Yosemite in late September; thoughts?

I've never been to Yosemite. My wife and I are in the preliminary stages of trip planning. Any thoughts on that time of year?

I prefer Yosemite Valley Lodge because it is centrally located and walking distance to Yosemite fall and the village shopping area with restuarants and store including Ansel Adams Gallery. It also has its own restaurants and bars.

Good time to go. Tourist season will be winding down - it will still be crowded, just not as insanely crowded. Even fewer visitors come mid-October. Hike a half mile up any trail and the crowds really thin out. The only turning leaf color will be yellow.

The waterfalls may be dry; if there is an early season snowfall in the high country then the falls will start up again.

That time of year you will have access to the high country -- up Hwy 120 towards Tioga Pass to get up and out of the heat and the crowds of the Valley itself. Limited to no access to Glacier Point by vehicle due to construction. Should be a good water year...especially up high. Limited access to the Park right now (flooding) might mean people delaying their trips until Fall. Mid-week will always be better in the Valley in terms of tourist numbers compared to the Friday thru Monday.

Fires/smoke are now always the wild card...

Just got back from a week or so in Yosemite Valley, giving a workshop at the AA Gallery. Just lucky to have been scheduled between too much snow and too much snowmelt. Beautiful weather, too early for the Dogwoods this year.. My first couple of days were almost-snowing and in the 30sF in the Valley all day. It warmed up and the Merced was slowly rising during the rest of my visit...and it looks like it is to rise over flood level tomorrow and again on Monday in the Valley.

120 opening/closing seems to hinge on the weather forecast. If lots of snow gets dumped then 120 closes, but that makes for good waterfalls in the valley.

It would be extremely rare to have Tioga Pass/Hwy120 close at all in September, though.
What would be fun would to be there when the Park opens 120 to hikers and bicyclists for a day before opening it to cars. The same thing happens in Lassen NP, which would be a little closer for me.

Thank you. I knew there were a handful of folks in here that lived near/photographed in the Yosemite area somewhat regularly. I'll keep my eyes and ears open.

Vaughn said:

It would be extremely rare to have Tioga Pass/Hwy120 close at all in September, though.
What would be fun would to be there when the Park opens 120 to hikers and bicyclists for a day before opening it to cars. The same thing happens in Lassen NP, which would be a little closer for me.

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Historically, in the past two decades Tioga Pass opening has averaged about May 23-25...the lastest it ever opened in history was July 8, the latest within the past decade was July 1

The weather in the high country in late September can be highly variable. It's normally pretty warm and dry but can be chilly and moist over night. Brief rain / thunder storms are not uncommon in in the afternoons and early evenings. Late September is also still fire season so have an alternate destination or plan in mind.

We've had an extraordinarily cold, wet winter with record snowfall so there should still be water flow in the rivers and creeks in September. Most, if not all, of the winter road damage should be repaired by then. However, closures along hwy120 between Chinese Camp and Moccasin have been frequent these past few years. It's always good to check road conditions a little in advance (see https://roads.dot.ca.gov/ ).

Also, I suggest carefully researching the (evolving) reservation and permit requirements well in advance.

Finally, please spend some money at small businesses in the towns you pass through. Many had not fully recovered from the Great Recession of 2008 when the pandemic decimated the local economies.

Be ready for the weather to change to either hot or cold extremes. In the Sierras I experienced moderate snow on a warm sunny mid August day.

I'm definitely a small business shopper/diner when I travel. Small local bookstores have a strong tractor bean effect on me. I know about fast shifting weather. I stopped at Brian Head in Utah back in '97 and had blazing sun, rain and pea sized hail all in about 45 minutes.

wiltw said:

Historically, in the past two decades Tioga Pass opening has averaged about May 23-25...the lastest it ever opened in history was July 8, the latest within the past decade was July 1

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The other way around has been interesting, too. Late arrival of the first snows, with people ice-skating on the upper lakes along Hwy 120.

