#30: Yosemite National Park
“It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter.”
- John Muir
Oh, Yosemite. I will begin by stating that this park experience was slightly different from previous park visits (for many reasons). Every park requires some planning: where to stay, what hikes to do, how to handle Addie if she cannot hike with me, how many days we need, etc. However, the visit to Yosemite required some additional planning.
Because of COVID, and given the Yosemite’s popularity, visitors were required to reserve an entrance date online at recreation.gov. Luckily, I learned of this early enough (thanks, Chris!) to get a reservation around the time I wanted to go. However, it did take some thinking ahead. Again because of COVID, most of the campgrounds at Yosemite were closed. The ones operating were booked entirely (probably last year!).
Knowing that I wanted to experience some substantial hikes at Yosemite, and couldn’t bring Addie along on them, I decided to splurge to do this park right. I scrounged around and found a small hotel two miles outside the West entrance. This way, I could leave Addie in the air-conditioned room while I indulged in some epic hikes.
It’s a big park, and I needed to make the most of my 3-4 days there.
Day 1:
We first arrived in the area around 3 pm. After hotel check-in, Addie and I ventured into the park to get the lay of the land. We walked to Mirror Lake (well, Mirror Pond, because Addie couldn’t go past that), popped into the visitor center, and got our bearings in Yosemite Valley - which is the “main” area of the park and I’d guess the most visited.
I cannot even put into words the feeling I had when I first caught a glimpse of El Capitan. I was awestruck. I’ve watched countless movies on the rock climbing culture of which “El Cap” is a cornerstone. Not only is this rock wall massive, but there is so much history, adventure, and energy around it. I stood there dazed, looking up, thinking about all the climbers who’ve tackled this beast and how Alex Honnold recently free soloed it. Incredible.
Did you know that geologists have been puzzled about how the granite cliffs of Half Dome and El Capitan were formed? They think the granite of the walls solidified over five miles underground. Then, rock eroded to reveal what we see today.
Day 2:
My plan for the first full day was to get up early, get into the park before the crowds, and hike Vernal and Nevada Falls via the Mist Trail. This 9-mile trail afforded me close views of both Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls, and the valley. I started around 7 am - the air was crisp, and the views were stunning. The falls even kept me a little “misty” when I got up close to them. I took a longer route back via the John Muir Trail - at the time I went, this was required due to COVID. The park employees deemed it best if people didn’t go up and down the same route.
When I returned to the hotel room, Addie had been a very good girl. She and I took a nap before heading back into the park to drive up to Glacier Point. From here, I got a clear view of Half Dome - one of my favorite landmarks of Yosemite (Fun Fact: Half Dome is the inspiration behind The North Face logo). These are some views from Glacier Point.
On the way back from Glacier Point, we stopped at the Tunnel View viewing area. The view from this location is arguably the most epic view from the entire park. However, I argue that Glacier Point may be.
Day 3:
Once again, I got my butt up early to beat the crowds and get to the Four Mile trailhead as early as I could. This trail is a well-known one at Yosemite and is over 3,600 feet in elevation gain. I knew it was going to be a tough one. The way up was mostly switchbacks, but the views were insane. Glacier Point is the “destination” of this trail. Even though I drove up to Glacier Point the previous day, I reveled in my accomplishment to get there by hiking and explored the area a bit more while there.
I included all my Glacier Point photos in the first photos of Day 2. In the last picture of this collection below, I am pointing to the falls that I hiked on Day 2.
In the afternoon, after our nap, Addie and I drove to the other side of the park to get our classic park sign photo. After all, unless we have a picture with the sign, we didn’t technically go to Yosemite. :)
Day 4:
Day 4 was our last day at Yosemite. On the way out of the park, we took the morning to check out the Tuolumne area, the northeast corner of the park. This way out of the park dumps you right onto US-395, where we continued our exploration of the eastern side of the Sierras (see post #26).
This section of the park you don’t often hear much about. I’m pleased that we concluded our time at Yosemite with this area. Full of meadows and lakes, this landscape is much different from what you find in the valley or in the more mountainous regions.
The one area that we did not explore was the Sequoia Groves. I got my fill of Sequoias at Sequoia National Park, so I didn’t feel inclined.
Although COVID presented some challenges with my visit to Yosemite, I think I lucked out. Without the reservation system, I’m afraid the park would have been too crowded, and therefore a lot less enjoyable. I found my experience to be very manageable and, in turn, that much more memorable.
Yosemite did not disappoint. Unless, of course, you are the person who said this (if you don’t already, follow @subparparks - hilarious art highlighting negative reviews of national parks!):
