mdod

We just got back from 3 days in Yosemite. A snowstorm closed Tioga and Glacier Point roads 2 weeks ago so we were bummed that we couldn't drive up to any of the higher trails. However we had clear skies with highs near 70 that melted enough snow to get Yosemite Falls running again and we practically had the place to ourselves during the week.

We drove to Yosemite from Palo Alto with some friends and the guys took over driving and navigation. It's a good thing we left at 3:30 because they got turned around 3 times. The last
one landed us in Elk Grove, 46 miles off track! The situation became so desparate that the guys actually stopped and asked for directions!

We stopped and had dinner at a home town restaurant in Elk Grove at about 7:00. The place was run by teenagers. I asked the waitress how far it was to Yosemite she
said 8 hours! I said it couldn't be that far. Then she said she didn't know
where (or what) Yosemite was. OK, then why did she answer? Then we
asked the girl at the cash register as we werwe leaving and she said 6-8 hours. I said "It can't be that far. Is that by bike?" Then she asked another kid sitting in a nearby booth and he said 4-6 hours. At this point we were groaning at the thought of getting there at 2 AM, especially since two fo us started the day with a 6:30 AM flight from NC. When wegot back on teh road we called Yosemite Lodge to tell them we were going to be late and they said we were about 2 1/2 hours away. Phew!
It was pretty sad that 3 people lived 2 1/2 hours from the most popular national
park in the country and didn't have a clue where it was, though.

We finally arrived at the lodge at 10:30. There was a full moon so we got to
see some hints of the valley and falls as we drove in. That was kind of neat. Unfortunately that also meant that we couldn't see many stars. I had read that they have good full moon tours in Yosemite but they only run May-Oct.

Thu, Nov 13
We decided to sleep in a little and met for breakfast at the food court at 9:00 AM. Our friends were in the Alder building and they were greeted by a stunning view of Yosemite Falls when we walked outside their room. We could hear falls in the background from almost every point in the valley. After having breakfast in the food court across from the the lodge, we headed over to the vistor center to talk to the ranger about hikes. I really wanted to go to Glacier Point. I was hoping they'd reopen the road to Glacier Point since the website had said they would re-evaluate after the storm and it had been really warm all week but no such luck.

The only way to get to Glacier Point was to hike the 4 Mile Trail round trip. We decided to take the Mist trail to Vernal Fall and on up to Nevada Fall if we could make it. Those falls are part of the Merced River so they run year-round, but the recent snow did help pump them up a little. The shuttle bus drops you off near the Happy Isles trailhead but if you drive you'll have to park quite a distance from the trailhead. The trail is 7 miles round trip and 1900' elevation gain going all the way to the top of Nevada Falls. The last section before the top of Vernal Falls seemed the steepest to me. We took the John Muir Trail down from Nevada Fall to have a little change of scenery. It was longer but not as steep so much easier on the knees.

We saw a bear and two cubs in a rocky area on the right, about 25 min into the hike, shortly after the bridge. They were still there when we came down several hours later so the den must have been close. We also saw a bobcat a few minutes later. A pesky couple kept walking past us and then stopping, always hanging right around us. It was very annoying, especially when they got right in the way when I was trying to get a picture of the bobcat. Luckily they bailed out when the trail started going up. We also passed a young woman wearing black patent leather boots, tight black pants and a black leather jacket coming down the trail. She reminded me of Emma Peele from the
Avengers. LOL...it was funny to watch everyone do a double-take and make comments as she walked by.
We started the trail at 10:30 and made it to the top of Vernal Falls at 11:40. We probably stopped at Vernal Falls for about 30 mins and then headed up to Nevada Falls, arriving at about 2:00. We spent about 20 min up top and then headed down the John Muir Trail making it back to the valley at about 4:00. My husband and I have been taking some killer spinning classes 3x/wk since July so we did pretty well. We had to stop a lot on the way up for our friend but we all made it to the top of Nevada Falls and she was glad we went. I'd hate to climb that in the heat of summer though.

