I’ve been to Yosemite once before. 8 years ago me and 3 buddies drove around California and did a drive-by of Yosemite but our time was cut short due to weather. Since it felt rushed and incomplete when I returned in April this year I was determined to take a bit longer and see a lot more. I was travelling with a group of 15 family and we spent 3 nights and 2 full days exploring Yosemite National Park. This was a good amount of time.
Part of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range, Yosemite is a valley dominated by sheer mountains of exposed granite. It sits between 5000 and 6000 feet so it stays cold a lot of the time. I’ve been in both April and October (shoulder seasons). It was cold and it snowed both times.
Remember to bring your neck brace along because you’ll be looking up the entire time. White and grey cliffs rise up in every direction. Distant domes dominate the high skyline. Water cascades from the sky down the rivers from the peaks. Giant sequoias tower overhead. Yosemite is a park of immense beauty and magnificent grandeur.
Getting Around in Yosemite
Yosemite Valley sits at the cul-de-sac of the valley. In other words, it’s where both sides of the cliffs meet. There’s a road in on either side which can have the effect of adding driving time if you need to get to the other side. We entered from the south through Wawona and Fish Camp on Route 41 (from Death Valley) and exited to the north on Route 120 towards Buck Meadows and San Fransisco. Since we stayed in Yosemite West which is on the south side, we had to drive east almost into the Village to actually exit west on 120.
Yosemite Valley is easy to navigate and all the things to see are either walking distance from each other or easily reachable on the free shuttle. Of course, there are no restrictions on driving your car around the park, but the National Parks Service urges visitors to use the shuttle to ease congestion and reduce environmental impacts on the surrounding area.
So to spend 2 full days in the park you’ll probably want to stay 3 nights otherwise your first day will be an early start from wherever you’re coming from (because there isn’t much nearby for a good few hours.
Day 1 – Explore Yosemite Village on foot
I will presume you’re staying outside of the Village because I did, but everything is really easy these first few you should just do as you’re driving past, there’s no prescribed order here.
Tunnel View
If you’re driving in from the south side (i.e. from Wawona/Yosemite West direction) Tunnel View is your first stop. It’s also your first glimpse at some of the cliffs you’ll be enjoying all day. Tunnel View — named for the long tunnel you will have just come through — offers a great view right down the valley including sights of Bridalveil Fall, El Capitan and Half Dome in the distance. Granite cliffs on either side, pine covers the mountain floor. It’s an easy stop and probably worth 10 minutes.
Bridalveil Fall
Still on the way in, Bridalveil Fall is an immense waterfall that is guaranteed to get you wet if you get close enough. This is easy to do as there is a paved pathway right up near the base. It’s a short walk of less than 5 minutes but because of the trees surrounding the area obscures the falls while you’re walking, the best view of the fall (and the wettest) is at the end of the path. The second best view is arguably from the carpark.
Because the viewpoint was drenching all who dared approach (i.e. me), I was taking a rapid-fire approach to photographing the falls. I’d shield my camera under my jacket, adjust settings, then “ready, aim and fire” like I was going into battle, 10 frames at a time. I wanted to be sure I got it.
El Capitan Meadow
The great thing about Yosemite is that it is easy to drink in its grandeur without expending much effort. El Capitan Meadow is one such spot: a pullout just outside of the Village with epic views of the monolith. All without even leaving the comfort of your car.
Of course, the meadow is a nice place to stretch and it’s easier to crane your neck upward outside so I do suggest you get out. If you look closely you might even see a rock climber or two. This is the site of which two documentaries have been filmed about people who have climbed this without ropes. These are The Dawn Wall (on Netflix) and Free Solo (by National Geographic). I won’t spoil it for you but they are still alive.
Yosemite Village, Store, and Visitor Centre
There is a lot to explore around the village and the National Parks Service runs a shuttle to all popular spots and between the Half Dome Village (formerly Curry Village). Now is a good time to park and utilise the services that your entrance fees help provide. We parked near the Village Store and mostly walked from there.
