Written by Yosemite, known by its dwellers as Ahwahnee, meaning wide mouth, is magnificent and massive. I honestly do not think you can truly appreciate what a beautiful and majestic country we, America, have to live in until you have visited here. It’s mother nature, or God’s greatest creation, which can make the biggest skeptic stop dead in their tracks. The Grand Canyon is somewhat like this but unlike the Grand Canyon, it’s easier to access the valley and explore its depths. Despite being one of the busiest national parks, you can still find yourself alone in the longer more strenuous tracks.
PRO TIPS: KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
- Book early if you can! For those of you who are booking late, keep reading, its not over for you yet.
- Ideally, you want to stay in the park to avoid the lines getting in, and because its amazing, however, its also more expensive. But do not fret, there are options outside the park.
- Grab a Yosemite Guide. Like a newspaper at the travel centers. They list tips and all the hikes, levels of difficulty, camping, etc. (basically everything you need to know).
- Pack spare of whatever you need, but especially clothes. Outside of the park, there is almost nothing. If your child gets car sick (mine did) and throws up all over themselves and the car, you need an extra towel and set of clothes/shoes. We went to a gas station rinsed out the clothes with water from a water bottle, and hung the clothes out to dry from the car while heading into the park. Even if you think car sickness is not an issue, the roads are windy and there is a good chance someone in the backseat may take issue.
- I know what Sheryl Crow said about plastic water bottles getting too hot in the car, but make sure you have extra water in the car.
- Check the website or call ahead to make sure roads and entrances are open before you go.
- Check the shuttle policies. The one we wanted to use to get down from the mountain hike was cash only and $30 a person. Really expensive. We ended up walking back down.
- Finally, get there as early as you can. Be in the line when the park opens. We got there early (saw a bear run across the road at the entrance) and when we left our first hike, we could not believe the line of cars.
There are 4 main entrances into Yosemite. I say 4 because on these main routes are 4 visitor centers: Big Oak Flat and Arch Rock Entrance to the west, South Entrance to the south, and Tioga Pass Entrance to the east, but truly there are 5 including Hetchy Hetch. The visitor center, The Valley Visitor Center, located in Yosemite Valley, is the largest and most comprehensive in terms of displays, books, postcards, and maps. The Big Oak Flat Information Station, Wawona Information Station, and Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center are open on a more limited basis. The Park also has a Wilderness Center.
We stayed outside of Yosemite in a cabin in Coulterville. It is a bunch of cabins really with a communal kitchen and shared bathrooms. It’s an AirBnB and I don’t think I really knew what it was when I booked it. But we were in a pinch to find a place at all. This place is good for youth or church groups, maybe large families, but its a step above camping. Nothing more and nothing less. Lesson learned on booking way in advance. For a link of where we stayed in Coulterville (outside of Yosemite), check out below.
July 27th– Yosemite Valley
On our first day into the park we entered from 140 or El Portal Rd. If you come in this way, you will be greeted with a loop through Yosemite Valley and the famous El Capitan. The south side of this loop is called Southside Drive. The upper half is called Northside Drive. There are plenty of stops to get out and explore, including beaches and a swinging bridge, but again, early birds get the parking. Our first stop off this loop was Bridal Veil Falls on Glacier Point Rd. It’s a very short walk from the parking lot to the actual waterfall. Spoiler alert. I didn’t work for me ;( (if you know, you know).This was a somewhat crowded area because its a popular photo spot. You know how they say be careful of walking, jumping on the rocks because you might fall and bust your head? Well, my son, a lover of rock jumping, did slip, but fortunately he did not hit his head and was okay. HE WAS LUCKY.
Family tip: Make a point to find one of each different kind of pinecone while hiking in Yosemite. Whenever we visit a place we create a mason jar of our favorite finds and one each of a stone, shell, or plant that is native or associated with the area.
Our next stop was the trailhead for 4-mile hike located off Southside Drive between Sentinel Beach and the swinging bridge. If you are taking a shuttle its stop E6. I don’t think the sign was very visible when we went. Okay, so, the 4 mile hike is not 4- miles. It’s a little over 4 miles one way. Also, it is straight up. Its a strenous hike. One of the most difficult I have been on. My son did manage at 12 years old but not without a meltdown or two. Take lots of water and again, try to go as early as you can. There are spots that are not shaded and have a sharp droff off if not careful. But the views, AMAZING>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>!