The ranger said taking that hike would give us a good idea of whether we could make the 4 Mile Trail It is 9.6 miles round trip and 3200' elevation gain but is a more gradual climb the whole way rather than the flat sections followed by really steep sections found on the Mist Trail.

Sunset was around 5 PM. We made it back to our car and tried to find Sentinel bridge, which was
recommended as the best place for a picture of Half Dome at sunset. We struck out that day but found it accidentally the next morning. The signs and maps at Yosemite leave a lot to be desired. E.g. Cook's Meadow is listed in the brochure as a favored destination but it's not labeled on the map. We just happened to be walking that night around and saw a sign that said
"Cook's Meadow Restoration Project". FYI, it's right at the trailhead
for the Lower Yosemite Falls Trail. While we were driving around looking for the
Sentinel Bridge we saw a wolf along the side of the road and we saw several
mule deer in the meadow at sunset so all was not lost.

After a nice shower, we checked out the restaurant by the lodge but it was too pricey so we drove out to the pizza place at Curry Village. It wasn't great pizza but it wasn't bad. It sounded like they aren't open year-round so check before you drive out there.

beth_fitz

Yosemite is one of our favorite places in the world. We were engaged there.

We have a friend who grew up in San Jose and has never been to Yosemite...if you can believe that.

Glad you enjoyed your trip.

mlgb

Great report! Will there be another chapter?

I'm amazed that you saw so much wildlife, a bobcat! (Your "wolf" however was probably a coyote.) Do you have a photo link?

kimamom

Sounds like a fun time, thanks for sharing your time in Yosemite with us! ***kim***

mdod

Yes. I've got 2 more days coming.

It could have been a coyote. I was just going by what our friends said. I will try to add a photo link later.

BTW, I had a hard tine finding my post. I searched for Yosemite under California and Yosemite trip report it didn't show up either time. I did tag it as California. Does anyone know why I can'd find it in searches?

mlgb

The easiest way to find your recent posts is to click your ID at the top of the screen near "Welcome."

I don't have any better handle on why some posts don't get linked to States, either.

It's common to think a coyote is a wolf, the reason I'm sure it wasn't a wolf is that there aren't any in Yosemite.

Looking forward to installment #2.

janisj

Great report mdod. Willing to bet that wasn't a wolf.

• if you click on California in the state list, your thread comes up.

• If you click on your name, your thread comes up.

That is how the forums currently work. The other "search" function doesn't work well and hasn't for quite a long time. Fodors is planning an upgrade soon.

A thread will only come up when you click on a state only when the OP remembers to click on the state's name before posting it.

mdod

LOL...I told my husband you guys said it was a coyote and he said "no, it was definitely a wolf". Then I told him there aren't any wolves in Yosemite he said "maybe it was a coyote".

I searched online and found a comparison of the two. It had pointed ears and a thinner snout so I guess we didn't discover the first wolf in Yosemite afterall. Oh well. It was our first coyote.

That's really too bad the search function isn't working. I know it was working when I was researching my trip last year. Not much point in posting trip reports without it. They get buried in a day.

mdod

Fri, Nov 14

We had decided to try the 4 Mile Trail this morning so we met for breakfast at the food court at 7:45. The smoke detector had gone off at 1:30 AM in our friend's room and she couldn't get back to sleep. The ranger said that any part that of the trail that we could make would be worthwhile so we went ahead but she was miserable with a migraine headache so she and her husband went back to the lodge. Their feet were sore from the previous day's hike so I suspect the thought of doing the 4 Mile Trail round trip didn't help. They ended up renting bikes at the lodge ($9/hr or $25/day) later on and had a great time pedaling around the valley.

