Project overview: Repair seasonal damage from rockfalls, storms, and downed trees to ensure visitors enjoy safe, high-quality hiking on popular Valley trails. 

How your support helps: The trails that trace Yosemite Valley’s floor and walls — Mirror Lake, Mist, Yosemite Falls, Four Mile, and more — welcome a near-constant stream of day hikers and sightseers in the busy summer months. And, every year, seasonal restoration work keeps these beloved trails in top shape and helps protect surrounding habitat.  

Since 2005, our donors have helped fund 19 seasons of essential repairs on the Valley’s beloved, much-used trails. National Park Service (NPS) crew members clear hazards, such as fallen trees and rocks; repair damaged sections of trail; and make sure switchbacks, walls, steps, and drainage systems are in sound condition. 

Crews also take on major restoration projects. In recent years, for example, donor-supported crews put in new trail tread, built stone walls, and improved drainage on the heavily traveled stretch between Happy Isles Road and the start of the John Muir Trail. This work helps ensure the Valley’s most popular trails remain hiker-friendly routes that minimize erosion, protect surrounding habitat, and encourage visitors to stay on designated paths.  

This year: Extreme winter conditions in 2023 and 2024 have caused extensive damage to Valley trails. In 2025, NPS trail experts will clear hazardous vegetation, repair affected trails, and clear trees and brush — especially along the Upper Yosemite Fall and Four Mile trails — to ensure visitors’ safety and high-quality hiking experiences. 

Project partner: Yosemite National Park 

Dave Kari

Trails Supervisor, Yosemite National Park

Project Notes

"Yosemite Valley is the most visited destination in the park, with the most heavily utilized trail system. With this grant, we will be able to keep trails in good condition, allowing visitors the optimum trails experience in the Valley."