12 Backpacking Trails near Yosemite Valley, California
first prev 1 next lastShowing Backpacking Trails within 50 miles Distance miles of Yosemite Valley, California, USA City, Zip, or Address
Mist Trail
Yosemite National Park
2.8 miles EA steep, mist-soaked Yosemite staircase hike climbing 639 stone steps past Vernal and Nevada Falls — with Half Dome, Whitecap, and Mt. Broderick views from the switchbacks above.
Backpack, Hike 4.1 mi
North Dome
Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park
3.3 miles NEA strenuous 10.4-mile hike through Yosemite forest to North Dome, rewarding hikers with the best straight-on view of Half Dome from 7,450 feet — plus a 0.6-mile detour to a 15-foot granite arch.
Backpack, Hike
Mirror Lake
Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park
3.5 miles EA paved, car-free trail winds to this seasonal lake at the base of Half Dome, offering a still mirror reflection and a popular summer swimming hole.
Backpack, Hike, Swim 2.1 mi
Snow Creek Falls
Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park
4.8 miles NEA 2,140-foot, seven-drop cascade tucked deep in Tenaya Canyon — best spotted from the Mirror Lake Loop, where you can also take a swim before hunting for the falls from the Snow Creek Trail junction.
Backpack, Hike
Harden Lake
Big Oak Flat, Yosemite National Park
10.0 miles NA long but gentle 5.8-mile walk down old Tioga Road through granite domes and red fir forest to a serene lake ringed by wildflowers — with optional extension to the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne.
Backpack, Hike
Crane Flat
Big Oak Flat, Yosemite National Park
10.5 miles WFramed between two giant sequoia groves, Crane Flat meadow is a quiet Yosemite base camp for birding, stargazing, and seasonal hikes to Lukens and Harden Lake.
Backpack, Camp, Hike, Snowshoe 5.7 mi
Ten Lakes
Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park
12.9 miles NA 6.4-mile hike from Yosemite Creek to three of the Ten Lakes Basin's seven lakes, through wildflower meadows, forests, and past the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, gaining 2,200 feet.
Backpack, Camp, Hike 6.1 mi
Glen Aulin
Wawona, California
16.2 miles NEAn 11-mile hike along the Tuolumne River to Glen Aulin with 800 feet of gain, passing Tuolumne Falls, Soda Springs, wildflower meadows, and the stunning White Cascade.
Backpack, Camp, Hike
Glen Aulin
Glen Aulin, California
16.2 miles NEA popular introductory Yosemite High Country backcountry hike following the Tuolumne River to a High Sierra Camp beside the White Cascade waterfall, with further options to Waterwheel Falls.
Backpack, Camp, Hike, Swim 2.3 mi
Wapama Falls
Groveland, California
17.9 miles NWA 5-mile moderate hike along the Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite to 1,000-foot Wapama Falls — cross a dam, walk through a tunnel, and prepare to get sprayed by the mist at the bridge below.
Backpack, Hike
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
Groveland, California
18.0 miles NWHetch Hetchy's longest hiking season in Yosemite leads across the O'Shaughnessy Dam to Wapama Falls, where you're nearly guaranteed to get sprayed — plus day hikes to Smith Peak at 7,751 feet.
Backpack, Hike
Standish Hickey Area
Lakeshore, California
42.8 miles SEA two-mile stretch of the south fork of the Eel River inside a redwood canyon 180 miles from San Francisco — swim, kayak, fish, or hike, then camp near the 1,200-year-old Captain Miles Standish Tree.
Backpack, Camp, Hike, Kayak, Swim