There is roadside parking for a few cars at the trailhead or you can park in a small lot at Swinging Bridge (which didn't appear to swing???) a short walk east of the trailhead. There are also restrooms and I believe I saw some picnic tables there. We made it to Glacier Point in a little over 3 hours, spent an hour up there and then 2 hours coming down. It is a gorgeous hike with views of Yosemite Falls across the valley most of the way up. About a third of the way up you start getting views of the western end of the valley and then even farther with each switchbackand. 2/3 of the way up the trail wraps around to the other side of the mountain giving views of the east end of the valley and Half Dome. At the top you get amazing views from Yosemite Falls east and into Tenaya Canyon, Nevada Fall and snow covered mountains in the distance.

Having hiked it the whole way, if Glacier Point Rd was open, I would probably take the 4 Mile Trail from the top down just past the gate that closes the trail in the winter (about an hour down the trail). Shortly after the gate the trail goes around to the other side of mountain so you can see the west end of the valley. That gives you great elevated views of each side of the valley and Yosemite Falls. Then you can go back to Glacier Point and still have time to go to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point if you still have steam. If Glacier Point Rd is the closed, I'd highly recommend at least walking about 1/3 of the way up if you can (an hour up in our case). That's the point where you can see a view of the west end of the valley below. You'll get several views of Yosemite Falls across the valley along the way. If you can continue on almost to the second gate (2 hours for us) you'll get views of the eastern valley. Although the trail map shows two main sets of switchbacks, the whole trail is a fairly steady climb, switchbacks or not, so if you can handle that grade, you can make it as far as your feet will take you.

When we finished we walked across nearby Swinging Bridge for nice views of Yosemite Falls and then we checked out the view from Sentinel Bridge. Half Dome is lit up by the afternoon sun, framed by trees and reflected in the Merced River. It's definitely the spot for Half Dome pics at sunset.

We picked up our friends at the lodge and drove out to Bridal Veil Falls and El Capitan for some good late afternoon photos. We saw another momma bear and a cub in the meadow on the way there but couldn't get any decent photos. The animals are always out at dusk or in forested areas where there's not enough light to get a shot without a tripod ;-( We climbed around the rocks on the Merced River between El Capitan and the Falls and then we went back to Sentinel Bridge in time for sunset.

We showered and then met our friends at the bar by the lodge and played dominoes before dinner. I can't stand the taste of alcohol but the hot chocolate was excellent. We checked out the menu at the restaurant near the Lodge and just the entrees were $24 and up. Soups and salads were ~$8 so we just went to the food court. It was pricey for what we got but the food was decent and convenient. I shudder to think what dinner at The Ahwahnee Hotel costs.

All in all it was another great day!

Hershey

The woman you passed who was dressed so "hip"-ly reminded me of the woman we saw as we neared the top of Yosemite Falls. She was coming down the trail in high-heeled sandals! Talk about turning heads! To this day I do not know how she did it.

Thanks for the report.

MichelleY

mdod:

I am enjoying your report. It's too bad more Central Cal families don't take advantage of taking their kids to Yosemite. But sometimes you don't know what's in your own back yard. Some families would rather spend the time & $ to go to the beach or Disneyland or aren't into the park thing.

My DH's first time to Yosemite was on our honeymoon at age 37. He is a native northern Californian and well travelled to Europe, Middle East and Latin America. Who would have thunk? Since then, I have opened his eyes to other great places!

MY

Supercilious

For those heading to Yosemite this weekend or next week, Glacier Point Rd has reopened today. Of course, it will stay open only until the next snow.

My first trip to Yosemite was in the mid-60's at Thanksgiving. It must have been a dry fall because we were able to drive up to Glacier Point and bicycle all the way down to the Valley floor. The hotel was still operating at Glacier Point back then and the evening firefall was one of the highlights of our visit.

The roads must have been better marked back then. I don't recall having to go through Elk Grove.

mdod

"For those heading to Yosemite this weekend or next week, Glacier Point Rd has reopened today. Of course, it will stay open only until the next snow."

