Exiting the Route 41 tunnel to Yosemite Valley is nothing short of a spiritual experience. The first time I saw that view it felt like I was entering a magical utopia. Waterfalls in all directions, granite cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome on either side of a beautiful meadow with an idyllic river rolling through. That first visit was a whirlwind one-day trip on 4th of July holiday weekend 2005. My husband visited while I was on a work assignment in California, and we spent a day at Sequoia National Park. After that short exposure we vowed to come back on a non-holiday weekend when we could do it right. Two kids later we were finally able to get back to Yosemite in 2019 . . . arriving Memorial Day Weekend! I would NOT recommend going to Yosemite on a holiday weekend, but planning around school, sports and scouts it was our best option. Ironically, we had very light crowds due to an unseasonably late snowstorm which threw all my carefully laid out plans out the window!
Yosemite was our third big national park to visit as a family after Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Park. Yellowstone was great for the kids when they were younger (7 and 10). Even with all the driving between sites, the big animals kept their attention. They had fun keeping a tally of how many buffalo, moose, bear, etc. we saw. More on Yellowstone coming in another post, but I wouldn’t want to take kids younger than 5 or 6 to Yellowstone (depending on your kids); too many dangerous areas. I am glad we waited until they were older (10 & 13) to go to Yosemite as the trip was more about the activity and scenery.
When to Go
We wanted to go early summer when the temperatures were cooler and waterfalls more impressive. When we first visited in 2005, it had been a dry year. By 4th of July some of the waterfalls had dried up and it was hot. We got the other extreme in 2019. There had been a lot of snow that year, so in early summer there were random waterfalls all around us and the bigger ones were roaring! Some of the “viewing areas” were getting completely drenched, like my kids who thought that was great fun even though it was freezing! The disadvantages of going early in the season include risk of cold weather (especially in the high country) and some activities such as river rafting may not be open yet (opening date varies year to year depending on weather).
Where to Stay
If you want to stay in the Valley (at a reasonable price) you need to plan at least a year ahead of time. We only planned about six months ahead of time, but I was very happy to find a house to rent on VRBO inside the park! It is a little community call Yosemite West close to the Badger Pass Ski area. Staying in the park saved us a ton of driving time throughout the week. We were mainly planning on visiting the Valley and Wawona areas, so it was a great location for us.
There were a few cool looking resorts right outside of the park, but they were pricy. They also would have required a lot more daily driving. We had previously visited Sequoia National Park which I recommend, but for this trip chose not to drive the extra 3.5 hours (one way). The biggest Sequoias are in Sequoia National Park, but you can see some almost as big at Mariposa Grove in Yosemite. If you are combining Yosemite with Sequoia National Park or Kings Canyon, Yosemite West, Wawona or somewhere outside the south entrance would be a good place to stay.
Things to Do
Yosemite is a park where you can be very active. I would have loved to hike half dome (requires permit) or do some more serious hiking, but this was a family trip that was planned to be enjoyable and doable for all. We did split up for some activities. Here is my opinion of top things to do!
Must Do List:
- Valley
- Hike Lower Yosemite and/or Upper Yosemite Falls – highest waterfall in the park. Easy hike to lower falls or strenuous full day (6-8 hour) hike to upper falls.
- Hike Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls – Strenuous 5-6 hour hike that we planned to do, but unfortunately got cut when we lost a day of our trip due to a snowstorm.
- Hike to Mirror Lake – This was an easy hike to a beautiful lake that perfectly reflected the scenery.
- Mariposa Grove
- Grizzly Giant loop – Easy hike getting the full Sequoia experience.
- Tioga/Tuolumne Meadows – (this got cut for us due to road closures/snow)
- Glacier Point for evening star gazing (this got cut for us due to road closures/snow)
Maybe Do List:
- Kayaking Merced River (may not be open for rafting/kayaking early in summer)
- Hike Half Dome – This may be a bucket list item for extreme adventurers. This is a strenuous 10-12 hour hike that requires preparation to train, get a permit, and properly pack for this extreme hike. The last 400 feet are essentially rock climbing, but they have cables up so you can summit without rock climbing equipment.
We didn’t get to do everything on our “must do” list; that just means we have more to explore when we return. Here is the itinerary and lessons learned from our trip:
Our Itinerary
Day 1 – Travel Day
Yosemite is not easy to get to, especially if you are trying to keep flight prices down. We flew into Oakland, CA because flights were much cheaper than flying into San Francisco (where we were visiting at the end of this trip). We flew in as early as we could and then drove 4 hours to Yosemite. Traffic was predictably bad leaving Oakland. We drove across highway 120 to enter Yosemite from the west. There is a grocery store, Yosemite Lakes Country Store, to pick up final supplies as you get close. One major miss we had (other than trying to cram six people and a weeks’ worth of luggage into one minivan) was the mountainous roads. We had unusually cold/snowy weather for the end of May (not uncommon earlier in the spring) and in all my planning and preparation I didn’t realize there were serious mountain roads leading into Yosemite from the west. It felt like we were driving to the Colorado ski slopes. We wished we didn’t have such a long dinner stop to get there sooner as we were navigating treacherous roads and trying to find our rental house in the dark.
Day 2 – Completely Unprepared!
