General Visitor Guides
A solid, traditional travel guide to Yosemite NP with bonus sections on both Kings Canyon NP and Sequoia NP, which are lesser-visited parks nearby. Lots of information on activities, some hike descriptions, accommodations, dining, and sample itineraries. Great for planning that trip.
This guide is focused on Yosemite and the activities in the park - hiking, rafting, rock climbing, and even winter sports. Lots of full color pictures along with a guide to the flora and fauna of the park and informaiton on the geology and history.
Hiking Guides and Maps
This map provides great basic information for getting around the park and most hiking trails. The scale on this map is 1:80,000, given the park's size. There is a four-pack of maps at the 1:40,000 scale
This relatively short book contains 18 day hikes in various areas of the park. The advantage of this book is the relatively detailed map of each hike where the hike is highlighted in yellow.
Conservation, History, and Archeology
Frederick Law Olmsted, inspried by his trip toe Yosemite Valley, laid down the arguments for the national park system and his trip to Yellowstone and subsequent correspondence laid out the structure. This si the story of what became the park system from its roots in Civil War and abolotion to establishment of the national park system.
John Muir is to Yosemite and the Sierras like John Wesley Powell is to the Grand Canyon. Advocate and protector of the park, this book is about the earliest days of what would become the park. While many would assume that the "friend" here is Teddy Roosevelt, it is Robert Underwood Johnson, a magazine editor who used the pen to bring attention to protecting the valley.
Affiliate links to the books above earn a small commission to help support my reading habit.