Hike out of the Valley to get fall views from above: 4 Mile Trail is one of my favorites for fall colors, but you can also get good views from the Yosemite Falls trail or the Snow Creek trail. Photograph some beautiful scenes: some of my favorite photography spots are along the Merced River and the bucks usually make an appearance near the Yosemite Village which make for stunning shots. Here’s more information on renting bikes in the Valley.īring some food and enjoy a picnic at Cathedral or Sentinel Beach: both of these picnic areas have gorgeous fall colors along the Merced River, a great place to hang with family or friends. Walk or bike the Valley Loop: the entire Valley Loop is 11.5 miles long, but I usually pick a few sections of it to walk and enjoy the beautiful fall colors. You can definitely find fall colors in the other places I mentioned (Tioga Pass & Glacier Point), but the colors seem to be the most prevalent in the Valley. My favorite area to enjoy fall colors is in the Valley. Check Yosemite’s current conditions here. This road closes for the season after a big snowfall in the late fall, which varies each year. The meadows will crisp to a golden hue and some shrubbery as well, usually in October. Tioga Pass - this part of the park is much higher than the Valley, with elevations between 6,000 - 9,900 ft with hikes that take you even higher. Glacier Point - this beautiful view point is a bit higher, around 7,000 ft in elevation so you’ll see colors change up here before the Valley, around the beginning to middle of October. I typically make a point to visit the first and/or second week of November, which has been ideal conditions in the past. Yosemite Valley - averaging around 4,000 ft in elevation, you won’t see much color change until end of October and this area is usually in peak through the first weeks of November. This answer varies in Yosemite because of the differences in elevation throughout the park so I’ll break down this answer for each location.

Fall scenery in california