In the village, there is a well-stocked store if you need supplies for your day or want to pack a picnic. The visitor centre is worth stopping by if you want to get some ideas from a ranger. There is also an excellent exhibit on how Yosemite Valley was formed if you’re interested in geology. Wander on to the museum which showcases mostly American Indian artefacts, including one of the first Indian motorcycles. Across the road is a cemetery and a surprisingly eery neighbourhood which houses the National Park staff.
Lower Yosemite Falls
A few minutes walk from the visitor centre is the Lower Yosemite Falls trailhead. The waterfall has 2 major tiers, referred to as the lower and upper falls for obvious reasons. You can walk to the Lower Falls in about 15 minutes on flat, paved pathways. We took our strollers without problem and you could easily push a wheelchair too. But to get up close to the Upper Falls is more difficult as it involves climbing up to that level. The trailhead for Upper Falls is further along the Northside Drive.
Sentinel/Cook’s Meadow Loop
By now, the weather had started to turn. The blue sky had yielded to a sky full of dark grey clouds. The temperature had dropped, and light rain was beginning to fall. Some in our group threw in the towel about now but I had one more short walk in me. The Cook’s Meadow Loop is exactly that, a walk in a meadow and is located conveniently across the road from the Lower Yosemite Falls trailhead.
You don’t actually walk on any grass because it is undergoing restoration, but another paved pathway will lead you through the meadow. There is no elevation change so it’s another easy walk. One could argue that you don’t really see anything new as it’s not a hike to a viewpoint. But I found it enjoyable because the trees clear, giving you a much clearer picture of the granite cliffs surrounding you. And looking north, it’s a great place to see Yosemite Falls from a distance. Keep an eye out for floodwater signs, indicating the height the floods got to in previous floods.
Mirror Lake
Now, if the weather was nicer, and if more people from our group were keen, Mirror Lake would have been next. But it wasn’t and they weren’t so we skipped it in favour of heading back to our warm log cabin in Yosemite West. I believe it is flat with wonderful views of Half Dome reflected in the lake. Check the NPS website for more information.
Hang out in a log cabin
Since we were a large group log cabin was the perfect place for us to stay as it had a large kitchen, living area, 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms plus a flat downstairs that can house more people. We found it on Airbnb and I’m sure there are smaller accommodations on there if you’re a smaller family or group.
The one we got was called Tioga Logs and we couldn’t have been happier.
As we settled into our afternoon it began snowing. As Australians who live on the coast, this was a huge novelty. We booted up and hastily threw on jackets and the insta stories just flowed. The kids in particular really loved this as for some it was their first taste of snow — and I mean that quite literally.
Day 2 – Get High in Yosemite
Now, I know it’s California, but I’m not referring to the wacky tobaccy. If you thought the view of Yosemite was good from the valley floor, just wait until you get to the top.
There are several hikes you can do from the Village but the one that appealed most to me was hiking to Vernal and Nevada Falls via the Mist Trail and the John Muir Trail.
When put like that it sounds a bit confusing and on paper, it is. But like most things in the National Parks, once you’re actually there it makes perfect sense and you wonder why you spent so much time reading about it.
Basically, there are 2 waterfalls along the Merced River. There’s a direct and shorter route up — the Mist Trail — which goes past the Vernal Falls on the way to Nevada Falls. And there’s the longer way up, which bypasses Vernal Falls and ends at Nevada Falls. Both paths meet at Nevada Falls and create a loop. However, in Winter season, the lower part of the Mist Trail is closed so you might not have a choice. This was the case for us.
Get the official info on the hike on the NPS website. The official info is good and factual, but I’ll tell you about my experience.
Hiking to Vernal and Nevada Falls
The first mile or so was very steep but surprisingly, it was paved. The morning was cool so we were layered up in jackets and long shirts but it took less than an hour for my jacket to be removed permanently. I was working hard and we were rapidly ascending. After less than a mile of climbing, we reached the Vernal Fall Footbridge and had our first distant view of the Vernal Falls. Just beyond the bridge we were presented with a fork. To the left was a short (albeit closed) route up to Vernal Falls via the Mist Trail, or 2.5 miles to the right along the John Muir Trail to Nevada Falls.
