Hello Everyone!
It’s been quite a while since I have posted something here. We have been enjoying summer and checking off things from our travel bucket list. I have so much to share and I am quite sad that haven’t been able to post anything about our travel yet but better late than never, right?? (I guess that’s my favorite phrase these days :-P)
Yosemite National Park was one of the places on our travel bucket list since last year. Even though my husband and I have been to this National Park before, it was a first time for our little girl. She is such an explorer and I just love her for that.
We had planned for 2 days in Yosemite and let me tell you that’s definitely not enough time to explore this National Park. If you can, please make your trip for at least 3-5 days. We drove from SanFrancisco Bay area early in the morning and we reached the park at about 7 AM. The drive as we got close to the park was extremely beautiful and pleasant in the early morning hours.
Yosemite National Park offers shuttle buses throughout the park with a few exceptions. We made use of this service whenever we could within the Yosemite Valley.
There are a few entrances to the park but the ones we used were Big Oak Flat Entrance on the first day and the Arch Rock entrance on our 2nd day here at Yosemite. If you are driving from the bay area like we did then Big Oak Flat entrance is the best way to enter the park. There is Big Flat Oak information station with restrooms and it’s a good place to take a break from the drive and also get the information you need about the National Park. We chose to explore the Tioga pass road on our first morning before the place got crowded.
Tioga Pass Road
The drive on the Tioga road by itself was beyond amazing and the views are to die for. Can I say it here again that it was AMAZING!!!
This area of the national park is also called Tuolumne Meadows which is open only between June through October/November depending on the weather conditions. There are lot of things and hikes that you could do around here but if you are traveling with little ones then, these are the three main things that you cannot miss on the Tuolumne meadows /Tioga Road.
Olmstead Point
Our first stop was Olmstead point on the Tioga Road and I have no words to explain how I felt standing up over those boulders. The fresh cool breeze made it more pleasant and enjoyable. You can definitely get a sneak peak of the very famous Half Dome. There is no hike required, but you will have to climb up (a fun kind of climbing, of course) the boulders to get a good view.
Tenaya Lake
This is a beautiful lake along the Tioga road. You can see the lake as you drive along but I would suggest that you stop by and sit by the shore and enjoy the serene lake. Tenaya lake also offers picnic areas. Don’t forget to pack you cooler when you are in this area. I believe they have only one cafe/restaurant that serves food and nothing much.
Soda Springs trail/ Tuolumne meadows
Soda Springs trail is the easiest and the shortest hike on the Tuolumne meadows. This is one hike that you shouldn’t miss on this trip. It’s an easy hike with beautiful scenery around. The snow on the mountain top steals the show. The hike leads up to the log cabin with the carbonated bubbling cold water inside. The dirt underneath the water appears a reddish orange color which is amazing. Our little girl ran around just like the butterflies in the meadow. It was a memorable experience just being in this place.
Yosemite Valley
Tunnel view Overlook
Tunnel view provide the most iconic view of Yosemite where you can see the Bridal Veil Falls, El Capitan and the Half Dome.
El Capitan
El Capitan is one of my favorite rocks for two reasons, one because of it’s shape and structure. It’s so majestic! It has been named very appropriately El Capitan (The Chief in Spanish). Second being, the Mac OS named after this rock was my favorite. You can see El capitan by the side of the road in Yosemite Valley near the Bridal veil falls. El Capitan can also be seen from the Tunnel View and El Capitan Meadow.
Cooks Meadow loop trail
Cooks Meadow trail is open year round and is one of the easiest and most beautiful trail especially during spring/early summer. It’s a flat trail so you can use strollers or even bike around the trail. This trail is close to the Yosemite Valley visitor center and can be accessed by the shuttle bus. The walk through the meadows is just beautiful !!! Walking through the green meadows filled with butterflies and surrounded by granite rocks is like a dream. We even spotted a couple of deers in the meadow. You also get amazing views of the Yosemite Falls and Half Dome. Sentinal Bridge and Yosemite Chapel can also be accessed from this trail.
The meadow is so beautiful that you would want to walk through the green grass but please do follow the trail etiquette and stay away from the vegetation as it could damage the plants and trouble the ecosystem.
Cooks Meadow can be accessed from the Lower Yosemite falls (stop #6) or the Yosemite Visitor center (stop #5 or #9). Don’t forget to fill up your water bottles and visit restrooms before you hit the trail as there are no restrooms along the trail.
