A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Yosemite National Park vs. Kamloops for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Yosemite National Park or Kamloops?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Should I visit Yosemite National Park or Kamloops? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.

Where Should I go: Yosemite National Park or Kamloops?

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is located in east-central California in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It's one of the most famous and popular parks in the country and is known for its breathtaking granite cliffs, dramatic waterfalls, clear streams, and giant sequoia groves. The park covers 750,000 acres, or 1,200 square miles, and includes thousands of lakes and ponds and an impressive range of biodiversity. There are 800 miles of hiking trails within the park as well. Yosemite National Park is the third most visited park within the United States with an average annual visitation of almost 4 million people.

Kamloops

In British Columbia, Canada, Kamloops is perhaps most famous for the large number of tournaments it hosts, everything from the Strauss Canada Cup of Curling, to the World Fly Fishing Championships. It also hosts Skate Canada, Tim Horton's Olympic Qualifying Bike Race, and the World Junior Hockey Championships among others. The city is in the south central part of the province and it sits near the confluence of the two branches of the Thompson River near Kamloops Lake. The city has a population of about 85,000 and it's the largest community in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Luxury Tours to United States of America, The Best Tours for Seniors to United States of America, The Best Train & Rail Tours in Canada, and The Best Sightseeing Tours in Canada.


Which place is cheaper, Kamloops or Yosemite National Park?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Yosemite National Park is $129, while the average daily cost in Kamloops is $81. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Yosemite National Park and Kamloops in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Yosemite National Park $64
    Kamloops $44
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Yosemite National Park $128
    Kamloops $88
Compare Hotels in Yosemite National Park and Kamloops

Looking for a hotel in Yosemite National Park or Kamloops? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Yosemite National Park


Hotels in Kamloops


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Yosemite National Park Hotel Prices and Kamloops Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Yosemite National Park $41
    Kamloops $20

Is it cheaper to fly into Yosemite National Park or Kamloops?

Prices for flights to both Kamloops and Yosemite National Park change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Yosemite National Park $40
    Kamloops $24

Typical Food Prices in Kamloops

For Kamloops, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:


  • Pastries
    $5.81
  • Lunch for Two
    $25
  • Coffee and Gelato
    $12

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Yosemite National Park $19
    Kamloops $13

Tours and Activities in Yosemite National Park

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Yosemite National Park are as follows:

  • Big Trees Hike & Riverside Cookout Adventure: $180
  • Family Fun Private Half Day Fly Fishing Adventure: $215
  • Full-Day Small Group Yosemite & Glacier Point Tour Including Hotel Pickup: $169
  • Private Guided Hiking Tour in Yosemite: $293
  • Semi Private Yosemite Tour with Ahwahnee Lunch and Hotel Pickup: $250
  • Waterfalls of Yosemite: Customizable Private Tour: $495
  • Yosemite Full Day Small Group High Country / Mariposa Tour: $299
  • Yosemite Highlights Small Group Tour: $200
  • Yosemite National Park Audio Driving Tour: $11
  • Yosemite Panorama Trail Self-Guided Audio Tour: $15
  • Yosemite Self-Guided Audio Tour: $14
  • Yosemite Valley & Glacier Point Adaptive Tour: $180

Tours and Activities in Kamloops

For Kamloops, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Vancouver and Smartphone Audio Driving Tour: $6.21
  • Smartphone Audio Driving Tour between Kamloops and Vancouver: $6.31
  • Smartphone Audio Driving Tour between Kamloops & Revelstoke: $6.33
  • Skip the Line: Kamloops BC Wildlife Park Admission Ticket: $14
  • Unique Scavenger Hunt Experience in Kamloops by Zombie Scavengers: $21

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Yosemite National Park $11
    Kamloops $6.77


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Yosemite National Park and Kamloops, we can see that Yosemite National Park is more expensive. And not only is Kamloops much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Kamloops would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Kamloops and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Yosemite National Park would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Yosemite National Park than you might in Kamloops.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Yosemite National Park Expensive? and Is Kamloops Expensive?.