20. Yosemite National Park

What is Yosemite National Park?

If Yellowstone is about geysers and bison, Yosemite is about waterfalls, rocks, and giant sequoia trees.The park stretches over a thousand square miles, although most visitors head to Yosemite Valley. It has some of the most challenging rock climbs in the world, including El Capitan and the Half Dome.

What is Yosemite like? 

We'd been to Yellowstone a couple of years before and I didn't think Yosemite could beat it. It did - it's just so different. We loved it.


Where is Yosemite National Park? 

California, USA

When did we go?

April 2015

How did we get there? 

We did a road trip from San Diego up to San Francisco. We also visited the Golden Gate Bridge (60) and Alcatraz (was in the 2015 edition but removed in 2020). 

Worth noting:

Mariposa Grove was probably my favourite part of Yosemite. The giant trees are just incredible - I had wanted to see a tree that you could drive through since I was a kid. It had fallen over but it was still amazing.

What was Yosemite's position on the 2015 edition of the Lonely Planet Ultimate Travelist?

21. It moved up one place in the latest edition.

Does Yosemite deserve its place in the 2020 top 500?

Yes, without a shadow of a doubt.

Fallen Tunnel Tree

 Yosemite National Park