- Best time to visit Yosemite: April, May and October. The weather is at its most comfortable then, and crowds are lighter than at the peak.
- Busiest month: July, with about 577,313 visits in a typical recent year. That is 4.8 times as many as February.
- Quietest month: February (120,814 visits).
- Wettest month: January, with 7.0 inches on average.
Bar height: visitors that month, compared with the busiest month. Temperatures: average daily high and low (°F); rain and snow: monthly averages. Best marks the months we suggest.
Month by month
| Month | Crowds | Visits (typical) | High / low (°F) | Precipitation | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Quiet | 131,736 | 48° / 28° | 7.0 in | n/a |
| February | Quiet | 120,814 | 51° / 30° | 6.5 in | n/a |
| March | Quiet | 151,430 | 57° / 34° | 5.5 in | n/a |
| April ★ | Moderate | 259,916 | 63° / 38° | 3.2 in | n/a |
| May ★ | Busy | 395,326 | 70° / 44° | 1.9 in | n/a |
| June | Busiest | 526,864 | 80° / 51° | 0.5 in | n/a |
| July | Busiest | 577,313 | 89° / 57° | 0.3 in | n/a |
| August | Busiest | 570,297 | 89° / 57° | 0.2 in | n/a |
| September | Busiest | 512,523 | 83° / 51° | 0.4 in | n/a |
| October ★ | Busy | 454,123 | 71° / 41° | 1.6 in | n/a |
| November | Moderate | 232,728 | 56° / 32° | 4.0 in | n/a |
| December | Quiet | 157,438 | 46° / 28° | 5.6 in | n/a |
Weather figures are NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Yosemite Park HQ station (4,018 feet above sea level), 0 miles from Yosemite Valley Welcome Center. Higher parts of the park are colder and snowier. Visitor numbers are the median of 2022 to 2025 monthly recreation visits from the National Park Service.
By season
- Spring (March to May): 20% of the year’s visits; average highs 57° to 70°F.
- Summer (June to August): 41% of the year’s visits; average highs 80° to 89°F.
- Fall (September to November): 29% of the year’s visits; average highs 56° to 83°F.
- Winter (December to February): 10% of the year’s visits; average highs 46° to 51°F.
Weekends and holidays
Even in a quiet month, holiday weekends fill parking lots and campgrounds. The 2027 federal holidays to plan around:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Monday, January 18
- Presidents Day: Monday, February 15
- Memorial Day: Monday, May 31
- Juneteenth: Saturday, June 19
- Independence Day: Sunday, July 4 (observed Monday, July 5)
- Labor Day: Monday, September 6
- Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day: Monday, October 11
- Veterans Day: Thursday, November 11
- Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 25
Entrance is free for U.S. residents on the park service’s fee-free days. The last one in 2026 is Veterans Day, November 11; the 2027 dates had not been announced when we checked. Free days are often busier. See the crowd calendar for all 64 parks.
Weather, in the park service’s words
Yosemite National Park covers nearly 1,200 square miles (3,100 square km) in the Sierra Nevada, with elevations ranging from about 2,000 feet (600 m) to 13,000 ft (4,000 m). Yosemite receives 95% of its precipitation between October and May (and over 75% between November and March). Most of Yosemite is blanketed in snow from about November through May. (Yosemite Valley can be rainy or snowy in any given winter storm.)
From the National Park Service (public domain).
Today at Yosemite
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Alerts: National Park Service, checked hourly. Forecast: National Weather Service, for Yosemite Valley Welcome Center. Always confirm on the official park site before you set out.
Sources
- National Park Service visitor use statistics (IRMA): monthly recreation visits, 2022 to 2025
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991 to 2020 (monthly)
- National Park Service Data API: weather overview (public domain)
Last checked 1 November 2026.