Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is in central California in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Several towns border the national park and there are five entrances with their own unique scenic drive. Four of the entrances are on the western side and the fifth entrance is on the eastern side with a jaw-dropping view and passing through the Tioga pass at 9943 feet. The distance from Tioga Pass to Half Dome village (previously Curry Village) is about a 1 hour 45 minute drive. This is a popular drive with many beautiful stops for hiking along the way. Highway 120 links Yosemite National Park with Mammoth Lakes, a world class fishing and ski resort community. If you haven't been on Highway 120, it has sheer cliffs so if you decide to do Yosemite first, don't look down if you're heading east towards Lee Vining! Because of the elevation, it is often closed from November through May, depending on snowfall with no access to Yosemite National Park from the east.
Transportation to and around Yosemite
You really don't need a car to reach Yosemite National Park if you are open to using the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System which is available from several of the cities outside the area. Once inside the park, visitors can use the park shuttle for free around the valley floor. However, during summer months the free shuttle buses are packed. You may discover that getting off the buses and walking to your destination is often quicker than sitting in traffic. Want to experience Yosemite today? See the live webcam feeds below provided by the Yosemite Conservancy.
Yosemite National Park is in central California in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Several towns border the national park and there are five entrances with their own unique scenic drive. Four of the entrances are on the western side and the fifth entrance is on the eastern side with a jaw-dropping view and passing through the Tioga pass at 9943 feet. The distance from Tioga Pass to Half Dome village (previously Curry Village) is about a 1 hour 45 minute drive. This is a popular drive with many beautiful stops for hiking along the way. Highway 120 links Yosemite National Park with Mammoth Lakes, a world class fishing and ski resort community. If you haven't been on Highway 120, it has sheer cliffs so if you decide to do Yosemite first, don't look down if you're heading east towards Lee Vining! Because of the elevation, it is often closed from November through May, depending on snowfall with no access to Yosemite National Park from the east.
Transportation to and around Yosemite
You really don't need a car to reach Yosemite National Park if you are open to using the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System which is available from several of the cities outside the area. Once inside the park, visitors can use the park shuttle for free around the valley floor. However, during summer months the free shuttle buses are packed. You may discover that getting off the buses and walking to your destination is often quicker than sitting in traffic. Want to experience Yosemite today? See the live webcam feeds below provided by the Yosemite Conservancy.
Summer in Yosemite
Summer in Yosemite is the most popular time to go and when it is most crowded. When planning, keep in mind that it takes at least one hour to reach the valley floor from the Southern entrance to where the majority of the park accommodations, activities and free shuttle services are located, now known as Half Dome Village. If you're entering from the south entrance at Wawona, you'll be a few miles from the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. The Wawona Hotel, located at the south entrance, was built in 1856 and was renamed to the Big Trees Lodge in 2016 when a new contract was established for the park services beginning March 1, 2016. The change in the contracting services resulted in most of the locations and accommodations being renamed due to the prior vendor having naming rights on the original names throughout Yosemite National Park. If accommodations in Yosemite are sold out, you can also try hotels near any of the entrances or vrbo.com. There are vacation rentals available in Coursegold or Mariposa. Yosemite West is the closest, about 25 minutes from the valley floor. |
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Wildlife Viewing
Bears are very popular in Yosemite. In fact, whenever you come into the park, the rangers will provide you with the Yosemite Guide, a map and a set of strict safety rules and recommendations to help keep bears out of your vehicle. The guide is also useful in listing hiking trails, closed routes, services available as well as daily events scheduled throughout the park. Most of the events are free while others require a fee or reservations. |
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Fall in Yosemite
Prior to entering Yosemite, we stayed in historic Mariposa. The town is located on Highway 49 and was founded in 1849 during the famous California Gold Rush days. Mariposa is a charming town with small cafes and restaurants. We visited the courthouse which is the longest continuously running courthouse west of the Rockies since 1854. After staying in the town of Mariposa, we entered Yosemite through Arch Rock Entrance near El Portal. El Portal is the nearest city to Yosemite off Highway 140, which offers a gas station, motels and campgrounds. The drive into Yosemite follows the Merced River, passing picnic areas and it provides an opportunity to make several stops to take many beautiful pictures. If you take this route, you'll need to make a right onto Wawona Road once you enter the park if you want to stop at Tunnel View. |
