The hiking seemed limited, and neither of the places to stay in the Valley allow pets. But, after talking to some Park Rangers, a little bit of a deeper dive actually uncovered a ton of great dog-friendly options, and really has made Yosemite one of the more dog-friendly National Parks we've visited!
Like I said, the two places to stay inside of Yosemite Valley, the Ahwahnee and Yosemite Valley Lodge, are not dog-friendly. Same goes for the campgrounds.
The rooms were great (our second story one had vaulted 20 foot ceilings that were to die for), and they didn’t charge a pet fee for us! The downside is that you do have to pay for WiFi, and cell service isn’t good enough to rely on just that.
If you’re coming up from Fresno, there are a couple pet-friendly spots in Fish Camp: Tenaya Lodge and Little Ahwahnee Inn.
Looking at Google Maps from Fresno, you’re going to get directions to Yosemite through Fish Camp. And seemingly, that makes sense...because it’s closer. But, if you stay in Fish Camp, you’ll be driving in through the Wawona entrance to the park.
It’s a beautiful drive, but it’s pretty tough. There’s a ton of winding and weaving up and down through the mountains, and especially if you’re trying to catch sunrise, it means a super early start.
While El Portal is further from Fresno, it leaves you with only about 25 minutes into Yosemite Valley every day, and even sets you significantly closer to the famous Wawona Tunnel View than a stay outside the south entrance would. If ease of access to the park is your goal, El Portal is definitely the better option.
But, food options are more limited in El Portal.
There’s a couple restaurants on site at the Lodge, as well as a couple restaurants and a grocery store in Yosemite Valley. Fish Camp isn’t much better, but there’s at least something, even if just fast food. To me, the ideal scenario is to plan your meals at the spots in Yosemite Valley, while staying in El Portal. We made our exit drive out through the south, and it’s not one I would look forward to doing twice a day for my entire length of stay.
If you’re really interested in some of the trails that are not dog-friendly, such as Upper Yosemite Falls, any sort of climbing, or any parts of the John Muir Trail, there’s a day kennel at the Yosemite Valley Stable, where you can leave your pup for $10/day. They also do overnight for $20, but I don’t know that I’d recommend it - the information we got was that they don’t do walks, etc, so it’d probably be a pretty sad time for your furry friend.
El Capitan is a thing of beauty, and fortunately enough, you can walk with your dog right up to the face of it! The path through the meadow isn’t super well marked, and the “Choose Your Own Adventure” route up the rocks was something Zero really loved. I would also recommend getting to this area before 2-3pm. Because it’s on the back side of the loop through the Valley, most people hit it as the last part of their day. Going early, there was nobody else to compete with!
The entire paved and boardwalk’d path up to the lower viewpoint of Yosemite Falls is dog-friendly! It was a great walk we enjoyed doing earlier in the morning, and still offers an amazing view of the massive waterfall.
Mirror Lake Trail is another fully paved option. While the lake itself isn’t anything to write home about, the turnaround spot for the trail offers perfect views of North and Half Dome, as well as Glacier Point!
There’s one point along the trail where you’ll see a “No Pets” sign, but that’s only referring to the unpaved route that runs by another lake.
That area has traditionally been a mountain lion habitat, so as long as you stick to the paved road, your dog can keep going until you hit the lake!
While you can’t experience the entire hike up to Glacier Point, you can still drive up Glacier Point Road, where the trail at the parking lot is the ideal spot for watching the sunset over Yosemite. This road is usually only open from May-October, and can get crowded pretty quickly, but parking at the top isn’t a huge issue. Get there early enough before sunset to scope out your spot!
One of the most iconic photos in all Yosemite is at sunrise from the Wawona Tunnel parking lot. People start setting up cameras at least a half hour before the sun comes up to get a picture perfect view of everything the Valley is known for. No hike involved, just park in the lot and head to the viewpoint, and catch a glimpse of one of the most spectacular sunrises in the world.
