1 Day itinerary for exploring Yosemite National Park from San Francisco

Glacier Point Scenic Road

Groveland Hotel – We stayed 1 night at The Groveland Hotel which is about 30 minutes outside of the northern entrance of Yosemite National Park. The Groveland Hotel is the oldest hotel in the Yosemite area and it’s like going back in time when you arrive in the town of Groveland. We chose to stay in Groveland because it has the most direct route to Yosemite from the San Francisco Bay area.

Below is a map outlining our day and the spots we visited. Everything was relatively close together in Yosemite Valley with the exception of Glacier Point. Glacier Point was about an hour drive from Yosemite Valley but it is a MUST see in our opinion. The views are phenomenal at the top and you also get some great views along Glacier Point Road on the way up there.

1 Day Itinerary in Yosemite National Park

1. Yosemite Valley – El Capitan

2. Swinging Bridge

3. Bridalveil Falls

4. Glacier Point/Half Dome

5. Curry Village

6. The Ahwahnee

Map outlining our day in Yosemite

We ended the day at the Ahwahnee hotel. The hotel has a luxury wilderness vibe and the views are amazing! We decided on something casual for dinner, so we dined outside at the Ahwahnee Bar. We ordered the margharita pizza and enjoyed the rest of the evening. You could even see climbers on the mountain!

After our day in Yosemite, we made the drive back to the Bay area and stayed the night at the Aloft Hotel in Santa Clara (San Jose area).

The Travel Yosemite website has a lot of great information about things to do, dining and lodging. We referenced this a lot when planning out our day! https://www.travelyosemite.com