When you think of Yosemite National Park in California, your mind is probably flooded with towering granite cliffs, and epic hiking views. So it’s absolutely reasonable to think that most of the activities require specialty equipment and skills. WRONG! There are actually quite a few different soft adventure activities, almost all of which are also dog-friendly! In fact, depending on where you stay, you could actually conquer all but one of these Yosemite soft adventures in one day. How’s that sound?!
If you’re looking for more of a planning guide to Yosemite National Park, with detailed info on all of the things to do, and where to stay, check out our Ultimate Guide to Yosemite National Park article!
TUNNEL VIEW
The first spot on this list, is one of the most iconic views in the park. It’s also the easiest of them all to see. Sort of. The Tunnel View viewpoint is located on Wawona Road, and has a decently sized parking lot to park at, which makes this super accessible, no hiking involved. Unfortunately, this means that the parking lot fills up QUICKLY. Literally tour buses stop here and drop off handfuls of visitors to view this spot. So our recommendation, come early, or come late. Avoid the middle of the day peak traffic.
- DIFFICULTY – Easy
- LENGTH – 0.0mi (parking lot views!)
- TIME NEEDED – As long as you prefer (we’d recommend no more than 30 min)
- PET FRIENDLY – Yes!
GLACIER POINT
This might be the best view in the park in our opinion. Glacier Point is located along Glacier Point Road, which was closed due to weather damage for over 2 years. It reopened in late 2023, and is one of the best places to see sunrise. And much like Tunnel View, it requires no hiking. Park at the Glacier Point Parking lot, and enjoy the views! The perfect soft adventure!
- DIFFICULTY – Easy
- LENGTH – 0.0mi (street views!)
- TIME NEEDED – As long as you prefer (we’d recommend no more than 30-60 min)
- PET FRIENDLY – Yes!
MIRROR LAKE
If you’re looking for a hike with incredible views at the end, Mirror Lake is the trail for you! The hike to this incredible reflection view, has a couple of options: a 2.0mi out and back paved trail which is dog-friendly, making it a perfect soft adventure, or a 4.0mi looped trail which extends beyond the lake. Our recommendation would be to do this hike at sunrise. Seeing the sun hit the peaks of the surrounding cliffs is magical!
- DIFFICULTY – Easy to moderate
- LENGTH – 2.0mi out and back
- TIME NEEDED – 45-60min
- PET FRIENDLY – Yes! (only along the paved portion which leads up to the lake)
BRIDALVEIL FALL
Sadly during our first visit to Yosemite National Park, there were major fires in and around the park. It made most of the activities unsafe, and most of the views were not even viewable. Bridalveil was one of the few things we could see. And since it’s only a 0.8mi out and back trail, it didn’t require any overexertion. One a normal day though, this fall is absolutely beautiful and a must visit!
- DIFFICULTY – Easy
- LENGTH – 0.8mi out and back
- TIME NEEDED – 30min
- PET FRIENDLY – Yes!
LOWER YOSEMITE FALLS
The Lower Yosemite Falls Loop is a 1.2mi looped trail that takes you through some of the wooded areas of the Yosemite Valley. Halfway through the hike, you’re treated to not only views of Lower Yosemite Falls, but Upper Yosemite Falls as well! During the spring months, you’ll find both of these waterfalls flowing beautifully!
- DIFFICULTY – Easy
- LENGTH – 1.2mi loop
- TIME NEEDED – 30min
- PET FRIENDLY – Yes!
COOKS MEADOW
The official trail for Cooks Meadow, combines with Sentinel Meadow. The two trails combined make for a 2.0mi looped hike with boardwalk views of the surrounding granite cliffs. It also runs just past the iconic Yosemite Valley Chapel. If you’re looking for an easy breezy hike that you can take your dog on, and have incredible views of the surrounding cliffs, Cooks Meadow is the soft adventure for you!
- DIFFICULTY – Easy
- LENGTH – 2.0mi loop
- TIME NEEDED – 45-60min
- PET FRIENDLY – Yes!
MARIPOSA GROVE
When it comes to dog-friendliness and soft adventureness, Mariposa Grove can be either, but it’s tricky. Located along the southern end of Yosemite National Park, is a grove of Giant Sequoia trees. To access this grove, you can either hike a 1.9mi wooded trail that is not dog-friendly, or you can hike along a service road which is the same distance, but is dog-friendly, or you can take a shuttle during summer months. Once you’re to the grove, there are a number of different trails that you can choose from all of which are dog-friendly. So it’s sort of a choose your own adventure. But our recommendation, do the Grizzly Giant Loop. This will give you access to views of many of the main attractions inside the grove. Like, the Fallen Monarch, Bachelor and Three Graces, Grizzly Giant and California Tunnel Tree seen below. And the grove is dog-friendly!
- DIFFICULTY – Easy to moderate
- LENGTH – 2.0mi loop (not including hike to get to grove)
- TIME NEEDED – 45min-2hr
- PET FRIENDLY – Yes and no!
7 MUST-DO YOSEMITE SOFT ADVENTURES
Did you expect for there to be so many Yosemite soft adventures? If we’re being honest, we didn’t either. But with the right planning and timing, you could have an epic day of soft adventures in Yosemite and feel like you conquered the park! We hope this article has given you some inspiration for things to do. And like we mentioned at the beginning of this article, if you’re looking for more info than what is provided here, check out our Ultimate Guide to Yosemite National Park article!
EXPLORE THE BEST OF CALIFORNIA
While this article touches on some of the best places to visit in Yosemite, there is still a TON of information about California that we simply could not pack in to a single article. That’s where our epic interactive map of California comes in handy. Within this map and guide, you will find over 300 points of interest with detailed information about each location, cost, seasonality, dog-friendliness, and much much more! It also answers the question of, “what is there to do in each place?”
Not much of a planner? No worries! We also have curated itineraries to make the planning process easier for you. And if that isn’t enough, book a call with us or have us create a custom itinerary for you! We are here to help!
LOOKING FOR MORE SOFT ADVENTURE INSPIRATION?
- 5 MUST-DO DEATH VALLEY SOFT ADVENTURES
- 10 SOFT ADVENTURES IN GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK
- 7 SOFT ADVENTURE DAY TRIPS FROM SAN FRANCISCO
- 10 OF THE MOST EPIC U.S. SOFT ADVENTURES
- 9 MUST VISIT NATIONAL PARKS FOR SOFT ADVENTURES
