Yosemite Trip Report and Photos
May 26th, 2010, 04:46 PM
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Yosemite Trip Report and Photos
http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/...4?source=pw981
Here is a link to my photo album that I am working on. I am not done with the copy, so I am sure there are plenty of spelling and gramatical errors. You can view it in a larger format, by clicking the bottom of the page. I didn’t think you could take pictures of a Ghost, but I did manage to capture the Ghost of John Muir looking over Hetch Hetchy
Great trip overall.
Arrived Thursday evening May 20 in San Jose on an uneventful flight on Southwest.
Had a bad experience with Hertz the next morning. If I had not prepaid for the car, I would have rented elsewhere.
Friday-
We were two hours difference because of time changes, so headed to Wawonna by 7:00. We stopped at Raley’s Grocery Store in Oakhurst for supplies. This was a great store and even had a Peet’s Coffee inside. Bought our drinks and picnic supplies for the first day there. After a short drive we were in the park at the Wawonna picnic area and had a great view right by the river. Watched several Stellar Blue Jays and strolled over the historic covered bridge. We caught the shuttle and head to Mariposa Grove. Trees were great, however, all three of us thought that Sequoia National Park was much better as far as big trees. Lower trail was slightly crowded, and there wasn’t many folks in the upper area. I think our total hiking mileage was about 5 miles. We checked in the hotel @ 5:00pm, changed clothes and had a great dinner in the Wawonna dining room. We all three decided that my daughters vegetable lasagna was the best. Pine nut pie was good for desert. Our room had a double and single bed. Steam heat pipes rattled very loud several times during the night. Pretty typical national park setup. We were lucky to have a private bath. Weather turned very cold during the night(about 25 degrees for a low).
On Saturday we headed for the Valley about 8:00am after a nice continental breakfast that was included with our stay. We arrived at the Tunnel View in about 40 minutes. Just a couple of other cars in the parking lot and it was a very nice view. Seeing a view like that is somewhat like closing your eyes and someone handing you a nice gift. We didn’t stop at any of the stops until we got to Mist Trail hike. This was a super nice hike complete with rainbows in the waterfall. Fairly strenuous and you will get very wet near Vernal Falls. We had planned to hike Panorama Trail. Since it was closed, we made it all the way to the top of Nevada Falls and then returned on John Muir Trail. I am glad we took Mist Trail first. This allows you to look at the waterfalls on you hike up. We snacked along the way. Took us about 6.5 hours to complete the hike. Weather started out perfect, but then snowed on us most of the way down, but didn’t bother us at all. This trail was fairly crowded. We had planned on doing the BBQ on the grounds at Wawonna, but because it was so cold and getting late, we decided to have a pizza at Degnan’s in Yosemite Village. It was a very good pizza and a decent caesar salad. We would have liked to have stayed in the valley, but nothing was available when I made the reservations, so we headed back to Wawona.
Sunday
Woke up early and had a light breakfast (since it was included) and headed to the valley to see the sights and have Brunch at the Awahnee. Arrived in the valley about 8:30am to a cold but clear morning. Short walks to Bridal Veil Falls and Yosemite Falls was great. Just can’t put into words and the photos don’t begin to do it justice. The power(spring) and the height are just incredible on all the falls. Saw a bear with two cubs just a little ways past Bridal Veil. I was a little disappointed in the Awahnee’s appearance, but the brunch and dining room was fantastic. They had several chef assisted stations(omlet, prime rib, handrolled sushi, pasta). Deserts were all good as well. Price was $49pp. We then headed to Hetch Hetchy. This was a much longer drive than what I thought it would be. We hiked to Wapama Falls. This is a level hike. It is rated easy, but I would rate it moderate. Weather was perfect, but on the return it did snow a little. Tuelolule(spelling) Falls was a big disappointment, but continuing on to Wapama was worth the effort. You will get wet with this one. On the way back to the valley we saw the brightest rainbow I have ever seen and one black bear. Saw a horrid wreck on a huge dropoff, not sure how the people could have survived it. We had a cup of chili from Curry Village about 8:30. We were fortunate to have a cabin (I think 30 degrees in one of those tent cabins would be mighty cold) in Curry Village. Again, pretty typical national park lodging.
Monday,
I hiked to Mirror Lake about 7:00am by myself. Very nice hike. Saw a bear just almost as soon as I got in my car. The same bear was later wondering around in Curry Village along the sidewalk. I met just 3 or 4 other people on the trail. We got each got a café mocha and pastry from Coffee Corner which is inside curry village and headed back to San Jose around 10:00am via hwy 140. Stopped at strawberry stand near Merced and had some incredible strawberries. Had a great taco at some hole in the wall joint in Merced. Had a horrible flight home, due to weather delays, and ended up getting home 1 day late.
