How to Plan a Trip to Yosemite Valley

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17-03-2021, 18:31
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Yosemite Valley is the crown jewel of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It's located inside Yosemite National Park, about 150 miles (240 km) due east of San Francisco. It's a national treasure, which is why you want to make the most of your trip while you're there. Figure out where you're going to stay, and then decide how you're going to get around. You don't want to waste a minute of your time.

Picking Room and Board

  1. Camp at Yosemite. One fun option is staying right in the park at one of the 13 campgrounds. For the Yosemite Valley, your best campground options are the Upper Pines, the Lower Pines, the North Pines, and Camp 4. Make a reservation on the Yosemite website or call 877-444-6777.
    • You can get a campsite for under $30 a night.
    • Reservations open up on the 15th of each month, and you can reserve a spot up to 5 months in advance. Spots can fill up quickly, so make your reservation early.
    • Yosemite also has some no-reservation campgrounds, which you can just show up to on the day you arrive, but you're taking a chance of not getting a site.
  2. Lodge at Yosemite. Yosemite also has a wide range of lodging available. The main lodges are Big Trees Lodge, Yosemite Valley Lodge, and The Majestic Yosemite Hotel. The Majestic Hotel is the nicest facility, but Yosemite Valley Lodge is located right by Yosemite Falls. One other lodge is the White Wolf Lodge, but it's 30 miles from the valley.
    • You can also book regular cabins and canvas-tent cabins.
  3. Stay near Yosemite. If you can't find lodging in Yosemite, you have plenty of options nearby. For instance, you can find hotels and cabins in places like Foresta and Wawona, which are actually in the park but on private land, and Yosemite West, which is just outside the park. Nearby towns include Fish Camp, Oakhurst, Mariposa, Merced, Midpines, and El Portal.
  4. Plan for places to eat. Luckily, food is not difficult to come by in the park. All the lodges have dining rooms, as do some of the camps. You can also find small grocery stores in the park, though it might be more affordable to bring groceries in from a nearby town. The nearby towns also have places to eat.

Getting to Yosemite Valley

  1. Decide how you're going to get there. If you're not close enough to drive, you can fly into a nearby city and drive in. The closest big cities are San Francisco and Sacramento, which are about 4 to 5 hours away. However, you can also fly into Fresno-Yosemite International, Merced Airport, or Modesto City-County Airport, all of which are 1.5 to 2 hours away.
  2. Grab a paper map for driving in and around Yosemite. While GPS is great most of the time, it's not your friend inside or even near the park if you want to drive around. It's not as accurate as it should be in the park, particularly since the park covers a large area. A paper map is a better plan. You can buy one ahead of time or get one at the park.
    • Also, choose Highway 41 over Chowchilla Mountain Road, which is a dirt road.
  3. Take a bus to get there. If you want to experience the park hassle-free, consider taking public transportation into the park on the YARTS system from Merced. You can park in Merced or take the Greyhound bus to Merced.
    • Plan your routes using the YARTS website at http://yarts.com/routes-schedules/.
    • You can also get to Wawona via YARTS.

Making the Most of Your Trip

  1. Visit in the off-season for a low-key vibe. While summer is a great time to visit Yosemite Valley, everyone else thinks so, too. April to October is the main tourist season, and during this time, the park will be stuffed with visitors. If you want your visit to be more low-key, try going during another part of the year.
    • Parts of the park do close during winter, but Yosemite Valley remains open.
  2. Plan to get up early in the morning. Most people don't like getting up early on vacation, but if you do, you can beat some of the crowds. While there, plan to get to the park before 9 am to avoid traffic. Alternatively, you can get there a bit later, say after 5 pm, when the traffic starts letting up again.
  3. Decide on activities. Yosemite has a wide range of activities to pursue. You can hike, backpack, and fish, just to name a few. You can also drive around the park, picnic, stargaze, or even ride a horse. Enjoy water sports, rock climbing, and winter sports if you're more adventurous.
    • Deciding ahead of time gives you a chance to plan out your schedule. Plus, you'll likely want to bring stuff with you for certain activities, such as hiking boots if you plan on doing extensive hiking.
  4. Explore the educational and recreational resources. Yosemite has a wide range of educational resources for you to enjoy. You can visit places like the Visitor's Center, the Ansel Adam's Gallery, and the research library. You can also see the Yosemite Museum and the Yosemite Chapel.

