Yosemite Valley Day Hike

Yosemite Guided Hiking

Yosemite Valley Day Hike

$525

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Itinerary

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Matteo Fiori

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See Yosemite's waterfalls up close

Explore the iconic trails and meadows of Yosemite Valley

$525 for a private tour (1-5 guests; +$95 each after 5)

Yosemite Hiking with a naturalist guide ‘off the beaten path’ through Yosemite Valley’s majestic landscape of waterfalls, Granite monoliths, cascading streams, and lush meadows. Learn about the park with a guide who knows it intimately, and looks forward to sharing it with you. The days are all privately arranged and catered to your personal interest and abilities.

2025

February 15 – November 15Book Now

Pricing

$525 for 1-5 participants with 1 Private Guide

$95 each additional participant up to 10 people*
*Call to inquire about larger groups

Need specific dates or your own itinerary?
Explore Custom Trip Options

Trip Itinerary

Your guide will meet you in Yosemite Valley the morning of your scheduled day. Your guide will ask you about your personal interests, experience, and level of fitness to customize the day to your preferences. Some possible options are:

An easy day of short hikes in and around Yosemite Valley such as: absorbing the fantastic Bridalveil Falls (617′), hiking to the top of Vernal Falls (317’), getting up close and personal with the highest waterfalls in North America, Yosemite Falls (2,425′), and stopping at El Capitan Meadow to spot climbers on the largest granite monolith in the world.
Moderate hiking to truly off-the-beaten-path locations that offer unique perspectives of Yosemite’s iconic landmarks, including a special, seldom-seen spot, leading to the best perspective of Yosemite Valley, with views of Vernal, Nevada, Yosemite, and Illilouette Falls.
A moderate hike up the world famous Mist Trail past Vernal (317′) and Nevada Falls (594′), returning down the John Muir Trail, with scenic vistas overlooking Yosemite Valley.
A strenuous hike up Upper Yosemite Falls Trail, possibly continuing up to the summit of Eagle Peak with spectacular panoramas of the peaks of High Sierra and a unique, seldom-seen perspective of Yosemite Valley.

What's Included

Your SYMG Guide

SYMG guides are professional, highly experienced, friendly people that have spent years perfecting their interpretive and mountain skills in and around Yosemite. They look forward to guiding you in these spectacular locations, and helping you get the most out of your Yosemite experience. Tell your guide what interests you, and they will do their best to facilitate a positive outdoor experience s in a safe and enjoyable manner! Gratuities are accepted and appreciated for a job well done.

Gear

The following can be provided upon request:

Trekking Poles
Daypack

See “A Few More Notes” below for more details about what to bring

A Few More Notes

What to bring

Plan to bring the following items in a small daypack for your guided hike:

2-3 Liters of water per person
Lunch & snacks for the day
A warm layer and/or rainshell
Hat
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Camera (optional)

Wear comfortable and moisture wicking clothing (especially for the warm summer months of July-August). Comfortable hiking/running shoes that are with grippy soles are the best option for footwear. It’s important to check the weather prior to your day to make sure you’re dressing appropriately- check out our favorite weather forecast here: National Weather Service- Yosemite Valley

Travel & Logistics

Your day trip begins and ends in Yosemite Valley. If you are driving a personal vehicle, plan for extra time to get to your destination and find parking. Traffic can be heavy in Yosemite Valley during the peak months of summer.

Public Transportation is an option to consider to help avoid traffic and trouble finding a parking spot. YARTS offers a variety of pick up and drop off locations from all the different gateways into the park. You can purchase tickets online ahead of time to reserve your spot at www.yarts.com.

For more information, you can reference Yosemite National Park’s webpage here regarding parking and transportation.

What's not included

Personal clothing & footwear
Lunch, snacks & water
Transportation to Yosemite Valley
Recommended 10-20% gratuity for guides
Trip Insurance

Trip Reviews

Douglas D, 2021

I had a remarkable guided tour with Zach. Zach is incredibly skilled, well experienced and great asset to your company. Zach guided me with perfect balance of encouragement, engagement and professionalism that made me feel both safe & confident. I would gladly refer Zach to anyone in the area looking for a top notch experience. Thank you for making a memorable 40th birthday occasion. Regards, Douglas

Lou Anne B, 2019

I wish to extend my appreciation and admiration for the wonderful hike I had this past Saturday with our Guide Joe. He was knowledgeable, fun, and conscientious about my safety. It was a challenging hike as well as an education about the terrain and history of Yosemite. When I slipped and banged my arm due to my own carelessness, Joe performed first aid with aplomb. The Yosemite Valley Day Hike was wonderful and I highly recommend it to anyone. My family was on the Half Dome Hike with Gretchen and they too had a wonderful time.

Nadyne M, 2018

This totally saved the day. I just wanted to offer some feedback and let you know how much we appreciated Kelsey as our guide yesterday. He was fantastically knowledgable and such a lovely guy too. It was a real pleasure spending the day with him and we were especially appreciative of how Kelsey included our son throughout the day. Rory was totally at ease and loved every minute of it, as did we! Thanks again. We will definitely be recommending SYMG and will be back to Yosemite as soon as we can.

Jonathon S, 2015

Well - we’re all back home safely in the UK after our 25-day USA road trip and I just wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you and especially our guide Nick Robinson for an absolutely fantastic day hiking the South Rim… Obviously the valley itself is stunning but spending the day with Nick was a huge benefit as his knowledge of the flora & fauna and the history of the area really brought it all to life for us. Nick was a fine ambassador for SYMG and an absolute joy to spend the day with. He was warm, friendly and attentive to us all and the kids thought he was “awesome.” I’d be grateful if you could pass on our thanks once again to Nick for making our time in Yosemite so special and I shall recommend your company to everyone I know.

Annie M, 2015

We're just back in UK from our trip to Yosemite which included a day hike with Fred Ackerman. Just want to say how great he was. Our group was of mixed hiking abilities-I was definitely the slowest but he accommodated our pace completely and made our hike up Mist Trail and back down the John Muir a very memorable experience. Fred was fun and knowledgeable and we learnt a lot about the geology, fauna and flora of Yosemite and he was full of top tips about the best viewpoints. A brilliant day which we thoroughly enjoyed-thanks Fred! We'll definitely use SYMG for any future trips.

Kory Krista, 2014

Recently my family and I had the opportunity to hike the Panorama Trail with Pete Devine. We absolutely loved the experience, and it was by far the highlight of our entire trip. Pete is an excellent guide and ambassador for SYMG. His extensive knowledge of Yosemite, the trails, and the wildlife made the trip even more memorable. I will definitely recommend SYMG for anyone wanting the best outdoor experience possible of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevadas.

Vicky M, 2012

I just wanted to extend my thanks for organizing the tour this past Sunday and wanted to let you know that we all thought Patrick was just wonderful. The guided tour was better than I could have anticipated thanks to Patrick's awesome personality and obvious knowledge of the area. We had a fabulous time and appreciated his patience and expertise.

Misty A, 2011

My daughter and I learned so much, and our guide Mike let us get close enough to feel the mist from Vernal Falls...we had so much fun! Can't say enough good things about him...and he had such a thorough knowledge of Yosemite and the surrounding area. Wonderful experience! I will definitely use SYMG again!

Yosemite Valley Day Hike

$525