Oh geez. I can't believe they waited until now to open it back up. The web cam showed snow at Tioga Pass but there was nothing at Glacier Point last weekend. I would have loved to have hiked to Sentinel Dome and Taft but we didn't have enough time. Darn.

mdod

Sat Nov 15, 2008
We got up before sunset and walked the Lower Yosemite Falls Trail to the base of the falls and then over to Cook's Meadow. After breakfast we drove to the Wawona tunnel overlook. It was a great view but it's really hard to get decent pictures of the valley, at least in the fall, because so much of the valley is in shadow in all but
the middle of the day.

Next we walked up to the base of Bridal Veil Falls. We started from the El Capitan Vista pullout just east of where Wawona Rd and Southside Dr merge instead of at the Bridal Veil Falls trailhead. It's just a little longer walk that goes over 3 stone bridges. It meets up with the trail right before it turns toward the falls. The guys climbed the rocks past the danger sign and got right up near the falls. There's a reason most of the memorial plaques I've ever seen at parks are for men ;-) By the time we left, there were quite a few people there. I can't imagine what it's like in the summer.

We headed back to the lodge to check out and then went to the Mirror Lake Trail. The trail goes along the river and ends at a couple of small, still ponds that reflect the surrounding mountains. You'll have to use a wide angle lens or stitch multiple shots to get a good photo there. You can continue around the lake but we didn't have time. It's an easy, flat hike but it's pretty long for what you get, especially if you drive, since the trailhead is guite a ways from the parking lot. I'm not sure the view would be worth the effort if it was really crowded or a cloudy day. It took us about 2 hours round trip from the parking lot. OTOH, we did come across a 6 point mule deer buck on the way to the lake. He was grazing right near the trail about 12 feet from us and we didn't even notice him. Luckily our friend heard someone on the nearby bridge say something about a deer and he saw him. The buck just continued grazing as we walked by, seemingly oblivious to our presence. We also saw another bobcat on the way back. This time he was out in the open and I was able to get some pics and video of him as he was crossing the trail over to the river.

I was originally planning to head south to Wawona to see the Giant
Sequoias at Mariposa Grove on our way out Saturday but it was over an hour drive in the opposite direction. Our friends had been to Muir Woods so they weren't particularly interested in seeing big trees. We were also worried about getting stuck in traffic (or lost again) so I decided to stop at Merced Grove instead. It was right on the way out and my AAA map of Yosemite said it was "home to about 20 of the huge trees, most of which measure 14-28' in diameter". Since the Grizzly Giant was listed as 28' in diameter, I figured that would be a good alternative. When we got there the trail guide only showed 13 trees and the biggest one we saw was only about 18' across so it was a bit of a let-down. The hike was alright but it is a little steep and you're going down into the grove so you'll be coming up on the way back. We had the place to ourselves so that was nice but I don't think I would have gone out of my way to see it. I'm sure we would have been more impressed if we hadn't already seen the huge cedar trees on the Big Tree Trail on Meares Island near Tofino or the Redwoods at Muir Woods.

We made it back to SF with a couple of hours to spare so we stopped for
dinner at a microbrewery near the airport. Hopefully we'll get back to Yosemite. There's tons more we'd like to see. I'll post links and other information I collected next.

MichelleY

You'll have to return to Yosemite or Sequoia Park to see the Giant Redwoods. The Sierra redwoods are a different species from the coastal redwoods. Not taller, just more massive.

Enjoyed your report.

MY

Iregeo

Thank you so much for your report. Yosemite is among my favorite places in the world, and I appreciate viewing it through your eyes too!

mdod

I think I finally have my photos set up correctly on Flicker. Let's see if this link works.
http://tinyurl.com/58e3zb

I tried to include the timeline for hike in the captions for photos on the Mist Trail and the 4 mile trail.

I'm still working on compiling the other information but I'll try to get it out soon.