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Yosemite: Things to do

T

TheSiege

Diamond Member
So today, reservations were made available from June 1st and later. I was able, by some miracle, to get a reservation at Upper Pines for June 7th and 8th at one site, and the 9th and 10th at another. The sites are close to one another so we will be carrying the tent over to the other site. Anyway, what should I do while there? What must I see? My son is 12 and daughter is 5. They are both capable of hiking, we went to Glacier in July and they tackled some 6+ mile hikes. Thanks
 
Stare at cliffs you are too old to climb.
Get bitten by bugs, lots and lots of them.

I went there when my son was 3, so very little to no hiking. however, we loved the drive on Tioga pass, went all the way to the other end, had burgers at a nice little restaurant in a log cabin there. Saw bear with its cub crossing the road, son was very happy. Seeing snow and melting ice and partially ice covered ponds/lakes in July was just amazing. When to the other park with tall trees about 40 miles away, that was amazing too.
 
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I am 32. The average age of the guys who just climbed mt capitan was 33. My uncle is over 80 and still climbs...
 
I'm curious to see the responses to this thread... In late June/early July I have a backpacking trip in Yosemite - 7 nights/8 days, all of which will be spent hiking from one end of the valley to the other, then halfway back.

I have one free night to be used at the end of the trip, and I need a good suggestion for what to see outside the valley. Anyone?
 
I was honestly disappointed by Yosemite.

I mean, I'm glad I did it so I know what it's all about.

The amazing beauty of the Southwest (Bryce & Zion national park) blow Yosemite out of the water.

Bryce NP is a straight up LOTR beauty. Zion's Angel's Landing is jaw dropping- Yosimite's lookout cannot even begin to compare.
 
I stayed in Yosemite for three nights about two years ago and loved it. I really enjoyed walking around Tuolumne Meadows. There were a lot of Elk in the fields and small creeks cut through the grass. It was stunning to see. You definitely need to see Mariposa Grove and take the hike through there. The sequoias are so large that they block out any other type of underbrush from growing. So it creates a surreal forest where you feel like a tiny ant walking through it, just you and the enormous trunks.

The drive to Hetch Hetchy is fun. Its about 45mins from the main park but it twists all through the mountains. There is a large cave once you cross the dam on foot that the kids will probably like to yell in haha. There are, of course, all the falls to check out too. You've been to Glacier Point, but man that is really stunning!

Have fun, I loved my time there.
 
Zeze said:
I was honestly disappointed by Yosemite.

I mean, I'm glad I did it so I know what it's all about.

The amazing beauty of the Southwest (Bryce & Zion national park) blow Yosemite out of the water.

Bryce NP is a straight up LOTR beauty. Zion's Angel's Landing is jaw dropping- Yosimite's lookout cannot even begin to compare.
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Its funny, my uncle has built up Yosemite so much I feel like I am going to be underwhelmed. I went to Zion twice this year and Glacier NP for a week. I can't imagine Yosemite being more beautiful than those two places.
 
TheSiege said:
Its funny, my uncle has built up Yosemite so much I feel like I am going to be underwhelmed. I went to Zion twice this year and Glacier NP for a week. I can't imagine Yosemite being more beautiful than those two places.
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That's because it's not, and has the added disadvantage of large numbers of people in the more scenic parts.

Glacier and Zion have a wider array of attractions and are less likely to have huge clots of people.

My favorite two are Death Valley, and Great Basin, because I prefer the isolation. White Sands and Bandolier monuments are good for this as well.
 
TheSiege said:
Its funny, my uncle has built up Yosemite so much I feel like I am going to be underwhelmed. I went to Zion twice this year and Glacier NP for a week. I can't imagine Yosemite being more beautiful than those two places.
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Awesome, so you DID check out Angel's Landing in Zion right?

Yeah, Yosemite won't even touch that.
 
angels-landing-zion720x458.jpg
 
natto fire said:
That's because it's not, and has the added disadvantage of large numbers of people in the more scenic parts.

Glacier and Zion have a wider array of attractions and are less likely to have huge clots of people.

My favorite two are Death Valley, and Great Basin, because I prefer the isolation. White Sands and Bandolier monuments are good for this as well.
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I hate people as much as the next guy, which is why I was planning on camping up at Tuolomne. I'm assuming there won't be quite the hordes up there. Of course we'll drive through the valley just to see it, but I can handle that for an afternoon.

Next two on my list are Yosemite and Glacier. After that I'll do the loop through the Utah parks down to Grand Canyon (when my daughter is a little older).
 
dainthomas said:
I hate people as much as the next guy, which is why I was planning on camping up at Tuolomne. I'm assuming there won't be quite the hordes up there. Of course we'll drive through the valley just to see it, but I can handle that for an afternoon.

Next two on my list are Yosemite and Glacier. After that I'll do the loop through the Utah parks down to Grand Canyon (when my daughter is a little older).
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It's still bad up there. The thing is people at national parks have no idea how to camp. If you want a more relaxed camping experience head down the east side and stay somewhere off of US-395 (also Mammoth is chaotic especially holiday weekends).
 
NuclearNed said:
I'm curious to see the responses to this thread... In late June/early July I have a backpacking trip in Yosemite - 7 nights/8 days, all of which will be spent hiking from one end of the valley to the other, then halfway back.

