Introduction

Hi. I love Yosemite National Park. I try to go there at least 2 or 3 times per year and every time I go there I go hiking and get lost in the beautiful pristine sights and sounds. The towering granite cliffs are not a sight to be missed. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area and have 2 days to spare, you should definitely consider spending a day at this National Treasure. I'll be taking you through the sites that I saw the last time I visited the park which was 6/13/02 and share my knowledge and experiences.

Accomodations

Without question, the place I like to stay at is Yosemite Lakes Lodge. This place has a lot of different types of accomodations to fit your budget. They offer (in order of increasing price): tent sites, bunks, hostel rooms, and yurts. I last stayed at the tent site and paid $20 with my AAA discount. I'm lucky because I live in the San Francico Bay Area and not more than 3.5 hours away. I know that from Mon-Thurs it's quite easy to find open rooms/sites so it is not necessary for advance reservation. If you do find yourself looking for accomodations and you decide to stay at this place, go inside, make your reservation (before visiting the park) and if possible, get the key!

Once I had made reservations and I hiked to Half Dome. It was peak season and all the rooms were taken. As I made my way to the counter the lady told me, "sorry, no more rooms". I told her I already had reservations and showed her my key. I don't know for certain if they will give your room away to someone else (even if you have already made reservations), but when it's 10:00pm, it's dark, you're dead tired, don't have a sleeping bag or tent, and there's no other accomodations for about 50 miles, it feels really really good to know for certain that you have a room ready for you to sleep in.

There are a couple of camp sites which are first come first served and require no reservations. One is located just outside of Yosemite Lakes Lodge. I'm not sure what the name of it is. The other is Sunnyside camp which is located in Yosemite Valley. This used to be the best bargain. I'm not sure what it costs now, but 4 years ago it was only $3/night. Showers were located clear across the way at Curry Village, but for $3 what do you expect?

What to do there?

I won't go into everything as there is way too much to discuss. The most popular destination by far is Yosemite Valley. This is a good place to start. Before you ge to the Valley, there are a myriad number of sites to see and visit as you come into the park from the West side (Hwy 205). One of them is Merced Grove.

Merced Grove is one of 3 Redwood Groves located within the park boundaries (the other two being Mariposa and Tuolumne Groves). Merced Grove is the smallest of the 3. It takes a little over a half hour to get to your destination. The initial walk is easy as it starts out level and goes downhill (of course that means it's more difficult coming back up!). There are about 5 or 6 large Redwoods. Tuolumne Grove features a few more trees as well as one huge redwood which is so big you could drive a car under it. It is "cut out" at the trunk so visitors can wander underneath and peer up inside.

Merced Grove will take about an hour and a half round trip assuming you walk leisurely and take pictures along the way. It is not too strenuous and most anyone can do this walk. There are other sites such as Big Oak Flat, but they speak for themselves and there isn't much to go on there.

Once you get into the Valley you are greeted with the sight of the Merced River. You may see river rafters going down the river. This is a new attraction. I don't know how much it costs but it looks like a lot of fun. As you continue along this scenic route, you can see El Capitan and its waterfall, Half Dome, and Upper Yosemite Falls. The Falls flow with the most water during Spring and early Summer. If you go during September or October, they will probably just be a trickle.

Hiking

I spend more time hiking at Yosemite than doing anything else. I like to park at Curry Village and take the Shuttle Bus (which runs between every 5 or 10 minutes) to the Happy Isles. This time around, instead of hiking I decided to peer around and checked on "the Fen". A "Fen" is a marshy area where there is very lush vegetation and a lot of water flow. It's not the same as a river bed because the floor is lined with peat moss (rather than rocks) which is made from decomposed plants. The Fen was a nice little area with strange looking plants and bamboo shoots. I wanted to hang around, but the mosquitoes changed my mind very quickly.

Not in the mood to start my hike yet, I travelled to the Nature Center. This Center has been reconstructed. I have been coming to Yosemite every year since 1995 and every year it has been closed until now. I am very curious to see what is inside. I am not disaapointed. Inside, I learn how different animals such as bears identify their "turf" and how it is not wise to follow the trail of a fresh pile of "dung" as it means he is very near. I wish I could learn to identify the claw marks of all the animals, as well as learn the different plant varieties.