The Mist Trail to Vernal Falls was closed but I’ll admit we did sneak under the rope for a slightly closer view of the waterfall. The path was still quite safe but we did not venture the whole way up as we presumed it was closed for good reason. That reason (I learnt later) was falling ice and rocks. Seems fair. So we came back to the fork and began ascending the John Muir Trail.
Being late spring, there was still plenty of snow around Yosemite so as our altitude increased, so did the snow cover. Several times snow covered the trail and it was required to follow the footsteps of those that had carved out foot holes previously.
The Merced River continued to thunder below and after an hour and half of almost exclusively uphill walking the path opened up to a section of exposed rock called Clark Point. At Clark Point we were treated to a spectacular view of the mountains of the opposite side of the valley, which, according to my map (and left to right) are Grizzly Peak, Mt Broderick, Liberty Cap. This was a perfect spot for a snack (a Clif Bar, which I am now addicted to) and a great photo stop.
After Clark Point, we headed down a rocky embankment and rejoined the Mist Trail which crossed back over the Merced River. The path got a bit murky but we happened upon an incredible viewpoint of the Nevada Falls from below while looking out through the valley. I’d argue it’s actually a better view of the falls from the bottom than the top.
The water tumbled over the cliff with such force that if you got too close to the river you’d get wet simply from the immense amount of spray being generated. This was the only time I put my jacket back on — to keep me dry from the mist. By this stage, the name of the trail was becoming painfully obvious.
We were actually aiming to continue along the John Muir to the top of Nevada Falls but I am actually really happy with the view we found below of the falls.
We headed back across the bridge and down the trail to the top of Vernal Falls. Here they’ve smartly installed a railing to prevent people from getting too close to the edge, as it’s a long way down. As I said, the view of the waterfall from the top of the waterfall is not great because you can’t see the whole thing. Nevertheless, the view of the mountains all around and the river into which it flows was no less impressive and photo opportunities across the valley were in no short supply.
We scurried back around to the other side where we had a more distant yet full view of the waterfall to actually have an opportunity to appreciate its ferocity in a single frame. Spring really is a great time to visit Yosemite, especially if you love waterfalls and snow. We had the best of both worlds and yes, the temperature was cool but perfect for hiking.
This was the final stop on our hike through Yosemite; it was all downhill from here. The hike took us around 5 hours in total. We could have continued further and reached the top of the Nevada Fall but we were content with what we’d seen and were ready to head back to the cabin.
Where to stay in Yosemite National Park
If you are looking to replicate some or all of these 2 days in Yosemite, you might find that accommodation options are somewhat limited. That’s because they are. There are a couple of places inside Yosemite Valley: Yosemite Valley Lodge and the Majestic, as well as Half Dome Village which has cabins, tent cabins and a few motel rooms. Book as early as you can if you want to stay inside the Village.
Funny story, we had originally booked some cabins at Half Dome Village because we wanted the convenience of being right in the village. I stand by this decision, but 10 days out our reservation was cancelled because the cabins had been damaged a few months before in a storm and weren’t repaired yet.
This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because otherwise we would have missed out on the log cabin experience which I’ve now mentioned at least 3 times. The cabin was located in Yosemite West, which is a residential village on the side of a mountain. The road winds down the mountain in a series of switchbacks allowing locals and visitors an incredible place to stay.
Yosemite West is inside Yosemite National Park and a 25 minute drive from Yosemite Village. 25 minutes might sound like a lot, but it’s not when it’s such a beautiful drive through the mountains. I did it a few times and let me tell you, you do not get sick of it.
The cabin was huge and fit all 15 of us comfortably. We saved money by cooking for ourselves rather than eating in the village for every meal, and after a day hiking and exploring, being in a warm cabin in front of a (fake) fire with a pool table and a beer was a relaxing way to end our days. Anyway, it ended up being perfect for us for reasons we hadn’t even thought of!
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one time on instagram I see someone said there is this spot in April that the sun comes over the mountain so be start looks like the all mountain is glowing.