Seeing the Sites

  1. Hop on the free shuttle. Plan on leaving your car when you get in the park. The best places to park are Yosemite Village Parking or Yosemite Falls Parking. With park's free shuttle system, you'll skip the hassles of wading through traffic yourself. The shuttle stops at major sites in the Yosemite Valley, where you can get off and explore.
    • The Valley Shuttle, which runs year-round, hits places like The Majestic Yosemite Hotel, the visitor's center, the Lower Yosemite Fall, the Sentinel Bridge, and the Mist Trail. This shuttle runs about every 20 minutes between 7am and 10pm.
    • The El Captain Shuttle, which only runs in the summer, stops at Cathedral Beach, the Four Mile Trailhead, and the El Captain Crossover. This shuttle runs every 30 minutes or so between 9am and 7pm.
  2. Take a tour of Yosemite Valley. One way to see the valley is through a guided tour on a open-air tram. The Yosemite Valley Floor Tour is lead by park experts. The tours are generally two hours along, and they will take you all over the Yosemite Valley.
    • If it's too wet or cold, the tour will be by bus. Tours run March through September. You can purchase a ticket online http://www.travelyosemite.com/things-to-do/guided-bus-tours/ at or by calling 888-413-8869.
  3. Hike back from Glacier Point. Another way to take in Yosemite Valley is to take a tour up to Glacier Point, the Glacier Point Tour, and hike back to your starting point in the valley. From Glacier Point, it's a downward hike, as you lose 3,200 feet (980 m) in elevation getting back to the Valley. A one-way tour is 2 hours.
    • You can buy a ticket online http://www.travelyosemite.com/things-to-do/guided-bus-tours/ at or by calling 888-413-8869.
    • Other options for hikes include Bridalveil Fall (0.5 miles or 0.8 kilometers), Lower Yosemite Fall (1 mile or 1.6 kilometers), Cook's Meadow Loop (1 mile or 1.6 kilometers), Mirror Lake (2 miles or 3.2 kilometers), Valley Floor Loop (13 miles or 20.9 kilometers), and Four Mile Trail (9.6 miles or 15.5 kilometers), just to name a few.
  4. Bike around Yosemite. You can bring your own bikes or even rent them at the park. Either way, biking is a great way to see Yosemite Valley because it lets you skip the traffic by taking bike trails. Plus, you can bike to places you can't get to by car.
    • You can rent bikes at Yosemite Valley Lodge and the Half Dome Village. Bikes typically run $30/day.
    • The Valley has extensive trails that run all along the center part of the Valley.

Tips

  • Bring rain gear so that you don't get caught by a surprise thunderstorm.
  • Always store food (or any other items with a scent) in bear canisters or lockers so that bears cannot get into it. If you see a mountain lion or a bear, stay calm and don't run, and make loud noises. Report all bear sightings. Read How to Escape from a Bear before you go.
  • Look for wildlife. Some animals that live in Yosemite are the coyote, mule deer, the western gray squirrel, the spotted bat, Steller's jay, the golden eagle, the great gray owl, mountain lions, and black bears. Remember that they are wild; even though they may be small or cute, never approach them.

Warnings

  • Never plan to hike up Half Dome if there will be any chance of rain or thunderstorms. The peak's exposure makes it a frequent target of lightning.
  • Follow the speed limit; speeding may cause collisions with animals.
  • Remember to never stand in the water right above a waterfall. Although it looks shallow and calm, it moves fast and has sucked a few tourists over the falls.
  • The water in rivers and lakes in Yosemite may have bacteria. Remember to filter or boil any water from streams.
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