Yosemite in winter.

Open roads and chain controls.

Yosemite Valley and Wawona stay reachable by car all year. Three roads bring you in: El Portal Road (Highway 140) from the Arch Rock Entrance, Wawona Road (Highway 41) from the South Entrance, and Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120 from the west). Hetch Hetchy Road is open too, but only from sunrise to sunset, and it closes when it's snowing or snow is forecast overnight. Tioga Road closes for the season, usually by sometime in November, and then no cars are allowed between Crane Flat and Tioga Pass, including Tuolumne Meadows; our Tioga Road page covers that road. The road to Glacier Point also closes, usually sometime in November, but from mid-December through early April it's plowed as far as Badger Pass Ski Area. Every road's season is on our Yosemite road closures page.

Plan on chains. NPS says that if you visit any part of Yosemite from November through March, you should expect chain requirements, even if you only plan to see Yosemite Valley and ride the free shuttle. Any time chain controls are in effect, every vehicle must carry chains, including four-wheel drives and rental cars, and rental companies generally don't provide them. Higher roads get more snow, so Wawona Road, Big Oak Flat Road, and Badger Pass Road need chains more often than El Portal Road. Chains, cables, and tire socks all meet the rule. Plastic devices, straps, and other emergency "tire chains" don't.

Signs tell you the level. At R-1, chains go on unless you drive a car, pickup, or SUV under 6,000 pounds with snow tires on at least two drive wheels and no trailer. At R-2, chains go on unless the vehicle is under 6,500 pounds, has snow tires on all four wheels, has four-wheel or all-wheel drive engaged, and isn't towing. At R-3, every vehicle chains up, no exceptions. Mud and snow (M+S) tires count as snow tires if the tread is at least 6/32 of an inch deep. Many battery-electric trucks and some large electric SUVs weigh more than 6,000 pounds, so they need chains at R-1 even with snow tires. The speed limit in a chain control area is 25 mph.

Skipping chains gets expensive. You can be cited up to $5,000 if you don't put them on when required. If you don't have chains with you, you may have to call a tow truck to supply them, which could cost up to a few hundred dollars, isn't covered by AAA, and can mean a wait of several hours, per the NPS tire chain page. For today's roads inside the park, call 209/372-0200, then press 1 and 1. NPS updates that recording whenever road conditions change, and it includes current chain requirements. For state highways outside Yosemite, call 800/427-7623. Yosemite isn't using a timed entrance reservation in 2026; our Yosemite reservations page follows that decision.

Mariposa Grove Road is closed from about November to April. While it's closed, you reach the grove on the Washburn Trail, a two-mile route with 500 feet of elevation gain. It may be snowy or icy, and NPS says skis or snowshoes may be appropriate.

Skiing, snowshoeing, and Horsetail Fall.

Badger Pass Ski Area is the center of winter sports. It sits on Glacier Point Road, which NPS also calls Badger Pass Road in winter, five miles east of the Wawona Road junction, with its base at 7,200 feet. Downhill skiing and snowboarding run from mid-December through March, conditions permitting, with lift tickets, lessons, and rentals through Yosemite Hospitality. The Nordic Center there rents cross-country skis and snowshoes and teaches classic, skate, and telemark skiing. Tire chains are often required on the roads up. NPS gives no fixed opening date for the 2026-27 season, so check the NPS winter activities page before you book.

NPS rangers may lead free snowshoe walks from Badger Pass from mid-December through March, conditions and staffing permitting, and the Yosemite Conservancy and the Yosemite Mountaineering School lead guided snowshoe walks too. Marked winter routes generally have enough snow from mid-to-late December through mid-March, though conditions vary year to year. At Crane Flat, where the routes begin at roughly 6,200 feet, the marked routes aren't groomed for skiing. They range from Crane Flat Lookout (1.5 miles one way) to the Gin Flat Loop Trail (6.25 miles round trip). The Glacier Point Ski Hut, a winter lodge with bunks, is a 10.5-mile cross-country ski trip.