Activities in Yosemite
You can probably spend a month in Yosemite and still not be able to do everything that the park has to offer. Visitors come from all over the world for magnificent mountain climbing. If you're not interested in hanging from a cliff, thousands of feet from the valley floor, the wealth of activities in Yosemite National Park also presents a challenging feat to decide what to do on any given day. In the summer, next to hiking the trails to lakes or waterfalls, rafting on the Merced River is my favorite. We were fortunate to find two cabins available for a holiday weekend about one month in advance. Because of very good winter, rafting was open at the end of August. Usually by mid-summer, there isn't enough water to do rafting so keep this in mind when planning. In the winter, skiing at Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area (formerly Badger Pass) is our favorite because it's a small ski resort with rentals, no crowds or lines waiting for chairlifts compared to other large resorts. It's the perfect ski resort for beginners and families. |
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The Yosemite Guide lists many activities including camera walks, valley floor tours, ice skating, photography classes, river rafting, hiking trails, dining events, historic hotel tours, ranger led snowshoe walks with snowshoes included and evening programs. Several bus and tram tours are available through Yosemite's concessioner. The Yosemite Conservancy also offers activities such as evening hikes, wildflower hikes, art classes, photography classes and kids programs. Don't forget to visit the Yosemite Museum, the first museum built in a national park, where you'll learn about the Ahwahneechee Indians of Yosemite.
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Yosemite's "Firefall"
There are over 20 waterfalls in Yosemite National Park. Every February, between the 12th and the 26th, if all the stars align perfectly, you can see one of these waterfalls, Horsetail Fall, appear to be on fire. Horsetail Fall is a seasonal water fall in the winter and spring, at 2100 feet high and located on the east side of El Capitan. When the sun sets, with a good water flow, it will illuminate the falls, rendering a "firefall" similar to the days in the past when burning hot embers were spilled from the top of Glacier Point by David Curry, founder of Curry Village (now Half-dome Village), beginning in 1872. In 1968, the National Park Service ended this tradition because spectators would trample the meadows each night. |
In February 2017, with reservations made one year in advance and an abundance of water, we were honored with the beauty of the firefall. Cars and people were lined up all over the valley floor waiting for the sun to set. We climbed through branches and stood knee deep in snow to get as close as possible with other photographers behind us looking for their perfect spot. There are many other areas in the valley from where you can take photos.
Since 2018, due to thousands of photographers and traffic safety concerns, Yosemite National Park requires you to get a free permit for parking your car, online from NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, between February 12th and 26th to help decrease traffic at the Northside.
COVID: To better manage heavy visitation in Yosemite National Park while California continues to experience the COVID-19 pandemic, day-use reservations will be temporarily required to enter Yosemite every day beginning Monday, February 8, 2021. Day-use reservations will be required until local public health conditions improve.
The day-use reservations only limits the number of vehicles; it does not limit the number of people. You must display your permit on your dashboard at all times while inside the park.
Day-Use Reservation
Beginning at 8 am Pacific time on February 1, 80% of day-use reservations will be available for all dates in February via recreation.gov.
Beginning at 8 am Pacific time two days prior to a day-use reservation date, the remaining 20% of day-use reservations will be available. For example, on February 8 at 8 am, day-use reservations for February 10 will be available.
Reservations are taken almost immediately. Be sure to have an account and be logged in and ready to get a reservation promptly at 8 am Pacific time.
The non-refundable reservation fee is $2 and is included in the $35/car park entrance fee. If you have an annual or lifetime pass, be sure to specify you're a current pass holder to pay just the $2 fee.
Cancelled reservations become available immediately on recreation.gov.
Each user can make one reservation per day. Only one reservation is needed per vehicle (regardless of the number of people in the vehicle). An occupant of the arriving vehicle must be the reservation holder (with photo ID).
Make the reservation for the first day you intend to enter the park; the reservation is only valid if you arrive on the first day of the reservation. Day-use permits are valid for seven consecutive days for unlimited entries.
Day-use permits are not valid for overnight use (the park is only open to day-use permitholders from 5 am to 11 pm).
Since 2018, due to thousands of photographers and traffic safety concerns, Yosemite National Park requires you to get a free permit for parking your car, online from NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, between February 12th and 26th to help decrease traffic at the Northside.
