Private Yosemite Tour in SUV, Sedan or Van

A private all-day tour of Yosemite

Take your family or group of friends on a private all-day tour of Yosemite. You and your party are picked up at your hotel or meeting point in a late-model SUV, sedan, mini van, Sprinter (9 guests), Ford Transit (9 guests), bus (15 guests), or The Oakhurst Trolley (15 guests). Your tour guide is also your driver for the day.

You should have good walking and hiking shoes depending on how much you plan to walk. Dress appropriately for the time of year and don’t forget your phone chargers, jackets, hats, camera, sunscreen, and medications. For your convenience your picnic lunch is included — the guide will already have it before you are picked up. Park entrance fees are also included. Tell us if you have any specific needs we can help with. You have the option to upgrade your picnic lunch to dining at the historical Ahwahnee Hotel for a small fee.

Celebrate your group visit with our exclusive matching Yosemite T-shirts, available for purchase. Get one or two sizes over to fit comfortably.

Paparazzi photography tour

Want photos you’re actually in? Our Paparazzi option sends a personal photographer-guide along for the day to shoot your group at every overlook — Tunnel View, Glacier Point, the Valley — so you go home with professional images instead of phone snapshots. It includes the photographer-guide, picnic lunch, bottled water, park entrance fees, and a private A/C coach. Book it as the “Paparazzi photography private tour” option above.

Making the Yosemite Y at Glacier Point

Our Oakhurst departure is 6:45 AM in Summer and between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM in Winter. From Oakhurst we have the option to go from Bass Lake / Fish Camp and enter the Park from the South Gate (the Mountain View Drive), OR we may go around from Mariposa / Midpines on what we call the River View Drive — California State’s Scenic Highway along the Merced River all the way into Yosemite Valley through the Arch Rock Entrance Station. It depends on where today’s guests are coming from.

At Chinquapin, we have the option to go into Yosemite Valley first or Glacier Point first. If there is heavy traffic from the peak season or it is a weekend, we prefer to visit Yosemite Valley first, then go to Glacier Point for our picnic lunch. If we go to Glacier Point first, our lunch break is at Yosemite Falls.

From Chinquapin, we turn to climb up to Glacier Point where we will stop for 30–45 minutes. If you are going to hike on the 4 Mile Trail, you will start here. As we climb up to Glacier Point, we see several trailheads: McGurk Meadow, Ostrander Lake, Bridalveil Creek, Dewey Point. We pass the Badger Pass ski area, Sentinel Dome, Taft Point trailhead, and Washburn Point.

Glacier Point is an overlook with a commanding view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls, and the Yosemite High Country. This viewpoint is accessible by smaller vehicles from approximately late May through October or November. We are among the very few companies that can visit Glacier Point as we keep our group sizes small and travel in smaller vehicles. Big buses are not allowed here.

Tunnel View and the Valley

When we reach Yosemite Valley, we will stop at Tunnel View to see the jaw-dropping view of the Valley as we come out of the Tunnel. We will stop here for 10–15 minutes and point out our view of Clouds Rest, El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Falls. This is also the trailhead for Inspiration Point, which is located on the old stagecoach road into Yosemite Valley.

Shortly after, we continue driving to visit El Capitan and Bridalveil Falls for 10 minutes. Time permitting, we may walk to the base of the waterfalls or continue our journey in Yosemite Valley to see Cathedral Rocks on our right and Yosemite Falls on our left, Yosemite Chapel on the right. We will stop at Sentinel Bridge to see a breathtaking view of Half Dome, and take the iconic picture of Half Dome with its reflection in the Merced River. We will continue to drive to Yosemite Lodge. You will have time to walk to the base of Yosemite Falls, visit the souvenir shop, use restrooms, and get a cup of joe at Starbucks if you wish.

When we leave here we will stop in front of El Capitan, Spanish for “The Captain.” El Capitan rises over 3,000 feet from the Valley Floor and is one of the largest granite monoliths in the world. Hopefully we will be able to spot the rock climbers who come to scale the sheer granite face. We have another stop at Valley View before we start heading back.

Optional Four Mile Trail hike

At Glacier Point, guests who are looking for hiking time have the option to hike down the Four Mile Trail, which will end on Southside Drive, where they can cross Swinging Bridge and follow the trail to meet us at Yosemite Valley Lodge.

The Four Mile Trail is about 5 miles from Glacier Point to Yosemite Valley Lodge. Most of the time we offer the option of hiking down from Glacier Point to the Valley but sometimes due to scheduling we may offer the option to hike up to Glacier Point from the Valley. The elevation at Glacier Point is 7,200 ft and the Yosemite Valley is at 4,000 ft elevation. In 2016 President Obama and his family hiked this spectacular trail and only Crossroads Tours offers this option to you.

Crossroads Tours is not offering a personal guided hike and by accepting to hike on the Four Mile Trail or any other trails you are releasing Crossroads Tours from any liability. This hike is strenuous and going downhill is very steep at some places — be prepared with appropriate clothing, shoes, walking stick, water, and whatever else you may require. It takes about 2–3 hours hiking downhill. Crossroads Tours will allow you 4 hours maximum to reach the Yosemite Valley Lodge. Beyond 4 hours we may not be able to stand by for you and you may have to find other transportation back. If we have to wait, the cost is $95 an hour calculated after 4 hours.

Our guides

Our guides are all local and going to Yosemite is their passion. Each one brings their own personal experiences, stories, and secret spots to share with you. They are delighted to meet you and wish to show you why this area of the world is a very special place.

Disclaimer

The total time of the tour is approximately 8 hours. In this tour people will see more of Yosemite National Park in one day than most other tours of Yosemite. Since this is a private tour, we are able to accommodate your special requests to visit other areas of Yosemite National Park.

Sometimes due to scheduling issues, the hiking portion may be changed to go in the uphill direction. The duration of the tour can vary due to weather, traffic, and how much fun we are having.