January in Yosemite National Park — the hardest end of the year
Hardest · 4.7/10January averages -5°C (22°F) — deep-winter cold that dictates the whole trip: short outdoor stints, indoor plans on standby, and no expectation of long walking days.
At 167 mm this is a genuinely wet month: about 24 sunny days in total, and outdoor plans need an indoor fallback.
It scores 4.7/10 here, 11th of 12 months, against 10/10 in the destination's best month.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Yosemite National Park — 5.3 points higher on the same scale.
February in Yosemite National Park — the hardest end of the year
Hardest · 4.8/10February averages -5°C (22°F) — deep-winter cold that dictates the whole trip: short outdoor stints, indoor plans on standby, and no expectation of long walking days.
At 169 mm this is a genuinely wet month: about 22 sunny days in total, and outdoor plans need an indoor fallback.
It scores 4.8/10 here, 9th of 12 months, against 10/10 in the destination's best month.
Expect low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Yosemite National Park — 5.2 points higher on the same scale.
March in Yosemite National Park — the hardest end of the year
Hardest · 4.8/10March averages -5°C (23°F), cold enough that sightseeing works in bursts rather than in one long day on foot.
217 mm of rain puts this in monsoon territory — about 24 sunny days across the whole month, and multi-day washouts are normal.
It scores 4.8/10 here, 10th of 12 months, against 10/10 in the destination's best month.
Expect low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Yosemite National Park — 5.2 points higher on the same scale.
April in Yosemite National Park — reliably good (7th best month)
Good · 7.2/10April averages -1°C (30°F), cold enough that sightseeing works in bursts rather than in one long day on foot.
Rainfall runs 60 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 28 sunny days and 13.2 hours of daylight.
It scores 7.2/10 here, 7th of 12 months, against 10/10 in the destination's best month.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a packable rain layer, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Yosemite National Park — 2.8 points higher on the same scale.
May in Yosemite National Park — reliably good (5th best month)
Good · 8.4/10May averages 3°C (38°F), cold enough that sightseeing works in bursts rather than in one long day on foot.
Expect 36 mm of rain — occasional showers rather than washed-out days — alongside about 30 sunny days and 14.2 daylight hours.
It scores 8.4/10 here, 5th of 12 months, against 10/10 in the destination's best month.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Yosemite National Park — 1.6 points higher on the same scale.
June in Yosemite National Park — the year's strongest window
Best window · 9.8/10June averages 11°C (51°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Expect 28 mm of rain — occasional showers rather than washed-out days — alongside about 30 sunny days and 14.7 daylight hours.
On our climate-comfort scale this is the top-ranked month of the year for Yosemite National Park at 9.8/10 — the reference point every other month on this page is measured against.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, footwear you can get muddy.
July in Yosemite National Park — the year's strongest window
Best window · 10/10July averages 16°C (60°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Expect 17 mm of rain — occasional showers rather than washed-out days — alongside about 31 sunny days and 14.5 daylight hours.
On our climate-comfort scale this is the top-ranked month of the year for Yosemite National Park at 10/10 — the reference point every other month on this page is measured against.
Expect peak pricing, and this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, footwear you can get muddy.
August in Yosemite National Park — the year's strongest window
Best window · 10/10August averages 14°C (57°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Expect 30 mm of rain — occasional showers rather than washed-out days — alongside about 30 sunny days and 13.6 daylight hours.
On our climate-comfort scale this is the top-ranked month of the year for Yosemite National Park at 10/10 — the reference point every other month on this page is measured against.
Expect peak pricing, and this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, footwear you can get muddy.
September in Yosemite National Park — the year's strongest window
Best window · 9.6/10September averages 11°C (51°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Expect 25 mm of rain — occasional showers rather than washed-out days — alongside about 29 sunny days and 12.4 daylight hours.
On our climate-comfort scale this is the top-ranked month of the year for Yosemite National Park at 9.6/10 — the reference point every other month on this page is measured against.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, footwear you can get muddy.
October in Yosemite National Park — reliably good (6th best month)
Good · 8/10October averages 5°C (41°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Rainfall runs 54 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 29 sunny days and 11.2 hours of daylight.
It scores 8/10 here, 6th of 12 months, against 10/10 in the destination's best month.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a packable rain layer, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Yosemite National Park — 2 points higher on the same scale.
November in Yosemite National Park — workable with trade-offs
Trade-offs · 6.2/10November averages -2°C (29°F), cold enough that sightseeing works in bursts rather than in one long day on foot.
Rainfall runs 88 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 25 sunny days and 10.1 hours of daylight.
It scores 6.2/10 here, 8th of 12 months, against 10/10 in the destination's best month.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a packable rain layer, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Yosemite National Park — 3.8 points higher on the same scale.
December in Yosemite National Park — the hardest end of the year
Hardest · 4.4/10December averages -3°C (26°F), cold enough that sightseeing works in bursts rather than in one long day on foot.
251 mm of rain puts this in monsoon territory — about 21 sunny days across the whole month, and multi-day washouts are normal.
It scores 4.4/10 here, 12th of 12 months, against 10/10 in the destination's best month.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack insulated layers, a windproof shell, gloves and boots with grip, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella, footwear you can get muddy.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Yosemite National Park — 5.6 points higher on the same scale.