Glacier Point
Glacier Point can only be accessed by car and there is no shuttle bus service to this area of the national park. The traffic can get heavier and there could also be some wait time to reach the Glacier Point. As you drive along you can first find Washburn Point which has similar views as the Glacier point. The views from both the points are just stunning. You can get the best view of the Half Dome from here and not to forget the waterfalls. I could sit for hours taking in the beautiful formation of mother nature.
This area of the park is accessible late May through November (depending on the weather conditions). There is a visitor center/gift store that sells merchandise and food/icecreams/drinks. There are restrooms too.
Yosemite Valley southside drive
Bridal Veil Falls
Bridal Veil falls is open year around but the water is at its peak during spring and early summer. There is no shuttle bus stop at this point so you will have to use the car/bike to get here. There is a short hike (0.5mi) from the parking area. It’s not flat but is stroller friendly and wheelchair accessible. It’s a fun walk when you have little ones and at the end you get sprayed by the fresh water from the falls. It can take about 30 to 45 minutes for the round trip.
Lower Yosemite Falls
Lower Yosemite falls was one of the favorite things we did during this trip. It’s an easy hike and slightly longer than the bridal veil falls about 1.0 mi round trip from the trail head. It was an interesting trail with walking through the tall trees, the wooden bridges, butterflies and bird watching. Again, the trail is open year round but the water is at it’s peak during spring and early summer. You can take a shuttle bus service from the Yosemite Visitor Center and get off at shuttle bus stop #6 that is the Lower Yosemite falls trail head.
There are two ways you can see the falls one, is to get close to the falls area and the other way is viewing area. As you reach close to the falls you will hear the loud falls and a spectacular view. It’s a pleasure to stand with your arms wide open and experience the light breeze and get sprayed. If you have time for just one hike in the Yosemite Valley then definitely go for this one and you won’t be disappointed.
Museum
When there is so much to do outdoor we sometimes ignore the little add ons in the National park, like the museum. They help us learn a little more about the National Park and the history. Yosemite National Park museum is a rustic styled building. On the outside you find the huts made from the woods in which people dwelled in olden days. Inside the museum, you get all the information about the rock formations, history, the Indian exhibit and also some information about the wild flowers. It’s a great place to get some knowledge and since some exhibits are interactive the kids would enjoy a little bit of learning time.
Junior Ranger program
The Junior Ranger program was a fun activity which my daughter loved and was very excited about. All you have to do is get a book from any of the visitor centers inside the National park. We did pay 3USD for the book. All you have to do is finish the required number of activities from the book and then take it back to the park ranger at the visitor center. The kids will then be sworn in as the Junior Park Ranger and get their badges. It’s a great and fun way to educate your child about the nature and also throw some light on the importance to protect the beautiful nature. They will be so proud to receive the badges from the park rangers after all the hardwork and learning.
We had a great time at Yosemite National Park even though our trip was just for 2 days. It’s a beautiful national park and I can’t wait to go back again.
These were a few places that we wanted to cover during this trip but missed out due to time constraint or few areas being closed.
Mariposa Grove
Mariposa Grove is the home for hundreds of giant sequoia trees which has several trails ranging from easy to strenuous difficulty level. During our visit, Mariposa Grove was closed for restoration and that’s how we missed exploring this part of the national park. It is now open but be sure to check the Yosemite National Park website before you head out for information about the closures and warnings.
Mist Trail
Mist trail takes you to the top of Vernal Falls and is moderate/strenuous hike uphill. The paved trail takes you to the foot of the Vernal Falls(moderate) and further the trail leads to the top (strenuous ) which is around 2.4mi round trip and takes anywhere between 3-4 hours. This is something that we considered doing on the second day but since we had time constraint and also our daughter is still young we decided to skip the moderate/strenuous hikes on this trip.
Mirror lake
It’s about 2 miles hike to the lake from the trail head which is an easy hike unless you are doing the full loop around the lake. Again we had to miss this trail since we couldn’t squeeze it into our itinerary.
A few things to remember before you go
- Don’t forget your water bottles. Fill them up whenever you can.
- Wear comfortable clothing and shoes which is very important since you will be doing a lot of walking.
- Don’t forget the layers. Mornings and evenings can be chilly even though it’s the spring/summer months.
- Use restrooms whenever you can
- Yosemite valley has a great cafe with lots of options to choose from and I really loved their freshly made pizzas. If you are spending your day away from the valley you definitely want to pack up some food/snacks from home.