I have one free night to be used at the end of the trip, and I need a good suggestion for what to see outside the valley. Anyone?
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If you want in Yosemite but not valley, Clouds Rest is a good long day hike. Though I assume you'll go past it on your trip. North Dome is a very nice easier day hike.

Outside of the park (east side):

Best scenery for least effort (if you're dead tired) is Little Lakes Valley off Rock Creek Rd.

Haven't done it myself yet, but the Mammoth Crest loop from Lake George looks like it'll be amazing.

If you're backpacking for that night you could do a real nice one-night trip to Thousand Island Lake from Agnew Meadows. Or if you have a car shuttle do a through hike from Agnew Meadows to Rush Creek/Silver Lake via Thousand Island Lake.

Or backpack up McGee Creek to Big or Little McGee Lake.

Pretty much everything off CA-168 from Bishop is awesome, but that's kind of far from Yosemite.

If you want specific campground recommendations just ask as I know all the campgrounds on the Eastern Sierra like the back of my hand.
 
Sukhoi said:
If you want in Yosemite but not valley, Clouds Rest is a good long day hike. Though I assume you'll go past it on your trip. North Dome is a very nice easier day hike.

Outside of the park (east side):

Best scenery for least effort (if you're dead tired) is Little Lakes Valley off Rock Creek Rd.

Haven't done it myself yet, but the Mammoth Crest loop from Lake George looks like it'll be amazing.

If you're backpacking for that night you could do a real nice one-night trip to Thousand Island Lake from Agnew Meadows. Or if you have a car shuttle do a through hike from Agnew Meadows to Rush Creek/Silver Lake via Thousand Island Lake.

Or backpack up McGee Creek to Big or Little McGee Lake.

Pretty much everything off CA-168 from Bishop is awesome, but that's kind of far from Yosemite.

If you want specific campground recommendations just ask as I know all the campgrounds on the Eastern Sierra like the back of my hand.
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Hi Sukhoi - I was hoping you would show up.

The plan is as follows, over 7-8 days:
-take the shuttle to Lake Tenaya, head west on the Sunrise Lakes trail
-Cloud's Rest, then Half Dome; do the cables
-west to Vernal & Nevada falls
-west to Clark Point, then west to Illilouette Falls
-west to Glacier Point, short detour to Sentinel Dome
-west to Taft Point, then Dewey Point, then Inspiration Point
-come out at Tunnel View parking lot.
-hitchhike to Old Big Oak Flat Road trailhead on the north side of the valley
-east to top of El Cap
-continue east to Eagle Peak, Upper Yosemite Falls, Yosemite Point, then North Dome
-backtrack west a wee little bit and descend into the valley on the Upper Y. Falls trail

So there's very little in & around the main valley that we won't hit. That's the reason we want to burn our last "extra" day outside the valley. Hetch Hetchy is kind of tempting...
 
I think you might be able to walk to the Old Big Oak Flat Rd trailhead faster than hitchhiking. It's only a couple miles. At the end of the hike I'd seriously consider coming down the Snow Creek/Tenaya Canyon trail instead of going back to Yosemite Falls. There will be 99% fewer people on the trail and much more pleasant. I've also heard camping on that small plateau at the top of the gazillion switchbacks is incredible. The official name appears to be "Snow Creek Promontory Camp".

For your last day you could consider camping at Lundy Canyon or Virginia Lakes. Both those canyons have good hiking. Then driving back toward the Bay Area on CA-108 is very scenic.
 
Sukhoi said:
I think you might be able to walk to the Old Big Oak Flat Rd trailhead faster than hitchhiking. It's only a couple miles. At the end of the hike I'd seriously consider coming down the Snow Creek/Tenaya Canyon trail instead of going back to Yosemite Falls. There will be 99% fewer people on the trail and much more pleasant. I've also heard camping on that small plateau at the top of the gazillion switchbacks is incredible. The official name appears to be "Snow Creek Promontory Camp".

For your last day you could consider camping at Lundy Canyon or Virginia Lakes. Both those canyons have good hiking. Then driving back toward the Bay Area on CA-108 is very scenic.
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good advice - I see the Snow Creek trail on my map... I'll definitely consider it. It will probably come down to a game time decision (i.e. how we feel that last day)
 
NuclearNed said:
Hi Sukhoi - I was hoping you would show up.

The plan is as follows, over 7-8 days:
-take the shuttle to Lake Tenaya, head west on the Sunrise Lakes trail
-Cloud's Rest, then Half Dome; do the cables
-west to Vernal & Nevada falls
-west to Clark Point, then west to Illilouette Falls
-west to Glacier Point, short detour to Sentinel Dome
-west to Taft Point, then Dewey Point, then Inspiration Point
-come out at Tunnel View parking lot.
-hitchhike to Old Big Oak Flat Road trailhead on the north side of the valley
-east to top of El Cap
-continue east to Eagle Peak, Upper Yosemite Falls, Yosemite Point, then North Dome
-backtrack west a wee little bit and descend into the valley on the Upper Y. Falls trail

So there's very little in & around the main valley that we won't hit. That's the reason we want to burn our last "extra" day outside the valley. Hetch Hetchy is kind of tempting...
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You can't do that on one permit. You'll also need to either camp in the Illilouette basin between Little Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point, as there is no legal camping anywhere along that trail.
 
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