Yosemite Weather in April

April in Yosemite is the heart of spring's turnaround. The Valley floor is greening up and waterfalls are climbing toward their peak flow, fed by snowmelt pouring down from above, even as the high country stays locked under snow well into the month. Weather swings hard here — a mild, sunny morning can give way to a cold rain shower, or even a dusting of snow at higher elevations, by afternoon. It's a rewarding month for anyone willing to pack for both, with green meadows, building falls, and noticeably thinner crowds than you'll find come summer.

Expect an average high around 64°F and a low near 36°F in April, with roughly 2.5 inches of precipitation and about 2 inches of snow still falling somewhere in the park — most of it well above the Valley floor. You'll get around 13.2 hours of daylight, plenty of time to fit in a hike and still catch the evening light on the granite walls. The bigger story is elevation: Yosemite Valley sits around 4,000 feet, while the high country near Tuolumne Meadows sits near 8,600 feet, and temperatures between the two can differ by 20 to 30°F. A t-shirt afternoon in the Valley can mean a genuine winter scene 4,000 feet higher, though that high country is largely inaccessible by road this time of year regardless.

April earns a moderate crowd rating of 3 out of 5 — busier than the quiet of March, but still well short of summer's peak. Waterfalls building toward their crest are the big draw this month, while the high country remains snowed in, which keeps visitors concentrated on the Valley floor rather than spread across the park. Weekends and the days around spring school breaks bring noticeably more traffic to the popular waterfall trails and viewpoints, while weekday mornings still feel unhurried. If you want the falls near their most dramatic without the late-May-through-summer crowds, April is a good window — just expect it to keep building as the month goes on.

April is built for waterfall viewing, valley-floor hiking, photography, and wildlife watching — exactly the activities the season favors right now. The Mist Trail toward Vernal and Nevada Falls, the short walk to Lower Yosemite Fall, and the paved path to Bridalveil Fall all put you right in front of the spring show, often with spray reaching the trail itself. Cook's Meadow and Tunnel View are easy add-ons for Half Dome and Valley panoramas without much elevation gain. Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road are still closed this month, so anything in the high country — Tuolumne Meadows, Olmsted Point, Half Dome's cables — is off the table until the snowpack clears, typically not before late May.

Pack in layers — April's temperature swing between a 36°F morning low and a 64°F afternoon high means you'll want to shed and add clothing more than once in a day. Bring a real rain jacket, since spring storms move in fast, and waterproof footwear or gaiters for trails that turn to mud and slush near the falls and creek crossings. Trekking poles earn their keep on wet granite and slick spring trail sections, especially anywhere with waterfall spray. Sunscreen rated SPF 50+ is worth packing even on overcast days, since Sierra sun at elevation is stronger than it looks.

Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road remain closed through April and typically don't open until sometime in May, so plan your trip entirely around the Valley floor and Wawona-area roads. Where storms do roll through, tire chains can be required elsewhere in the park — check current conditions at nps.gov/yose before you drive up. The Half Dome cables aren't installed yet this time of year; the National Park Service typically puts them up the Friday before Memorial Day, so April hikers should treat any Half Dome attempt as cable-free scrambling only as far as Sub Dome. Near the falls themselves, stay behind railings — snowmelt is accelerating water flow, and cold, fast currents above Vernal and Nevada Falls have proven fatal even to strong swimmers.