Wawona Meadow Loop
What to Expect
Safety Advisory
Black bears are active in the Wawona area, particularly in late summer when natural food sources run low. Make noise on the forested sections and store food in your car, not in a pack left at the trailhead.
Trail Details
- 1
Come at first light — the meadow holds morning mist well into June, and deer are reliably grazing near the tree line before 8am. The hotel parking area is nearly empty at that hour.
- 2
This is one of only two places in Yosemite where leashed dogs are allowed on trail. If you're bringing a dog, stay on the fire road and avoid cutting through the meadow itself, which has soft, easily damaged ground.
- 3
The best photography angle is from the western edge of the loop looking back east across the open meadow toward the tree line — the light hits that composition cleanly in the first two hours after sunrise.