Backpacking in the Sierras in the late summer/early fall was always interesting. Clouds showing up just after noon meant lightning, hail, sleet, wind, and thunder that shook one's insides. Then about 4:30, the clouds would all go away, and it would be warm and sunny to cook dinner and sleep under the stars. Rinse and repeat. Clouds showing up after 2pm would usually blow out with no rain. Always exceptions, but I missed all that in the mountains I worked in...except for when I didn't miss it. Being on a side of a mountain in a white-out with the thunder in unison with the flashes of white through the white was less than wonderful. However I was glad I had sent some of the crew and the mules ahead to set up camp while the rest of us worked the trail on our way up. When the clouds lifted, beautiful with a snow line stretched out in front of us at 6000 feet. Middle of July.

as of 9-July-2023 at 4:00PM PDT, Tioga pass is still, "closed for winter".
I guess we have set a (yet another) new record this year?

Yosemite has different facet on each season and you won't be disappointed.

Do not miss the Glacier Point Firefall

Be aware of on/off need for reservations to enter Yosemite:

The park entrance fee is $35 per car (valid for seven consecutive days).. If you intend to stay overnight, having reservations well in advance are strongly urged.

Glacier Point Firefall? Yeah, I'm old enough to remember those. You sat in the Camp Curry grandstands beside where the park garbage was being dumped in order to see a bunch of obese bears scavenging it. Then once it got dark, they'd build the bonfire atop the cliff at Glacier Point and push the ashes off. That was way back when Smokey the Bear was both a picnic box thief and potential arsonist all in one - exactly what we never ever want to witness in our National Parks again.

Septembers can still be hot and hazy sometimes. A lot depends on wildfire as well as control burn activity. At the end of Sept, the road up and over Tioga Pass is still generally open, allowing you to get into high country scenery and cooler cleaner air, and the kind of sights you don't get lower down in the Valley itself. If you cross over toward Mono Lake, there are side canyons both to the north of that and the south which are full of aspen fall color between Sept and Oct.
But always be prepared for any kind of weather, whether on a drive or day hike. Always have a warm sweater, rain/snow parka, good walking boots, and keep extra food, water, and a serious sleeping bag in the car. Not kidding. 70 degree Indian Summer can tun into winter snowfall in less than half an hour that time of the year, especially higher up.

Tioga Pass has been open for a few weeks already, but they generally start up pre-Winter maintenance on it in Oct, and then close it for the entire season based on the first major snowfall of Nov. However, for any planned trip, ALWAYS check the official Yos NP website first, concerning specific road conditions, active forest fires, and so forth. Things can change very fast.

Any statistic about "typical" dates for road openings and closures, etc, should be taken with a grain of salt. The climate is very erratic and unpredictable these days. Over the next 2 days, I'll be checking the news for an approximation of just how much those stereotypes gets thrown own the window due to the current unprecedented tropical storm entering the State - one crazy weather event after another this year. But even before, over the decades, I've been in outright blizzards in the Sierra every month of the year except July.

Nicholas Lindan said:

The waterfalls may be dry; if there is an early season snowfall in the high country then the falls will start up again.

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There was record snowfall in the Sierra this winter, so you can count on all of the falls being active in late September.

You can check the falls on live webcam on the official Yos NP website. Yosemite Falls is actually running pretty small at the present. The headwaters of Yosemite Creek aren't all that high up, and its drainage area is relatively small. Falls on the main river like Nevada and Vernal, however, are likely doing a lot better because their headwaters are at a much higher elevation coming out of major basins still containing a lot of snow.

The big worry at the moment is if there will be a government shutdown or not around the end of Sept, based on budget quarrels. If that happens again, National Parks will likely be outright closed to the public. Please don't turn this into a political discussion. But it is a valid logistical issue if someone plans to enter a National Park per se. There will still be plenty of wonderful scenery to choose from in the vicinity outside the Park if that does happen, especially all the fall color popping up on the east side of the range above Hwy 395. But if you have your heart set on seeing Yosemite Valley itself, you do need to be attuned to what is happening in Wash.DC and have a Plan B alternative if necessary.

I will be getting back from a trip to Europe on 8 October, so making this trip will be problematic. How about making it an annual event?