Yosemite was definitely a very pretty place, but probably the most commercialized national park that I have been to. It is a little like Zion National Park, in the fact that everyone is concentrated in a small area. I ended up hiking about 25 miles and my wife and daughter around 20 miles. I hope to go back sometime and see Tuolumne Meadows area and maybe hike to the high camps there.
.
Here is a link to my photo album that I am working on. I am not done with the copy, so I am sure there are plenty of spelling and gramatical errors. You can view it in a larger format, by clicking the bottom of the page. I didn’t think you could take pictures of a Ghost, but I did manage to capture the Ghost of John Muir looking over Hetch Hetchy
Great trip overall.
Arrived Thursday evening May 20 in San Jose on an uneventful flight on Southwest.
Had a bad experience with Hertz the next morning. If I had not prepaid for the car, I would have rented elsewhere.
Friday-
We were two hours difference because of time changes, so headed to Wawonna by 7:00. We stopped at Raley’s Grocery Store in Oakhurst for supplies. This was a great store and even had a Peet’s Coffee inside. Bought our drinks and picnic supplies for the first day there. After a short drive we were in the park at the Wawonna picnic area and had a great view right by the river. Watched several Stellar Blue Jays and strolled over the historic covered bridge. We caught the shuttle and head to Mariposa Grove. Trees were great, however, all three of us thought that Sequoia National Park was much better as far as big trees. Lower trail was slightly crowded, and there wasn’t many folks in the upper area. I think our total hiking mileage was about 5 miles. We checked in the hotel @ 5:00pm, changed clothes and had a great dinner in the Wawonna dining room. We all three decided that my daughters vegetable lasagna was the best. Pine nut pie was good for desert. Our room had a double and single bed. Steam heat pipes rattled very loud several times during the night. Pretty typical national park setup. We were lucky to have a private bath. Weather turned very cold during the night(about 25 degrees for a low).
On Saturday we headed for the Valley about 8:00am after a nice continental breakfast that was included with our stay. We arrived at the Tunnel View in about 40 minutes. Just a couple of other cars in the parking lot and it was a very nice view. Seeing a view like that is somewhat like closing your eyes and someone handing you a nice gift. We didn’t stop at any of the stops until we got to Mist Trail hike. This was a super nice hike complete with rainbows in the waterfall. Fairly strenuous and you will get very wet near Vernal Falls. We had planned to hike Panorama Trail. Since it was closed, we made it all the way to the top of Nevada Falls and then returned on John Muir Trail. I am glad we took Mist Trail first. This allows you to look at the waterfalls on you hike up. We snacked along the way. Took us about 6.5 hours to complete the hike. Weather started out perfect, but then snowed on us most of the way down, but didn’t bother us at all. This trail was fairly crowded. We had planned on doing the BBQ on the grounds at Wawonna, but because it was so cold and getting late, we decided to have a pizza at Degnan’s in Yosemite Village. It was a very good pizza and a decent caesar salad. We would have liked to have stayed in the valley, but nothing was available when I made the reservations, so we headed back to Wawona.
Sunday
Woke up early and had a light breakfast (since it was included) and headed to the valley to see the sights and have Brunch at the Awahnee. Arrived in the valley about 8:30am to a cold but clear morning. Short walks to Bridal Veil Falls and Yosemite Falls was great. Just can’t put into words and the photos don’t begin to do it justice. The power(spring) and the height are just incredible on all the falls. Saw a bear with two cubs just a little ways past Bridal Veil. I was a little disappointed in the Awahnee’s appearance, but the brunch and dining room was fantastic. They had several chef assisted stations(omlet, prime rib, handrolled sushi, pasta). Deserts were all good as well. Price was $49pp. We then headed to Hetch Hetchy. This was a much longer drive than what I thought it would be. We hiked to Wapama Falls. This is a level hike. It is rated easy, but I would rate it moderate. Weather was perfect, but on the return it did snow a little. Tuelolule(spelling) Falls was a big disappointment, but continuing on to Wapama was worth the effort. You will get wet with this one. On the way back to the valley we saw the brightest rainbow I have ever seen and one black bear. Saw a horrid wreck on a huge dropoff, not sure how the people could have survived it. We had a cup of chili from Curry Village about 8:30. We were fortunate to have a cabin (I think 30 degrees in one of those tent cabins would be mighty cold) in Curry Village. Again, pretty typical national park lodging.
