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Madera County: California's Gateway to Yosemite

Your Yosemite vacation starts here!

Madera County is known as California's Gateway to Yosemite. No matter where you're coming from, Yosemite's southern entrance takes you through some of Yosemite's most iconic spots.

The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, Tunnel View, Glacier Point and more are all accessed via the Southern Entrance.

What's New:

Bass Lake Farmer's Market resumes May 22 Yosemite Daily Report for May 16 Crab Cakes to host dinner for Children's Museum of the Sierra Blog Post: Fossil Discovery Center Mammoth BBQ $10,000 fish caught at first day of Bass Lake Fishing Derby Sierra Vista Scenic Byway opens for season May Video Update

Fossil to Falls Trail: The journey is just as exciting as the destination

As you drive to Yosemite, you'll find that Madera County has much to offer as well. Restaurants with amazing menus featuring fresh, locally grown ingredients, award-winning wineries along the Madera Wine Trail, amazing art galleries and fun museums throughout the region will have you spending more time outside Yosemite than you imagined. Add in the fun and beauty of Bass Lake, and you'll see Madera County, combined with Yosemite, makes for a perfect vacation. Explore the Fossils to Falls Trail, or check out this quick video showing a bit of what you'll find along the way. 

Come for Yosemite, stay for the wine, the food, the history and the fun. The Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau can help you plan every element of your Yosemite area trip. Download our Visitors Guide, plan your route and see how easy it is to get here, read the Yosemite Daily Report, or use this site to find out all the information you'll need to make your trip perfect.

Yosemite Falls photo courtesy Nancy Robbins
Almond tree photo courtesy Martin Nunez

Find great Southern Yosemite Area travel advice on TripAdvisor.