YOSEMITE

Getting to Yosemite

For my out of state friends, you can fly straight into the Fresno Yosemite National Airport and find yourself less than an hour and a half away from the South gate entrance. Or, if you're like me and live in the SoCal area, you can make the drive in about 5-7 hours. For me, I live exactly 5 hours from the South gate so driving was the cheapest and best option.

We broke the drive up by stopping in McFarland, Ca. This farm town inspired one of my favorite movies, McFarland USA. Based on a true story, the movie show cases how Coach Jim White transformed a group of teen boys into state champ cross country runners, changing their lives forever. We enjoyed walking around the High School and seeing locations that were high-lighted in the movie..

We decided to stay in an air bnb about 40 minutes away from the West gate entrance. This saved us hundreds of dollars and allowed for last minute booking. However, if you wish to stay in the Valley of Yosemite, note that cabins and tent spaces can be found here, and require reservations months in advance. If you're on a budget, you can try to land a one room cabin tent located in Curry Village for about $164 night. This little village has a community shower and restroom area, as well as shopping and restaurants. It's got a lot of history and was named after the Curry family who helped establish the Valley. But most importantly, the Curry Village has an ice-cream parlor! Major bonus points. It also will put you right at the entrance of the Vernal Falls trail and the Mirror Lake trail. The village also has a bike rental shop. 

As far as passes, we booked a weekend pass the Saturday before our trip for a whopping $2!! This did not include the $35 vehicle entry fee. Thankfully, this one time fee lasted the whole weekend. So, for $37, we were able to drive all around Y.N.P. for two full days. Not bad at all. The reservations went fast. I had to log in at exactly 8am and snatch the reservations a week before our trip. It was definitely a risk and I would recommend booking at the beginning of the year if you know your trip dates. But for us, it worked out perfectly.

A Full Day

My new favorite time of year to visit the park is mid-late Spring. You'll beat the Summer crowds and the Summer heat. The waterfalls were bursting at the seams due to the recent snow melt. This made for stunning views. The pastures still had wild flowers in bloom and a cool breeze filled the valley throughout our hikes. Honestly, I don't know that I'll go any other time of year, except maybe in the Fall! If you go in Winter or early Spring, make sure you check what trails/roads are open based on weather and possible damage from snow or floods.

We only had one full day in the Valley, a Saturday. I had read beforehand that our best use of time was to enter the park around 7AM and head straight to the Vernal Falls trail. since it is the most popular trail and receives heavy traffic as the day goes on. We parked my car at the Curry Village parking lot and followed the signs about 1 mile to the trail entrance. So, yes..that's a 2 mile round trip hike just to the entrance of the trail. I suppose you could also rent a bike at Curry Village to help with this distance.

Please note that because of how narrow, steep, and soaking we this trail is, it is listed as one of the most dangerous trails with the highest death toll in the park. We saw first hand, just how careless people could be, as they were running full speed down the steepest and wettest parts of the trail, with the powerful river just off the drop off. Most deaths occur from people slipping, falling into the rushing river, and drowning. Please, please, please, be smart!! That being said, we were safe all the way until we reached the very top of the trail, nearest to the falls, and decided we no longer felt safe and began the journey back down. The higher we hiked, the more stunning the views. We even saw multiple rainbows that we could literally touch !! Made for some incredible pictures.

After Vernal Falls, we walked back to Curry Village to eat lunch, relax, and fill up our water bottles before heading to bus stop #6 where we hiked the Cook's Meadow Loop. This trail was a little tricky to find, as it's not specifically listed on the park map. I had read about it on line (linked above), and then asked for additional directions by a park ranger. Basically, we followed the bike trail path over the swinging bridge, alongside the river, through the meadows, and back to the bus stop. It's a gorgeous trail and allowed us to jump in the river for a cold plunge swim! The water was freezing but it was so much fun. People were jumping off the bridge, but note this is not allowed and the current was really fast so it could be dangerous! There are multiple spots to safely swim, however. And, some people were even stand up paddle boarding. The views on this hike of Half Dome and Horse Tail falls are breathtaking. I can't recommend this hike enough. Plus, you'll see the adorable chapel too!

At this point, we were both absolutely exhausted and ready to head back to our air bnb to relax before sunset. But, a great follow up to these trails would be to end the day with the shorter hike to the Lower  and Upper Falls trails or Bridalveil Falls. Both are close to the Meadow's Loop trail!

A Half Day

On our second (and last day) at Yosemite, we wanted to maximize the few hours that we had but were also both exhausted from hiking the day before.  We started the morning off by attending the worship service held at Yosemite's chapel--the oldest standing building in the park! Built in the late 1800s, this precious chapel just celebrated it's 145th anniversary from when the first service was held.  And while it has undergone a relocation and a renovation, it still has historic charm that takes you back in time. Including the ringing of a church bell to signify the start of each service. Services are held at two different times every Sunday. It was such a blessing to pause our adventures for a couple of hours and praise God with adventures from all around the world--even as far as New Zealand!

After services, we enjoyed a final drive through the valley before heading down Wawona Highway towards the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.  Just before reaching the South Gate entrance, we parked in the shuttle bus parking lot and enjoyed a free shuttle ride to the trail head. In less than an hour, we were able to hike to the Grizzly Giant--a Redwood tree that stands over 200 feet tall, is estimated to be between 1800-2500 years old, and holds up branches that boast a whopping 7 foot diameter.

The hike was beautiful and so peaceful (and also wheelchair accessible!).  Deer walked right in front of us, butterflies landed on flowers around us,  birds echoed above us and a creek trickled beside us.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend get away.

The only down side? I didn't get to see near enough of the park! But then again, I guess that is also an upside because it means I have plenty of excuses to visit the park again. And I must admit....it feels pretty good to live close to a National Park as wonderful as Yosemite. Perks of becoming the local!