Yosemite in Winter
A holiday steam train in the pines, skating under Half Dome and snow tubing at Badger Pass. Quieter than summer.
4 hrs drive · 2–3 days · Best for little kids to teens · Nov–Feb
Day 1: Holiday train
- 11:00 Drive to Fish Camp, just outside the south entrance
- 4:00 Holiday Magic Train at Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad (1 hr, open-air cars, hot cocoa)
Day 2: The Valley
- 9:30 Tunnel View
- 10:30 Lower Yosemite Fall loop, paved and flat
- 3:30 Ice skating at Curry Village with Half Dome views
Day 3: Snow
- 10:00 Badger Pass: snow tubing or a first ski lesson, if it's open (it relies on natural snow)
- 1:30 Drive home
From parents who have been
- Badger Pass makes no snow of its own. Opening day has slipped to around mid-January in recent years, and in 2024-25 the area never opened. Call the road and conditions line before promising kids skiing over the holidays. Trips With Tykes
- At Badger Pass, buy ski school packages in person at the counter, which opens at 8:30. Getting there by 8:00 on busy days secured a morning spot. A 12-year-old with some experience found the two-hour beginner group too easy. Trips With Tykes
- Badger Pass parking is free and right next to the lodge. Families picnic on the sun deck from coolers, and the old-style cubbies hold boots and layers without paying for a locker. Cell service is close to nothing, but the lodge Wi-Fi works. Trips With Tykes
- Behind the Curry Village ice rink, a small service-road slope works as a free sledding spot. Families also said heated tent cabins in winter were miserably cold, and that Yosemite Lodge or hard-sided cabins were better. Berkeley Parents Network
- Bring ice cleats for parking lots and paths. At the base of Lower Yosemite Fall, spray can freeze into a slick mix of water and ice in early winter. For Tunnel View, valley fog often rolls through, so wait a few minutes for it to lift. Flying Dawn Marie
Good to know
- Holiday train: adults $63.60, kids 3–12 $31.80, 2 and under free on a lap
- Badger Pass makes no snow: it has opened as late as mid-January and didn't open at all in 2024–25. Treat skiing and tubing as a bonus
- Check the Curry Village rink is open before you go
- Carry chains; they can be required on park roads
Sources: Holiday Magic Train · Yosemite winter (Visit Yosemite)