Yosemite National Park - Facilities

Nature Center at Happy Isles

Open
June-September (approximately) from 10 am to noon, 1 pm to 4 pm

Location
Happy Isles. Shuttle bus stop #16.

Exhibits
Geared toward both adults and children, the Nature Center includes natural history exhibits, interactive displays, and a bookstore geared to nature-exploring for families.

Nearby are short trails focusing on the area"s four different environments: forest, river, talus, and fen.

You can also see substantial evidence of the huge 1996 rockfall from the Glacier Point cliff far above the Nature Center. A new outdoor exhibit details the geologic story of rockfalls in Yosemite.

Yosemite Museum

Open
Open All Year at least 9:00 am - 4:00 pm (closed for lunch)

Phone
209-372-0200

Location
Next to the Visitor Center in Yosemite Valley.

Exhibits
Displays interpret the cultural history of Yosemite’s native Miwok and Paiute people from 1850 to the present. Demonstrations of basket-weaving, beadwork, and/or traditional games are presented. The Indian Village of Ahwahneee is a reconstructed Miwok village. Cultural demonstrations are offered during the summer. During summer, the Museum Gallery displays paintings from the collection of the Yosemite Museum.

Visitor Centers

Visitor Centers and Information Stations

Phone
209-372-0200

Location
Visitor centers are located in Yosemite Valley (open year-round) and Tuolumne Meadows (summer only). Information stations are located in Wawona (spring-fall) and Big Oak Flat (spring-fall).

Wilderness Information Centers

Wilderness Centers and Permit Stations

Phone
209-372-0200

Location
Wilderness Centers are located in Yosemite Valley (spring-fall; visitor center during winter) and Tuolumne Meadows (summer only). Wildernes Permits are also issued at the Wawona Information Station (spring-fall), Big Oak Flat Information Station (spring-fall), and Hetch Hetchy Entrance Station (summer only).