Monday,
I hiked to Mirror Lake about 7:00am by myself. Very nice hike. Saw a bear just almost as soon as I got in my car. The same bear was later wondering around in Curry Village along the sidewalk. I met just 3 or 4 other people on the trail. We got each got a café mocha and pastry from Coffee Corner which is inside curry village and headed back to San Jose around 10:00am via hwy 140. Stopped at strawberry stand near Merced and had some incredible strawberries. Had a great taco at some hole in the wall joint in Merced. Had a horrible flight home, due to weather delays, and ended up getting home 1 day late.
Yosemite was definitely a very pretty place, but probably the most commercialized national park that I have been to. It is a little like Zion National Park, in the fact that everyone is concentrated in a small area. I ended up hiking about 25 miles and my wife and daughter around 20 miles. I hope to go back sometime and see Tuolumne Meadows area and maybe hike to the high camps there.
.
May 26th, 2010, 04:52 PM
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Here is a link to just the Photo Album. This is larger pictures and no copy.
http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/...5?source=pw980
http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/...5?source=pw980
May 26th, 2010, 05:24 PM
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You had some very beautiful pictures and I enjoyed your TR. I have to say, I've hiked up to Vernal Falls and only got wet when I took my shoes off and put them in the water.
I agree, I think Yosemite is very commercial, but it is also one of the best concentrations of what I call marquee sites. I never get tired of seeing it.
Thanks for sharing. I love our National Parks and what they represent to the preservation of wonderful vistas and sites.
I agree, I think Yosemite is very commercial, but it is also one of the best concentrations of what I call marquee sites. I never get tired of seeing it.
Thanks for sharing. I love our National Parks and what they represent to the preservation of wonderful vistas and sites.
May 26th, 2010, 06:02 PM
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It was fairly windy, lots of mist blowing at times, some rain and snow mixed, so maybe I got a little extra wet that day. Then the next minute it would be pretty and clear. You are absolutely correct, it would be difficult to pack in much more in a 7 mile long valley- meaning people, buildings or scenary as stunning as that. The crowdedness didn't really bother me, but I don't know that I would want to experience it in a full summer crowd. I don't really have a favorite park, but we all agreed that Yosemite definately gets the prize for Waterfalls. I thought that Columbia River Gorge couldn't be beat, but it doesn't come close to Yosemite for waterfalls. We discovered National Parks about 6 years ago and I have never really had a hobby until then. I traveled to a couple of them as a child with my parents, staying only 2 or 3 hours at each. Seems the more time you spend at them, the more you enjoy them and long to go back and see them again or a new one.
May 27th, 2010, 09:50 AM
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Pics were great!! I guess I finally saw the grissly lol.. The snow seems to be gone away at Mariposa.. hope you had the road open.. now imagine us hiking that road up and down 2 miles..quite a workout..
Seems to be a lot more crowded than when we were there also.. We never saw a bear, and were so looking for them!
We will never rent from Hertz either.. luckily our 2 week rental was from Avis.. really liked them. Hertz we had for our 2 day rental and it was more hassle than the 2 week one.. if we didn't prepay either DH would have walked out...
Seems to be a lot more crowded than when we were there also.. We never saw a bear, and were so looking for them!
We will never rent from Hertz either.. luckily our 2 week rental was from Avis.. really liked them. Hertz we had for our 2 day rental and it was more hassle than the 2 week one.. if we didn't prepay either DH would have walked out...
May 27th, 2010, 10:55 AM
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Thank you so much for sharing!!! I was looking at this site ever so often hoping you would fill us in on your trip since I'm going in about 2 weeks. Since I have never been there, I was a little surprised to see the gear you had on...don't know why I didn't think it would be that cold so I better come prepared. Your pics are great! Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know how it went. We will only have 2 full days there since we won't get in until about 8:00 pm the first night so can you give any more advice on what you liked best and least? I feel I'm most looking forward to Mariposa grove and Glacier point but I won't know till I get there 
We are staying in a tent cabin in Curry village for 3 nights and plan to bring our own sleeping bags. We could care less about where to eat and want to focus on great landscapes to take pictures and hiking.
We are staying in a tent cabin in Curry village for 3 nights and plan to bring our own sleeping bags. We could care less about where to eat and want to focus on great landscapes to take pictures and hiking.
