Yosemite National Park

Permit Information

Special Use Permit required. $150 non refundable application fee. Event monitoring is required at $50 per hour for outdoor events with groups of 30 or more (and for certain locations starting at 35 or 50 guests). Apply up to 1 year in advance, and no later than 21 days before your event. Ceremony duration is limited to 2 hours. Entrance fees are not waived. Group size limits vary by location (20 to 100). Prohibited: amplified music and PA systems, balloons, arches, formal decorations, butterfly…

Seasonal Planning

No timed entry reservations are required in 2026. Yosemite lifted the vehicle reservation system as of February 2026. Spring (April through June) is the most dramatic: waterfalls are at peak flow, the valley is electric green, and the light is soft. Summer is crowded and hot in the valley but beautiful at elevation. Fall (September through November) brings golden oak leaves, fewer crowds, and crisp air. Winter closes some roads but offers snow dusted granite and almost no visitors, the most intimate Yosemite experience. The park still recommends weekday visits and arriving before 8 am or after 4 pm to avoid peak congestion.

Photography Notes

Glacier Point is the classic sunset location. The valley fills with golden light and Half Dome turns amber in the last 30 minutes before dark. Arrive by 4pm in summer. Valley View near the western entrance gives you El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall reflected in the Merced, best in spring. Tunnel View is crowded; go at sunrise on a weekday.

Planning Your Day at Yosemite National Park

One-Spot Day

Yosemite's Merced side picnic areas (Cathedral Beach, Sentinel Beach, Swinging Bridge) work beautifully as one spot days. Granite walls behind you, river at your feet, and enough shade to carry the ceremony into portraits without moving. Glacier Point Amphitheater is the other strong one spot option when the road is open, but plan for cold wind and a 45 minute drive each way.

Ceremony + Portraits Split

The signature Yosemite split is a valley floor ceremony into Glacier Point at sunset, about 45 to 60 minutes of driving each way when Glacier Point Road is open (typically late May through October). For a tighter day, pair Cathedral Beach for the ceremony with Tunnel View for portraits; both are under 10 minutes apart and stay open year round.

A Note on Light

The valley loses direct sun fast. By 5pm in summer, El Capitan is already shadowed while Half Dome still glows. Plan portraits for the last 60 minutes before sunset at Glacier Point or Tunnel View to catch alpenglow on Half Dome. Valley floor ceremonies between 10am and 4pm stay soft and forgiving under the granite walls, and Bridalveil Fall is best in the afternoon when the sun hits the spray.

Ceremony Spots at Yosemite National Park

• Glacier Point Amphitheater — Sunset ceremony at the NPS designated amphitheater with Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, and the entire backcountry spread below at 7,214 feet
• Taft Point — Raw, dramatic cliff edge ceremony with a 3,500 foot drop, unobstructed El Capitan view, and no guardrails
• Sentinel Dome — Intimate 360 degree summit portraits above the valley with Half Dome, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, and the High Sierra all visible in one slow turn
• Tunnel View — The gateway vista with El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall in one sweep, a portrait destination rather than a formal ceremony site
• Mirror Lake — Intimate valley floor portrait location with Half Dome reflecting in still water, a photo destination rather than an official ceremony site
• Cathedral Beach Picnic Area — Riverside ceremony on the Merced with El Capitan reflecting in the water, the most iconic granite backdrop in the valley
• Sentinel Beach Picnic Area — Larger valley floor ceremony on the Merced River beneath Sentinel Rock, the highest guest capacity of any approved valley permit site
• Swinging Bridge Picnic Area — Intimate valley floor ceremony on the Merced with a wooden footbridge and Yosemite Falls framed upstream
• Cascades Picnic Area — Small group valley floor ceremony beside the cascading Merced at the west end of the valley, quieter than the central picnic permits
• Bridalveil Fall — Arrival moment ceremony at the 620 foot waterfall that greets every valley visitor, with newly renovated paved access
• Lower Yosemite Fall Paved Trail — Valley ceremony at the base of North America's tallest waterfall, fully paved and wheelchair accessible
• Tenaya Lake Beach — High Sierra alpine ceremony at 8,150 feet, a turquoise lake ringed by granite domes, summer only
• Wawona Chapel — Intimate indoor ceremony in an 1879 chapel, the only year round indoor ceremony option inside the park