There's a new app to help you explore Yosemite National Park/NPS Screengrab

You find yourself in Yosemite National Park during the winter months; what can you do? You decide to flee the Yosemite Valley and explore the eastern side of the park, but where should you go, what should you do? You can squeeze one more day into your business trip to San Francisco, and want to spend it in Yosemite, but how should you spend your time there?

The answers to those questions and more can be found in your smartphone if you download a new app produced by staff at the park along with help from the Yosemite Conservancy. Not only is it rich with information, but if you download it before you arrive in the park, you can use it without need of a cell signal or WiFi.

Simply put, the app makes it a little easier to plan your visit to Yosemite and find your way around once you get there.

“This app features incredible content about what to see and do in Yosemite in different areas of the park during all seasons,” said Yosemite Superintendent Michael Reynolds. “It’s a great tool intended to enrich visitors’ time in Yosemite.”

The app is available on iOS as NPS Yosemite National Park and on Android as NPS Yosemite. 

The app is easy to navigate. The title page offers a table of contents that includes What To See, Area Highlights, Tours, Itineraries, Visitor Centers, Getting Around, Schedules, Services, and information pertaining to accessibility, fees, rules and regulations, safety and more. You also can fill your phone's screen with a map of a park, and by using filters you can find parking areas, campgrounds, wheelchair access, trailheads, restrooms, hydration stations, and where to seek wildlife or scenic photos. And more.

Turn on the "voiceover" feature on your phone, and the app's Audio Descriptions will kick in. There's even an augmented reality function (You find it under the Park Lens heading found on the Audio Description page) that helps you orient yourself to sites off in the distance. There's even an audio tour for one area of the park -- Tuolumne Meadows-Soda Springs and Parsons Lodge Tour. 

The app features one-day itineraries to explore different areas of park, such as hiking in Yosemite Valley, experiencing the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, and picnicking at Tenaya Lake. It offers self-guided tours to learn about Yosemite’s history and natural phenomena as well as schedules for a variety of activities, including art workshops and theater performances, ranger-guided programs and more. The app also provides basic details about bus shuttles, road conditions, parking, where to eat in the park, and much more.

“This is a powerful tool to have in your hand to explore and learn about the park,” said Yosemite Conservancy President Frank Dean. “As more people experience Yosemite’s beauty, learn of its history and create memories, it will inspire them to preserve and protect it.” 

Yosemite Conservancy donors contributed to building the app. Members of the National Park Service in Yosemite, Yosemite Conservancy, and other park partners created the content in the app based on years of experience working with park visitors in and around the Yosemite area.

Most app content can be downloaded before arriving in the park and used offline in areas of limited cell service. Users are also able to find Yosemite Conservancy-led programs and adventures, and link to the Conservancy website to learn more about the organization or to donate.