to October 27, you need to make a maximum reservation to visit the park. Please read here about entry to Yosemite National Park. Pro tip, try to arrive before 5pm!
Additionally, you need to make sure you have an America the Great Parks pass. You can also choose to purchase a 3-day or 12-month Yosemite National Park pass at the park gate.
1 Dog-friendly Day In Yosemite National Park!
It is very important to remember that US national parks are not very dog friendly! As pet owners, we must do our best to comply with National Park rules when bringing our pets to Yosemite. As a general rule, pets are only allowed in paved areas, most campsites, and must be on a leash.
While the above list may seem like a lot of places where dogs are not allowed in Yosemite, keep in mind that this list is still one of the best parks in the US to bring your dog. You can camp with your dog in Yosemite and find pet-friendly accommodations. I found the most beautiful and dog-friendly hikes in Yosemite you can take your dog after our first trip in May 2024!
The most popular viewpoint in Yosemite National Park is Tunnel View. Made famous by artist Ansel Adams, this popular viewpoint offers breathtaking views of Yosemite Valley, including El Capitan Falls, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Falls. This spot is popular for a reason and is easily visible from the main parking lot.
My favorite place in Yosemite is Yosemite Valley just over an hour to Glacier Point. This is one of the best sunset spots, with Half Dome’s alpine glow as the sun sets. This is such a popular spot that we visited twice at sunset and sunrise, but it was so worth it! Be sure to visit the Geology Hut and hike the trails around Glacier Point with your dog.
Tips For Visiting Yosemite With A Dog — Have Dog, Will Drive
One of my favorite places in Yosemite is in the valley! Cook’s Meadow is a 2-mile trail that takes you through woods and along scenic trails. This famous view with Yosemite behind you, is like heaven. You can continue this winding hike to the Sentinel Bridge.
A short, scenic 1.25 mile hike to Lower Yosemite Falls is one of the park’s best views. This paved hike is dog-friendly, so you can bring your dog close to the falls! It was amazing to see Yosemite Falls and see the power of the falls.
Sentinel Bridge is part of the Cooks Meadow Trail and the place to watch the alpine glow as dusk falls over Half Dome. You should know that dogs are not allowed to swim in Yosemite’s waters, nor at Sentinel Beach. Tip: Ask your camp ranger if your dog can cool off in the river on a hot day – safety is a priority on a hot day!
We watched the sunrise from Valley View across the valley and can you believe this photo is from the parking lot?! Valley View is one of the easiest and most scenic places to visit and is also great for dogs
Enjoy Sequoias With Your Pooch
The above are places we unfortunately didn’t have time to visit, but we know they are dog friendly too! Mirror Lake is a 5 mile trail that takes you to a beautiful lake with sparkling water. The dog can go with you to the lake, but not around the lake. Wawona Meadows is a 3 mile trail that takes you through the beautiful meadows of the valley. El Capitan Meadows is also a great stop along the way.
Yosemite National Park is one of America’s most popular national parks with some of the most breathtaking views and the best camping in California. You don’t have to leave your dog at home when you plan to visit Yosemite, and we encourage you to bring your furry friend along! Our dog Rosie was amazing and we had some incredible memories!
I hope we’ve inspired you to take this trip to explore the incredible Yosemite National Park! Be sure to check out our travel stories on Instagram, TikTok, and check us out on YouTube for this California adventure!
Looking for more inspiration from our travels? Read our blog on the best 7-day Northern California off-road adventure itineraries. Check out the popular 8-Day Utah Road Trip or the popular 10-Day Washington and Oregon Coast Road Trip! Outdoor life is better with furry friends, which is why all six of our locations are dog-friendly and located near great hiking trails. . Wherever you go this summer, be sure to check out these fun trips for two- and four-legged nature lovers.
Yosemite Dog Friendly Itinerary…details Below⬇️ 📝 Save/share For Future Planning ☀️day 1 • Arrive In Oakhurst • Lewis Creek Trail • South Gate Brewing Company ☀️day 2 • Wawona Meadow Loop Trail •
Although national parks are not usually very beautiful, Yosemite National Park is amazing. The Waona Meadow Loop Trail is one of the park’s top trails for pups. This 3.5-mile hike encompasses one of Yosemite’s largest meadows, including a short section of the Waona Golf Course. The Lower Yosemite Falls Trail is another easy one-mile paved trail for dogs and families, also passing the tallest waterfall in North America.
In general, Zion National Park has a strict no-pet policy. There is only one trail inside the park that allows dogs to walk: Parr’s Trail. Paras begins at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center and covers 3.5 miles of paved trail along the Virgin River. He said, many things are happening
Park for a fun day trip with great views. If you exit Zion through the east entrance, you’ll see a series of dog tracks near Kanab. Try hiking Red Hollow Slot Canyon, Squaw Hill or the Coral Pink Sand Dunes.
Like Zion, Joshua Tree National Park has pets on its way. But there are two dog-friendly trails your furry friend will love: the Bighorn Pass Trail and the Geological Sightseeing Trail. Bighorn is a 4.6-mile trail located near the desert hot springs, while Geology Tours lives up to its name with an 18-mile motorcycle tour that takes you through some of the park’s most spectacular areas, including stunning granite monoliths and awe-inspiring retreats. for the desert.
Day Hiking: Yosemite National Park: Glacier Point * Yosemite Valley * Tuolumne Meadows * Mono Basin — Books
What’s better than a Sonoma adventure with your four-legged friend? A trip to Sonoma with your four-legged friend ends with a dip in the cool, sweet river. With a short and easy trail, the Forestville River Access leads to a beautiful stretch of sandy beach on the Russian River. Located in Healdsburg, Riverfront Regional Park has several walking trails along the river, perfect for walking and swimming with your furry companion.
Nothing beats a tree walk through the upper woods of New York and our Saugerties location