Now I start hiking along the John Muir Trail to Nevada Falls. There are two ways: you can use the main route or you can hike to Vernal Falls and then from there, hike to Nevada Falls. I've done both and I like the more direct path. This time around it took me 3 hours to get to the top. Jeez, I must be out of shape. In years past it only took me 1.5 hours to get to the top. Once you make it, you feel great! There is a beautiful view of the Valley from the bridge. Take pictures, but don't feed the squirrels. Many people like to stop here and eat lunch, play in the water, read a book, and hang out. For me, this is the highlight of my trip.

I see Nevada Falls as a kind of "half-way" point between the valley and the top of Half Dome. In actuality it is only about 1/4 of the way as Half Dome is an 8 mile hike, however, if you continue down the trail, you will quickly discover, that as you make your way down "Little Yosemite Valley" (this is a small camping area just north of Nevada Falls - not to be confused with the main Yosemite Valley) that the ground is quite flat. It continues this way for a little over 2 miles. I don't really count this part because it's a breeze to hike through. If you decide to go to the top of Half Dome, the last part of the hike (2 miles) is very steep and strenuous. You'll know by the time you hit Nevada Falls whether or not you are ready to tackle Half Dome. On this day, I didn't have it.

Eats

After a long day's hike, there's nothing like a good hot meal. I like to eat at Curry Village Restaurant where it's $11.75 (I'm not sure of the exact price but it was just under $12) all you can eat. I had the mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti (with meatballs and cheese), and mixed vegetables with a tall glass of water to start. Mmmm... The restaurant also offers a "south of the border" section where you can build your own tacos and burritos, an Asian section where they serve up egg rolls and rice, a salad bar complete with lots of fresh fruits, and a large dessert bar. The spaghetti was awful, it did not sit well with my stomach. I'll remember next time to avoid eating that, but the rest of the food was good.

Another place I like to eat is the pizza bar. I like the pizzas they serve over there. The crust is thin which you never see at places such as Domino's, Round Table, or Pizza Hut. The cheese is real and fresh. Waiting in line can take an eternity, but it's well worth it. People aren't stupid, they won't wait in line for food that tastes crummy!

Places to Take Pictures

One of the easiest and best places to take pictures is in the Valley in front of El Capitan and it's waterfall. Very beautiful. If you don't mind driving just a little bit, inspiration point is another excellent place to take pictures. There isn't much to do or see here except take pictures. It is on the way to Glacier Point, so if you are headed towards that direction, it is worth your time to stop here.

If you don't want to hike for 12 hours Glacier point is the best place to take pictures. You have an incredible panoramic view of Yosemite Valley and the whole park. Words cannot do it justice. It's easy to forget, but Yosemite is a huge park. There are many many other mountains, valleys, and trails which can be seen from this vantage. Because Glacier Point offers such stunning views and a nice area to visit, I would recommend this place to visit if you are only here for one day.

The best views I've ever seen have been from the top of Half Dome. From here you have access to a 360 degree view of the whole park. Words cannot do it justice. At the same time, I must admit, travelling to the very top of Half Dome was by far, the most strenuous undertaking I've ever done in my whole life. The first time I did it, I was slowed down by about an hour due to a tragic accident. A man had died of a heart attack on the top, and was being airlifted down via helicopter. The rescue crews would not allow us to advance so we sat there watching. This should give you an idea of how stressful climbing to Half Dome can be. It is not for the squeamish.

One Day Visit

If you could only spend one day at Yosemite I would recommend you definitely see these sites:

- Yosemite Valley - take in El Capitan, Half Dome, Upper Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Falls, Merced River, and Sentinel Rock in one fell swoop.
- Top of Glacier Point - incredible views, can take less than 2 hours to and from the Valley round trip via car. Snack bar at the top.
- Lower Yosemite Falls - it's only a one mile hike and it's level ground so it's super easy. Nice views, get splashed.
- Easy hikes - top of Vernal Falls - take between 1 and 1.5 hours to get to the top. Beautiful view, get splashed by water coming down sides of the mountain (this is a lot of fun on a hot day). Sort of strenuous, but even people out of shape should be able to do this.
- Inspiration point - on the way to Glacier Point. Take pictures here - you will feel like Ansel Adams.

Tuolumne Meadows

Most people visit Yosemite Valley as that's where all the "sexy" sites are, but in a much more laid back atmosphere, Tuolumne Meadows deserves mention here. I've only visited twice (during Spring), but I've had fun nonetheless. If you are looking for a nice quiet vacation come here. The road to get here is 120 (Tioga Pass) and goes through the entire park. It is closed during (early) Spring and (late) Fall, so prepare accordingly. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the popular hiking destinations where the road (to the Valley) branches off.

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