After nearly 2 years, I've realized that I really miss having a blog. Specifically to document and remember places we've visited and highlights from our travels and to share those with others. As my two children scream at each other in the background, I'm also reminded why I haven't blogged in years. <breathe>
Yosemite
Aside from wildly high home values, expensive food, wild fires and earthquakes, living in California does have some advantages; namely being in close proximity to amazing sights such as Lake Tahoe and Yosemite. This post focuses on our travels over the past three years to Yosemite and why it's now become our summer go-to for a long weekend.
Lodging
In the busy season, you must book a year in advance and even then it's super tricky. Get up at 5am and have a go at it, especially if you are picky. We've stayed at both Curry Village and Yosemite Valley Lodge (YVL). We've visited and eaten at the Ahwahnee, though I find the price not worth what you get to stay here. Plus, do you want opulence or nature? If you're in Yosemite, I would think you're opting for nature. At Curry we prefer to stay in either the Stoneman Lodge (a series of rooms in a building set motel style) or in a cabin with a bathroom. Both located central to Curry Village and next to each other. The Stoneman has carpet, otherwise I'm neutral on both. If you're staying at Yosemite Valley Lodge, ask for a room on a back side facing the mountains or the waterfall. The family rooms are great if you have kids and can secure one, though last time we had a double/double and it worked out just fine. Note that the Yosemite Valley Lodge has TV and better wifi, but again, what are you here for? As for camping, we haven't done that, but there are sites everywhere. Both Curry and YVL have a swimming pool, with my preference being YVL pool because of the views of the falls while you're swimming.
Note: 2020 was a strange year. COVID had nearly everything shut down and we were extremely lucky to have reservations for two weekends (one at Curry and one at YVL) which I'd booked a year in advance. There were restricted visitors to the park, basically no camping, pools were closed, and there were no buses. For us it was AMAZING to be there and I don't think we will ever have a chance to see it this empty again. Part of the reason we went back a second time this year.
Getting Around
During the 2020 season, buses were not running. That left a few options. 1) drive, find a parking lot, park, then walk. 2) walk everywhere (though the valley is quite large). 3) bike. During our 2019 visit we brought bikes for the first time. It was AMAZING. Why in the world had we never done this before. Biking is BY FAR the best way to get around the valley, even when buses are running... especially when buses are running. Hop on, bike where you want to go, lock up bike, hike, bike back. No waiting for buses, no crowding, no schedule. Easy peasy. The kids absolutely LOVE biking around the park. The first year we did this, we had a third wheel setup on one bike and a trailer on the other. This year both kids were on bikes. Not only is biking the easiest way to get around, but the views are breathtaking. Hands down you need to bike the park. If you aren't brining your own bike, rent them from either Curry Village or YVL. (note, the pricing is quite expensive but still worthwhile). Also, worth noting, neither place sold 29" tubes, so bring extra if you're riding a 29'er.
Hiking
Yosemite is filled with wonderful hikes. The first year we visited we made our way up to Tuolumne Meadows and Glacier Point. Both are great, but for me a bit far for a day drive. We did enjoy seeing them, but if you have limited time, I prefer to stay in the valley, so I won't mention those more in this post.
Before I get into the hikes within the valley, I'll talk about Mariposa Grove. During the 2020 season there were no busses running, so the only access was the 4 mile round trip up the trail from the Mariposa visitor center. Note that Mariposa Grove is located near the southern entrance, so it is about a 1-1.15 hr drive from the valley. We enjoyed the hike up to the grove even though it was more crowded than I expected. Actually, it was the most crowded hike we did all summer. The cool part of this hike was finding the sugar pinecones. They were huge! The hike takes you to the top of the grove (normally accessed by bus) and drops you at the loop to the giant redwoods and sequoias. Given we were doing the 4 mile round trip, we only opted to do the short loop at the top. However, it would be interesting to take the bus to the top and then do a longer hike.
In the valley there are so many great hikes. First and easiest is Lower Yosemite Falls trail. Although poorly marked, bikes are not allowed on this trail, and for good reason, it will get crowded. (Note, this photo taken in 2020 during COVID). Every time we visit we walk this loop. It's super short and stunning. During the busy season I love going in the early morning before the crowds come. Near the falls are some great places to duck off trail and wade into the river. Note, only do this where allowed. You can find some sunny and shady spots and we will often spend an hour or two just hanging out here.
