Yosemite National Park, California, USA
A reservation will be required to drive into Yosemite from February 2024
A reservation will be required to drive into Yosemite from February 2024
*All work including photos and writing on this page is my own, except the link to the Expedia video, freely available on Youtube.
The most important information I can give you is not to go there in the summer. We went in July and the waterfall and most of the lakes were all dried up. After a hot hike to one of the most popular lakes, it was disappointing to find it was just a puddle. November-April will be quieter and more beautiful. However some roads could be closed due to snow in the winter. I would suggest spring and Autumn time to visit. In mid to late February you could be lucky and see the waterfall glow orange when the sunset creates a spectacular fireball affect.
Yosemite is famous for the giant sequoia trees, pine forests and the huge granite rock formations and of course bridalveil falls. It is a 7 mile wide canyon and the whole park is 1,200 square miles.
The most important information I can give you is not to go there in the summer. We went in July and the waterfall and most of the lakes were all dried up. After a hot hike to one of the most popular lakes, it was disappointing to find it was just a puddle. November-April will be quieter and more beautiful. However some roads could be closed due to snow in the winter. I would suggest spring and Autumn time to visit. In mid to late February you could be lucky and see the waterfall glow orange when the sunset creates a spectacular fireball affect.
Yosemite is famous for the giant sequoia trees, pine forests and the huge granite rock formations and of course bridalveil falls. It is a 7 mile wide canyon and the whole park is 1,200 square miles.
Where to stay.
Due to it's remoteness accommodation within the park does get booked up a long time in advance so plan ahead if you wish to stay in the park. Here are some suggestions.
Getting around the park
If you are just there for the day and want to see the main sights and a couple of hikes, I recommend that you drive to the park and ride areas where you can catch buses around the park, stop wherever you like and explore then pick up a bus again and go on to the next stop. The buses go around in a loop and are very frequent in the summer. These buses connect nearly all the accommodation sites and stores too. Take a look at the park's website for more information, but we used these buses and I do recommend them.
The best hikes
There are lots of paved walks that are accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs and there are hikes suitable for very experienced hikers too. There are bears so do take bear spray if you are going away from the main busy tourist areas. We did see a snake too, but I am not an expert on snakes, so can't tell you what it was. Make sure you have walking boots and water and/or re hydration drinks. We did get lost and ended up walking further than we expected on a hot day, so come prepared for the heat in summer and cold in winter.
- Half dome cable hike (For experienced hikers!)
- Vernal Falls
- Yosemite Falls trail
- Mirror Lake Trail I think this is the one we did and found the lake almost dried up, so don't do this one in the summer.
- Sentinel Dome trail
- Snow creek trail
- Four mile trail
- Half dome cable hike (For experienced hikers!)
- Vernal Falls
- Yosemite Falls trail
- Mirror Lake Trail I think this is the one we did and found the lake almost dried up, so don't do this one in the summer.
- Sentinel Dome trail
- Snow creek trail
- Four mile trail