Planning a Trip

There are reams of visitor information available by phone, in bookstores, and on the Internet for these parks, but the National Park Service is the best place to start.

If you're planning a visit to Yosemite National Park, you can get general information on accommodations, weather, and permits from their touch-tone phone menu at tel. 209/372-0200 or online at www.nps.gov/yose. The hearing-impaired can get information by calling tel. 209/372-4726. For camping reservations, call tel. 800/436-7275.

You can buy books and maps from the nonprofit Yosemite Association, P.O. Box 230, El Portal, CA 95318 (tel. 209/379-2646; www.yosemite.org). For information on much of the lodging within Yosemite National Park, contact DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, 6771 N Palm Ave, Fresno CA, 93704 (tel. 559/252-4848; www.yosemitepark.com).

Information on lodging and activities outside the park is available from the visitor centers and chambers of commerce in the park's surrounding cities. If you're coming from the west on CA 120, contact the Tuolumne County Visitor Center in Sonora (tel. 800/446-1333 or 209/533-4420; www.thegreatunfenced.com) or the Highway 120 (CA 120) Chamber of Commerce in Groveland (tel. 800/449-9120 or 209/962-0429; www.groveland.org). On CA 140, contact the Mariposa County Visitors Bureau (tel. 866/425-3366 or 209/966-3685; www.homeofyosemite.com). On CA 41 south of the park, call the Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau in Oakhurst (tel. 559/683-4636; http://www.yosemitethisyear.com). From Lee Vining on the park's eastern boundary, contact the Lee Vining Chamber of Commerce (tel. 760/647-6629; www.leevining.com). There's a California Welcome Center at 710 W. 16th St., Merced (tel. 800/446-5353 or 209/384-7092; www.yosemite-gateway.org).

Access & Entry Points

There are four entrances to Yosemite: the Big Oak Flat Entrance and the Arch Rock Entrance from the west, the South Entrance, and the Tioga Pass Entrance from the east. Make sure to get a copy of the biweekly Yosemite Today when you come in for up-to-date information on ranger programs and other park events and activities.

Fees

It costs $20 per car per week to enter the valley, or $10 per person per week if arriving on bicycle, on motorcycle, or on foot. The Yosemite Pass, for $40, covers entry into the park for a year.

It costs $5 to $18 a night to camp in a Yosemite campground (tel. 800/436-7275; http://reservations.nps.gov). It's best to book at least 5 months in advance if you are planning to camp during the summer, especially in Yosemite Valley. It's worth checking back if you missed out because cancellations do occur. Reservations are accepted up to 5 months in advance, beginning on the 15th of each month. For example, a camper wanting a reservation for August 1 can apply no earlier than March 15. Additional campground information is available by phone (tel. 209/372-0200) or online (www.nps.gov/yose/trip/camping.htm).

Regulations

The regulations here are similar to those at most other National Park Service properties -- don't damage the resources, no pets or bikes on trails, observe campground quiet hours, and the like -- but here the storage of food, or anything that bears might think counts as food, is also strictly regulated. In many cases, you'll need to place food and items that smell like they might be food (perfume and even toothpaste) in bear-proof canisters or lockers. Regulations are posted throughout the park, and you'll also receive information when you enter the park, but we strongly suggest that you carry as little food, cosmetics, and so on as possible.