All the planning and preparation in the world couldn’t have predicted this day. Not only was there an unseasonable snowstorm, but it was so bad that chains were required to be on the road (so much for being “prepared” for adventure)! We lost power in the house and missed a whole day in the park. Luckily, we had food and our rental house was fully stocked with board games and even sleds. Our boys didn’t realize that they were missing out on anything; they still talk about how much fun it was sledding in Yosemite!
Day 3 – Rock Climbing
Yosemite is the mecca for rock climbing, so we decided that was the place to try it! We signed up for the “Welcome to the Rock” beginners rock climbing experience. It was a bit of a splurge at $172 each, but totally worth it (be sure to book at least two weeks ahead of time). Our boys were mesmerized by our instructor and his stories of climbing El Capitan. He had us start with rappelling to get used to trusting the equipment. I am not typically afraid of heights, but that first step off the cliff was a mental challenge! After we got comfortable with a few rappels down the cliff, we started to learn how to climb. My boys took to it quickly, by the end of the day they were climbing higher than the 60 feet advertised for the intro class. I can’t say I mastered rock climbing that day, but we all made progress; it was a great feeling of accomplishment for trying something new and challenging.
This was a multi-generational trip and my in-laws had no interest in rock climbing, but the Valley is small enough you can easily do separate activities and then meet back up. They spent the day exploring the visitors centers and various activities in the Valley including going on a tour of the historic Ahwahnee hotel where we then met up with them for dinner. My in-laws really enjoyed the tour there, and I really enjoyed the reader’s digest version as we self-toured before/after dinner. The Ahwahnee Dining Room Bar was a great place for a nice dinner after a hard day of physical exertion, sitting on the bar side had more reasonable pricing. I would highly recommend at least making a stop here to explore around, eat a meal and walk the grounds. It was built at just the right spot for excellent views of the Valley. Note that there were rooms still available at Ahwahnee when we were planning our trip, but they were way out of our price range! If you are looking for high end travel, that may be a fit for you.
Day 4 – Mariposa Grove
We enjoyed Mariposa Grove more than expected. I had been to Sequoia National Park where there are bigger trees, so I thought Mariposa Grove would be a let down . . . it was not. I am so glad we decided to spend the day here just 30 min from our rental house. It was a great area for all ages! We started all together on a park ranger guided hike . . . . my oldest son and I lasted for the first few stops! We then split up and those of us that wanted to do a little more hiking split off from the group. Like the Valley, this was a very easy place to split up and meet back together because all the easier trails were a loop back to the same place, just various distances. Check out the Wawona Area Hiking Map to make a plan for your hike in the area. We all (ages 10 to 72) easily hiked the Grizzly Giant loop. This easy loop hits all the highlights in the area.
After our trip to Mariposa Grove we stopped at the Wawona Hotel which is an old Victorian style hotel. Honestly it is not somewhere I would want to stay; it was a bit run down but with a historic feel. There are not a lot of food options in the park and the restaurant there was a decent place to stop for a late lunch.
Day 5 – Exploring the Valley
The Valley is not big area. You can cover a lot of ground in one day if you don’t get stuck in the crowds or waiting in long lines for buses. I suggest starting early in the day and doing hikes furthest from the visitors center first (Valley Hiking Map) to avoid waiting in long lines for buses at the end of the afternoon. You can then hit areas closer to the visitors center at the end of the day by walking or biking.
We got stuck waiting in lines for buses after hiking to Mirror Lake. This was an easy hike (but with an uneven path) to a beautiful lake that perfectly reflected the scenery. It was worth it at the time, but we questioned it after waiting for a bus for an hour! I wish we had done this first thing in the morning.
We walked the path to Lower Yosemite Falls which is a must see and an easy paved path. In the afternoon we rented bikes from Yosemite Valley Lodge, which was a great way to cover a lot of ground in the Valley and get away from the crowds/traffic. There is a dedicated bike path all the way around the Valley and we were even able to see some wildlife. The bikes were not the best, but the Valley is flat so basic cruisers got the job done.
Our last stop was Bridal Veil Falls. We honestly almost didn’t stop because we were tired and had our fill of waterfalls, but I am so glad we stopped. Not only were we the only ones there, but the path up to the falls had a babbling brook along it that was so peaceful. The falls were so overflowing that we got soaking wet just walking along the path. It was an amazing display of the powerful force of water! It was also good this was our last stop since we left wet and cold.
As you leave the visitors center and head west around the one-way loop, there is a scenic turn off on your left right before you get back to Hwy 41. We pulled off and realized the view we saw was the same one in a picture that has been hanging over our fireplace for years. We were able to get a family photo in the same exact spot, a beautiful view of the Valley.
There are a few quick serve food options in the Valley, but we were not impressed. If you have the ability to pack a lunch, I suggest it. The food was overpriced and underwhelming!
Day 6 – Travel to San Francisco
This was the end of our time in Yosemite, but not the end of our vacation. We were able to squeeze in a long weekend in San Fran before heading back to Kansas City. Details on that will be coming in a separate post!
Laura, you are a beautiful writer and what a wonderful story you shared! Almost felt like I was back there on the trails and enjoying the water and snow with you all.
Thanks for sharing your story!
Tom 🙂
Thanks Tom, so glad you and Linda were able go on this trip with us. We have some great memories and it is fun to relive them.
Laura