Sledding isn't allowed at Badger Pass. Yosemite Hospitality runs a snow tubing hill there instead and rents the tubes. For sledding, use the snow play area at Crane Flat, open in winter when conditions allow. The Curry Village Ice Rink is open from mid-November to mid-March, conditions permitting. Most of the park is under snow, but some Yosemite Valley trails are often accessible, and once some snow and rain have fallen, Yosemite Falls starts flowing again. Backpacking options are very limited.

Horsetail Fall is a small waterfall on the eastern edge of El Capitan that usually flows only in winter. On rare occasions in mid- to late February, it glows orange when the setting sun backlights it. That happens only on clear evenings while the fall is flowing, and even some haze or minor cloudiness can erase it. For 2026, NPS projected the viewing period as February 10 to 26. It had not posted a window for 2027 when we checked in September 2026, so watch the NPS Horsetail Fall page.

NPS puts viewing restrictions in place every day in mid- to late February. The rules on its Horsetail Fall page, last updated January 14, 2026: park at Yosemite Falls parking, just west of Yosemite Valley Lodge, and walk 1.5 miles each way to the viewing area near El Capitan Picnic Area. If that lot is full, park at Yosemite Village or Curry Village and take the free shuttle to Yosemite Falls parking. One lane of Northside Drive closes to cars so people can walk the road, and parking, stopping, or unloading passengers is prohibited between Lower Yosemite Fall and El Capitan Crossover. Vehicles with a disability placard may drive to El Capitan Picnic Area and park in turnouts on the north side of Northside Drive. On busy weekends, Northside Drive may close completely for about a half hour after sunset. Bring warm clothes and a headlamp or flashlight. Our Yosemite photography page covers the light itself.

Where to sleep.

Two park lodges in Yosemite Valley are open year-round: The Ahwahnee and Yosemite Valley Lodge. The NPS lodging page lists Curry Village as open seasonally, and Yosemite Hospitality says it will be closed from November 29 through December 10, 2026. Housekeeping Camp's 2026 season ends October 12. The Wawona Hotel is closed, and its operator gives no reopening date. Reservations open 366 days in advance, and NPS strongly recommends them, especially during holidays.

Three campgrounds go first-come, first-served in winter: Camp 4 from mid-November through mid-April (tents only, no sleeping in vehicles), and Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow from late October through early April. In 2026, Wawona's Loop A stays on reservations through the night of November 28. They can fill on weekends and holidays. Upper Pines is the only campground on reservations all year. Sleeping in a vehicle is allowed only in a designated campsite. Call 209/372-0266 for current campground status, and see our Yosemite camping page for the rest.

If you'd rather not drive mountain roads in winter, YARTS runs year-round bus service to Yosemite on Highway 140 through Merced and Mariposa counties. Its Highway 140 winter schedule runs October 1, 2026 through May 28, 2027. Our Yosemite airports page covers Merced and Fresno.

How quiet winter really is.

January is Yosemite's quietest month, averaging about 115,000 recreation visits against 537,000 in August, the busiest. November runs 40% of August's visits, December 28%, January 21%, February 24%, and March 25%.

Quiet doesn't mean empty every day. NPS warns that Yosemite may be very busy during winter holidays, especially late December and early January, with traffic congestion and limited parking. Horsetail Fall draws a crowd too: NPS counted 2,433 people viewing it on February 19, 2022. So is Yosemite worth visiting in winter? Yes, if you want the Valley with a fraction of summer's visitors, a day at Badger Pass, or a shot at Horsetail Fall. It's the wrong season if you want to drive Tioga Road or up to Glacier Point, or you'd rather not deal with chains. The best time to visit Yosemite page weighs winter against the rest of the year.

Daylight and cold.