May 27th, 2010, 11:37 AM
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noellev13,
If you have never been to Sequoia or the Redwoods you will definately want to visit Mariposa Grove. I packed a pair of long johns at the last minute and wore them the entire time. It was below 30 every morning and snowed a little each day. I really had a little to much on, but you need to be prepared. I think they give you a blanket at CV, so if you have your own sleeping bag you should be fine at night.
If I had two days, I would focus one day on the Valley-Yosemite Falls and Bridal Veil don't take much time. You then have several options for hiking in the valley. On the other day, you could see Glacier Point(it wasn't open yet- as of a couple of days ago) and then Mariposa/Wawona. If you are on the trails early or later in the day you will have far less people to deal with and wildlife ops are generally better at those times of day. You probably won't have time for Hetch Hetchy and it was nice but it isn't the highlight. Get started early and stay up late and you will see and enjoy plenty of it. Since food isn't a priority pack picnic lunches everywhere you go. Nothing beats a meal with a view or under a big tree. You don't have to use just the picnic tables, you can always have a snack about anywhere.
I would be tempted to hike Panorama Trail if Glacier Point Road is open. Take the shuttle up and leave your car in the valley. This would take the better part of a day to do this. But you would also be hiking the mist trail.
If you have never been to Sequoia or the Redwoods you will definately want to visit Mariposa Grove. I packed a pair of long johns at the last minute and wore them the entire time. It was below 30 every morning and snowed a little each day. I really had a little to much on, but you need to be prepared. I think they give you a blanket at CV, so if you have your own sleeping bag you should be fine at night.
If I had two days, I would focus one day on the Valley-Yosemite Falls and Bridal Veil don't take much time. You then have several options for hiking in the valley. On the other day, you could see Glacier Point(it wasn't open yet- as of a couple of days ago) and then Mariposa/Wawona. If you are on the trails early or later in the day you will have far less people to deal with and wildlife ops are generally better at those times of day. You probably won't have time for Hetch Hetchy and it was nice but it isn't the highlight. Get started early and stay up late and you will see and enjoy plenty of it. Since food isn't a priority pack picnic lunches everywhere you go. Nothing beats a meal with a view or under a big tree. You don't have to use just the picnic tables, you can always have a snack about anywhere.
I would be tempted to hike Panorama Trail if Glacier Point Road is open. Take the shuttle up and leave your car in the valley. This would take the better part of a day to do this. But you would also be hiking the mist trail.
May 27th, 2010, 02:01 PM
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Oakhurst is the closest largish town to where I grew up, so we visit that Raley's often when we go out to visit my dad.
I'm glad you enjoyed your visit. There's nothing quite like a Yosemite waterfall in May!
Lee Ann
I'm glad you enjoyed your visit. There's nothing quite like a Yosemite waterfall in May!
Lee Ann
May 27th, 2010, 05:39 PM
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As for a hobby related to National Parks, pick up a National Parks passport at your next vistor center. They have a stamp at every visitor center and we have made a point of visiting all of them when in any park. It's been a fun hobby for my partner who started 10 years ago and being in the middle age bracket, we sometimes feel a little silly being the oldest ones getting our book stamped when we visit a park. It has been a great way for us to see a lot of things we might not have visited otherwise.
May 27th, 2010, 05:50 PM
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I regret not getting a passport. I have been to several National Monuments and Memorials and they stamp them there also. I took my neighbor with me (much younger than I am) last year to Capitol Reef and he got a passport and had it stamped there and at Tamapalas Cave. I am up to 24 national parks and would like to go back to most of them, and of course see some more of them as well.
May 28th, 2010, 06:17 PM
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Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing your report with us. We have been wanting to visit Yosemite for a long time. The last time I was there, the rangers built a bonfire at the top of Yosemite Falls (I think every night in the summer) and when it got dark, they pushed the bonfire over the falls---it was pretty impressive. I am sure ecologically, it wasn't a great thing to do. I know it isn't done any longer.
I also have a great love affair with the National Parks. My family grew up camping in the parks. With 6 children, it was the only affordable way to travel. Thank goodness my parents were nuts and took the whole family on unbelievably wonderful vacations. We camped free after buying an unbelievably cheap yearly pass. As an adult, I have continued to enjoy the parks and now enjoy the longer hikes that we didn't do when I was younger.
I also have a great love affair with the National Parks. My family grew up camping in the parks. With 6 children, it was the only affordable way to travel. Thank goodness my parents were nuts and took the whole family on unbelievably wonderful vacations. We camped free after buying an unbelievably cheap yearly pass. As an adult, I have continued to enjoy the parks and now enjoy the longer hikes that we didn't do when I was younger.
