Yosemite: Worth the Trip if You Plan Ahead
The trouble with big national parks like Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and Yosemite is it’s so difficult to figure out what to do because there’s just so much. There’s also a lot of driving. Like … a lot. But the vistas and experiences are worth it.
Depending on what you want to accomplish, Yosemite National Park takes some planning. However, whatever you end up seeing and doing are breathtaking moments.
For the Tame
The falls are among the signature attractions at Yosemite National Park. From Yosemite Lodge, where there’s ample parking if you arrive early and shuttle buses to other park features, there is a short, paved trail for the Yosemite Lower Falls. It’s important to note that the falls vary by season. Spring is the best time to view them as the snow is melting off the mountain. There was but a trickle during my visit in early October. Though it’s often a just a light spray during the winter, it freezes to provide a different type of show.
The trailhead to the Upper Yosemite Falls can be found near the lower falls. This 3.6-mile hike is rated “strenuous.”
Other falls can be seen by simply parking in designated areas just outside the tunnel in the valley and from an overlook near Glacier Point.
Half Dome can be seen from Glacier Point and parking areas along the way. For those wanting a dome experience, but don’t have the gumption to climb the cable ladders, stop at Centennial Dome on the road to Glacier Point. The hike from the trailhead to Centennial Dome is just a little more than a mile and not too strenuous a climb (especially for Coloradans). Keep going on that trail to check out the fissures and overlook at Taft Point to loop back to the parking lot and complete your hike in less than three miles.
For the Adventurous
Half Dome is one of the iconic hikes of Yosemite, though it’s not for everyone. To summit Half Dome, aptly named as one side is curved like the many dome-shaped peaks in Yosemite while the other side is a straight drop off, hikers must climb a set of cable ladders. This requires a permit applied for online a day in advance. When there are more applicants than permits available daily, hikers get entered in a lottery.
Yosemite offers many short, moderate hikes, along with more challenging trails like the 12.6-mile, 2200-foot elevation gain journey for Ten Lakes.
Plan Ahead
It’s important to note that many areas in Yosemite shut down for the season starting in early to mid-October. Several campgrounds close, roads close, and the cables are removed from the Half Dome before Oct. 15. Checking to make sure features you want to see are accessible is important before making the trek to California. For those who prefer to drive, it can be done in two long days on the road.
Beyond the Park
The small town of Oakhurst, just southwest of the park’s entrance on State Highway 41, has many amenities like restaurants, shopping, and lodging (including an ice cream shop with a homemade non-dairy option). Another 45 minute drive from Oakhurst puts in you Fresno, which is the ideal location to fly into for your visit.