On December 21 the sun rises at 7:10 a.m. and sets at 4:43 p.m. at the Yosemite Valley Welcome Center, per the U.S. Naval Observatory, which leaves 9 hours 33 minutes of daylight. On February 21, in the Horsetail Fall season, sunset is 5:44 p.m., so you'll walk the 1.5 miles back to the car in the dark. By March 21 sunset is 7:11 p.m., on daylight time.

NPS gives winter averages of 53°F and 28°F for Yosemite Valley and Wawona, at about 4,000 feet. NOAA 1991-2020 normals at the Yosemite Park HQ station in the Valley (USC00049855, 4,018 ft) put December's average high at 46°F and low at 28°F, and January's at 48°F and 29°F. January is also the wettest month there, with about 7 inches of precipitation. That station's snowfall normals are zero, and NPS says you may or may not find snow on the Valley floor in winter. Badger Pass, at 7,200 feet, and Crane Flat, at about 6,200, sit well above the station, so dress for colder air and snow there.

Common questions.

Is it worth going to Yosemite in winter?

Yes, if you're ready for chain controls. January averages 21% of August's visits, the Valley stays open by car, Badger Pass has skiing and snowshoeing from mid-December (conditions permitting), and Horsetail Fall can glow in mid- to late February. The tradeoffs: Tioga Road and Glacier Point are closed to cars, chains are often required from November through March, and late December and early January can be very busy.

Is Yosemite too cold in December?

Not for a Valley trip if you dress for it. At the NOAA station in Yosemite Valley, December averages a high of 46°F and a low of 28°F, so days are cool and nights drop below freezing. NPS gives winter averages of 53°F and 28°F for the Valley and Wawona. Badger Pass sits at 7,200 feet and runs colder. Sunset on December 21 is 4:43 p.m..

Do you need chains in Yosemite if you have snow tires or 4WD?

You need to carry them. Any time chain controls are in effect, every vehicle must have chains in its possession, including four-wheel drives and rental cars. Snow tires can spare you from putting them on at the first two levels: at R-1 for a car, pickup, or SUV under 6,000 pounds with snow tires on at least two drive wheels, and at R-2 for a vehicle under 6,500 pounds with snow tires on all four wheels and four-wheel drive engaged. At R-3, every vehicle chains up. Call 209/372-0200, then 1 and 1, for today's requirements.

Where these facts come from

Winter road access, plowing to Badger Pass, the Washburn Trail, holiday crowds, winter temperatures, Valley trails, and Yosemite Falls come from the NPS Visiting in Winter page. Chain levels, when chains are likely, legal devices, rental cars, the speed limit, the citation, the tow-truck fallback, and the road recording come from the NPS tire chain requirements page. Year-round roads, Hetch Hetchy Road hours, and the Mariposa Grove Road season come from the NPS vehicle restrictions page and the NPS current conditions page; the 2026 reservation decision from the NPS reservations page. Badger Pass, the Nordic Center, ranger snowshoe walks, Crane Flat routes and snow play, the tubing hill, and the ice rink come from the NPS winter activities page. Horsetail Fall timing, viewing rules, and the 2022 crowd count come from the NPS Horsetail Fall page, and the 2026 viewing period from the NPS 2026 Horsetail Fall news release. Lodge seasons and the reservation window come from the NPS lodging page, and Curry Village's closure dates, Housekeeping Camp's 2026 season, and the Wawona Hotel's status from Yosemite Hospitality's Curry Village, Housekeeping Camp, and Wawona Hotel pages; winter campgrounds from the NPS camping without a reservation page and the NPS campgrounds page; the YARTS winter schedule from YARTS. Sunrise and sunset come from the U.S. Naval Observatory for 2026 in local clock time. Temperatures, precipitation, and snowfall are NOAA 1991-2020 normals at Yosemite Park HQ (USC00049855). Road lines and pins are OpenStreetMap geometry routed by OSRM (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Crowd numbers are five-year monthly means (2021 to 2025) of recreation visits from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package on NPS IRMA Stats. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.