Yosemite National Park is an amazing place to visit, and a great place to take children. Whether you’re camping or staying at resort, you’ll find so many opportunities for exploration with your kids in Yosemite.

Here you’ll find a brief list of fun things to do in Yosemite, it is by no means exhaustive, there are so many wonderful place to go and things to see, it would be impossible to list them all!

Hike to the waterfalls

Yosemite is home to countless waterfalls, some of these falls are visible from roads and turn-outs, and some have hiking trails leading to them. Two great waterfall hiking trails to take the kids on are the Bridalveil Fall Trail and the Lower Yosemite Fall Trail, both of these are rated “easy.” If you’ve got older kids with some experience hiking, you might check out the trails that lead to Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall, these trails are rated moderate to strenuous.

Visit the Giant Sequoias

Yosemite National Park, as well as the surrounding areas, is home to some of the largest trees you will ever see! Be sure to check out these giant Sequoia trees with your kids, they will be amazed! Try to see how many of your family members it takes to reach all the way around one of these trees, you just might find that you need to enlist some help from other visitors!

Experience Yosemite at night

For a child who lives in the city or suburb, it’s amazing to get out and really see the night sky without all the light pollution they’re used to. The National Park Service offers a program called “Starry Night Skies Over Yosemite” where you can “discover the stories of the night sky.”

National Park Service Kids Programs

If you’re visiting Yosemite in the summer, be sure to check out all the programs offered by the National Park Service. There are walks, hikes, story times, crafting times, campfire programs and so much more available free or for a low fee and all geared toward children of various ages.

Become a Junior Ranger

One National Park program you will especially not want to miss is the Junior Ranger program. Children ages 7-13 will learn about what it takes to be a Ranger and can earn their own Junior Ranger badge. There’s also a Little Cubs program for the 3-6 year olds where they can earn a Little Cubs button! The Junior Ranger program is available at almost all National Parks, so this is a fun activity you can make a part of future visits to other parks, too!

No matter what activities you decide to do with your kids at Yosemite National Park, you’re sure to have some grand adventures and learn and see so many new things! Get out there and explore!

What is one thing you would love to show your kids at Yosemite?