COVID: To better manage heavy visitation in Yosemite National Park while California continues to experience the COVID-19 pandemic, day-use reservations will be temporarily required to enter Yosemite every day beginning Monday, February 8, 2021. Day-use reservations will be required until local public health conditions improve.
The day-use reservations only limits the number of vehicles; it does not limit the number of people. You must display your permit on your dashboard at all times while inside the park.
Day-Use Reservation
Beginning at 8 am Pacific time on February 1, 80% of day-use reservations will be available for all dates in February via recreation.gov.
Beginning at 8 am Pacific time two days prior to a day-use reservation date, the remaining 20% of day-use reservations will be available. For example, on February 8 at 8 am, day-use reservations for February 10 will be available.
Reservations are taken almost immediately. Be sure to have an account and be logged in and ready to get a reservation promptly at 8 am Pacific time.
The non-refundable reservation fee is $2 and is included in the $35/car park entrance fee. If you have an annual or lifetime pass, be sure to specify you're a current pass holder to pay just the $2 fee.
Cancelled reservations become available immediately on recreation.gov.
Each user can make one reservation per day. Only one reservation is needed per vehicle (regardless of the number of people in the vehicle). An occupant of the arriving vehicle must be the reservation holder (with photo ID).
Make the reservation for the first day you intend to enter the park; the reservation is only valid if you arrive on the first day of the reservation. Day-use permits are valid for seven consecutive days for unlimited entries.
Day-use permits are not valid for overnight use (the park is only open to day-use permitholders from 5 am to 11 pm).
Family Vacations in Yosemite
We have enjoyed Yosemite in all the seasons for family vacations. Each time, trying a new experience. When I was young, my father would bring us and we would stay in the Housekeeping Tents where you have three sides covered with a tarp. As an adult, I am not that brave for fear of bears. Even when we rented the tent cabins in Half-Dome Village, the tent walls are flimsy and the door is latched with a simple lock, not much to prevent a bear from entering our tent. Although people fear the bears, when we rented a tent cabin during the summer, we ended having to switch tents in the middle of the night, because we discovered bees in our tent. They ate through the top of the canvas and the beehive was sitting on our roof. We were fortunate to get out without any stings! We like Yosemite so much that we decided to get married in their little chapel. We stayed a few nights in the Majestic Yosemite Hotel (formerly the Ahwahnee Hotel). The historic hotel was built in 1927 and is located on the valley floor. The hotel is very cozy during the winter months with their stone fireplaces and high beamed ceilings. They offer historical tours of the hotel. We also stayed at Tenaya Lodge which is outside of the park. It's an hour drive back and forth, but Tenaya Lodge offers vacation packages with activities included. |
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Winter in Yosemite
Snow and water create a spectacular backdrop to any area in Yosemite. Some people choose to avoid Yosemite because of the crowds, but if you plan a trip in the winter, spring or fall, you will truly enjoy one of nature's most magnificent national park without the crowds frustrating you in a parking lot or restaurant. You can simply spend the day in Yosemite riding their free shuttles around the valley floor and do some short hikes to find great photo opportunities. Be sure to stop at #17 for Mirror Lake. This is a short hike to a beautiful lake. On the way back, you can walk down the paved path for different angles of the water cascading downstream. Along the valley floor, there are plenty of areas with gentle slopes where you can take your family or friends snow tubing or you can even try some ice skating at Half Dome Village. |
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Spring in Yosemite
Towards the end of March, we traveled to Yosemite during Spring Break. As we drove in from the southern entrance at Wawona, we were surprised to discover there was still snow in many places, enough to have a snowball fight. Although we rented a heated tent cabin, it was very cold at night. We were fortunate to have extra blankets. The tough part was the mornings, taking showers, etc. At least we had an outlet with the heated cabins and we were able to make hot water for coffee, oatmeal and hot cocoa. Each cabin comes with a bear proof metal container to lock food and other items outside your cabin. Don't forget to bring a lock! The weather was perfect, we went for hikes during the day and the ranger's evening programs provided great stories and a fire to make some smores. Bring lots of warm clothing, gloves, wire hangers, graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate and you'll be set! Yosemite National Park is breathtaking and peaceful, so quiet and the perfect place to take a break from your daily routine for an unforgettable experience. |
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LIVE WEBCAM FEEDS OF YOSEMITE