You will not be disappointed with this hike despite its difficulty. It took us a total of about 7 hours, I think. This was hiking up and down. If you get to a more flat, wooded area, keep going! You are almost there. You come out at Glacier Point Upper Terrace. Unfortunately, the shuttle at the top required cash and was pricey per person. There was a nice shop at the top but there were a lot of tourists grabbing pics coming off of the shuttle. But honestly, you won’t need the pics if you’ve been on this trail.
Feeling very proud of ourselves at the end of 4-mile Hike!
After our massive hike, we decided to cool off in the Merced River, at Cathedral Beach. Some spots of the river had rapid currents and deep water so you want to be a good swimmer if you head off the beach.
There are places to eat at the park but they are packed with many tourists. With that said, if you are not staying at the park, you might want to grab some food after a long day and before you head out. Again, outside of the park, there are limited places to eat and stay. You don’t want to be cooking or looking for a place to eat after hiking all day and potentially sitting in traffic. Hangry family alert!
July 28th- Wawona & Mariposa Grove
On our second day in Yosemite, we headed south into Mariposa Grove. This is definitely a more quiet and less crowded area. Here you will find giant sequoias, wildflowers, and flat hikes. My favorite part of touring California was the redwoods and sequoias. So as majestic as the mountain views I prefer the up close and personal with the trees. We were going to take it easy and only view the trees on the Big Trees Loop Trail, located at the Mariposa Grove Arrival Area, but we somehow managed to go on a much longer hile that took at least 3 hours. If I had to guess which trail this was, it might have been the Guardians Loop Trail. The former is wheelchair accessible, but the latter was not, and had some strenuous moments but nothing like the 4-Mile Trail so I won’t go as far as to say it was strenuous.
Some very famous trees are here including the Wawona Tunnel Tree, the Grizzly Giant, and the Telescope Tree but my favorite was the cabin we “stumbled” upon. I felt like I was in the 2nd Hobbit movie and we came across Beorn’s cabin in the woods after a long journey. Beautiful wildflowers and bees everywhere. It was dead quiet. I kept waiting for a bear to jump out but we never saw one on this day. Sometimes it is worth getting lost. Even if everyone is fussing at you about turning back, at the end of the day, we were all in the most tranquil, magical state of mind.
When we were done we headed out of the southern exit and camped at the Cedar Bluff campsite inside the Sierra National Forest. I will be honest, it was one of the worst experiences camping. First off, it was difficult to find. When we finally arrived, it was pitch black and we found a rock patch. Even though we are only 1 tent we were charged for 2 lots. The campsite attendants came by not to assist us but to complain that we had to place our tent basically on the rocks. Then when we were finally ready to clean up and relax we found that there was 1. no water and 2. no showers. They only had toilets with sinks. Like 3. That was it. No showers and no spouts. So you had to grab water to boil from a single bathroom. I was so mad. And it’s dangerous considering it’s hot, dry, and people have campfires. Anyway. I won’t be going back there.
The next day we took off for Santa Cruz. It was a scenic, farming drive where everyone caught up on their sleep. By this leg of the trip, everyone was pretty exhausted and just wanted to shower. We decided to forgo Big Sur and meet with friends in Santa Cruz. We stayed at the best AirBnB I have ever been to. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4204322?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=d0176040-37c3-42c4-91ee-8ebd17dc9ab9 I am going to end the California Road Trip right here.
The End of An Epic Journey
I hope you have taken away some fun ideas and tips for your trip to Yosemite. If you haven’t already seen my other posts about our 10-Day California Road Trip, please check out these helpful posts here https://tigerlillymama.com/2022/01/10/10-day-california-road-trip-cont-lassen-volcanic-national-park/ and https://tigerlillymama.com/2020/09/02/10daycaliforniaroadtripcontinued-mt-tamalpais-patricks-point-redwoods-and-more/ and https://tigerlillymama.com/2020/08/13/10daycaliforniaroadtripitineraryandmustdos/.
It was one of the best trips of our lives and we made some memories as a family we will never forget. Feel free to comment below with some of your best takeaways and experiences from California and be sure to follow my blog for more great trips. Safe exploring!
TigerlillyMama 