Another great easy trail is Mirror Lake trail. This was a new one for us this year and although we went in late summer when it was dried up, it was still really fun and relaxing. During the early summer I'm told the lake provides a perfect reflection of half dome. We walked the loop, picked reeds, made little reed baskets, made a stick broom, and enjoyed the nature. After the loop (about 2 miles) we were going to hang at the water, but it was a bit too crowded for us, so instead we climbed down the rocks near the bike parking and hung there for a bit. To get to Mirror Lake trailhead, follow the bike trail around the valley, past Curry Village. While you can access Mirror Lake from a trailhead close to the Mist Trail start, we kept biking around and got a bit closer before hiking, since we weren't interested in doing a very long hike this day.
An absolute favorite trail for us is the Mist Trail. This trail takes you up Vernal Falls and up to Nevada if you choose. We've done this trail a few times and by far the best time to go is early summer. The falls are flowing and the river raging. After getting to the footbridge (about 1/2 mile in, if I remember correctly), you can head up to the left and start hiking the steps up the side of Vernal Falls. Note, you will get wet. Very Wet. We took ponchos both years and the kids were very happy to have them, though we were still wet. The hike is steep and can get slippery. Watch yourself and kids. Getting to the top of Vernal is very rewarding, very fun, and there is a large area to spread out and view the falls from the top, have a snack, and relax a bit. From here, if you aren't heading up to Nevada falls (which we haven't done yet) the best way down is to go around the backside, and hike down the John Muir trail. This brings you back down to to the footbridge where you can then head back out the last part of the trial. The round trip from start of the trail at the street and back is about 4.5 miles. It is steep in sections and can be strenuous. Look at a map before going. Note that as you round the backside at the top of Vernal Falls there is a section of the trail that is very exposed to the sun. Reapply sunscreen and wear a hat. This is also why I recommend starting this trail by 8am (plus to avoid the crowds).
Swimming
Writing about the meadow reminds me of swimming. There are a lot of great spots along the Merced River (you'll see them as you're biking around). The beach at swinging bridges is a favorite, easy to get to from YVL and a great place to hang in the afternoon sun. Grab a few beers and snacks (and water) from the YVL gift shop and head over to the water. From here you can lounge on the beach (mostly small rocks, but also some sandy spots) and look at the beautiful cliffs and Yosemite Valley Falls.
There is also a small beach area near Curry Village which is super fun to hang at as well. We've spent hours along the Merced river, just basking in the nature, getting away from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, and just relaxing.
Note one beach we haven't yet visited but we want to is cathedral beach. That will be one saved for the 2021 season.
Floating the River
Another fun activity to do is floating the Merced river. Normally (aka not 2020) you can sign up early at Curry Village to rent tubes and float the river. This rental includes a bus that will take you back once you get to swinging bridges or sentinel beach. I'm told you if you have your own tubes you can also just pay for the bus back (maybe $5-6/pp).
For 2020 we took our own tubes (River Run brand) and used the car/bike shuttle method. Jeremy dropped us off with the tubes at Curry Village, drove back to drop off the car at YVL (you can also try parking at swinging bridges though the parking lot gets crowded), biked back to Curry. We then picked up his bike later in the night. While it took a bit of coordination, it was actually quite easy. Note that we choose to float the river when the flow was below 200 cubic feet per second. I think it was close to 100-150 cft/s. It took about 3 hours and even though I'm a water person, by the end we were done and ready to be off the river. I'm told that in June/July when the flow is better, the 3 mile trip is usually about 1 hour. Which seems perfect. This trip we had to get out and walk/push ourselves a few times and I was pretty worried about popping the tubes a few times.
Overall it was really fun to do and I can see how it would be awesome if the flow was around 300-400 cft/s. I'm told that anything over 600 cft/s is too dangerous. Check the levels here before you go. Also make sure you take wet bags (not zip locks) for your phones and anything you don't want to get soaked. Oh and if the river flow is low, bring a paddle.
Dining
I'll wrap up talking about dining a bit. We absolutely love the pizza deck in Curry Village. We also enjoyed our nice, though expensive, dinner at the Ahwhanee. Otherwise, the food is just okay. Some may even say mediocre. Don't expect much. It's editable and will save you from starving, but that's about it.
See you in 2021 Yosemite!
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