Making the Most of Our Time in Yosemite
Aug 11th, 2003, 11:41 AM
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Making the Most of Our Time in Yosemite
I have been dying to see Yosemite since my days of watching Yosemite Sam cartoons. (Back then I pronounced it "YOSS-might Sam.") Anyway, it looks like we'll be going in early June and I have a couple questions.
When we visit national parks, we like to see most of them, are more walkers than hikers, enjoy stops at park visitors' centers and participating in Ranger walks and talks. Would a 2.5-day visit be adequate, assuming we do Tioga Pass as we leave the park? (We were comfortable with 4 days in Yellowstone, 2 in the Tetons, 1 in Zion, 1.5 in Bryce, 2 at the Grand Canyon.)
When our visit ends, we are considering driving from El Portal through the park via Tioga Rd, visiting Mono Lake for a few hours, then maybe little Bodie, and going to the western or northern side of Lake Tahoe. Is this trip feasible for one day? I can see the mileage on my map, but have never been to the area and don't know about driving conditions.
If you're wondering "why El Portal," the only valley accomodations available are Ahwahnee (too pricey for us) and the cabins. Wawoma has rooms but El Portal is closer to the valley. A month before our trip I'll start calling daily to see if Yosemite Lodge opens up.
Thank you very much.
When we visit national parks, we like to see most of them, are more walkers than hikers, enjoy stops at park visitors' centers and participating in Ranger walks and talks. Would a 2.5-day visit be adequate, assuming we do Tioga Pass as we leave the park? (We were comfortable with 4 days in Yellowstone, 2 in the Tetons, 1 in Zion, 1.5 in Bryce, 2 at the Grand Canyon.)
When our visit ends, we are considering driving from El Portal through the park via Tioga Rd, visiting Mono Lake for a few hours, then maybe little Bodie, and going to the western or northern side of Lake Tahoe. Is this trip feasible for one day? I can see the mileage on my map, but have never been to the area and don't know about driving conditions.
If you're wondering "why El Portal," the only valley accomodations available are Ahwahnee (too pricey for us) and the cabins. Wawoma has rooms but El Portal is closer to the valley. A month before our trip I'll start calling daily to see if Yosemite Lodge opens up.
Thank you very much.
Aug 11th, 2003, 12:08 PM
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I think 2.5 days is enough - if you can spend more time, definitely do, but I think you can see plenty in 2.5 days.
El Portal is a good choice if you can't stay in the valley. It's not that far and the drive is pretty easy. In June there will be plenty of traffic in and out of the valley, so plan accordingly.
As for things to do in the valley - you get a little newspaper when you arrive at the gate which has a listing of all the ranger walks. There is also an open air tram that takes you around the valley which is a lot of fun - a ranger narrates the tour. There are trails and roads all over the valley which are great for walking or bike riding.
El Portal is a good choice if you can't stay in the valley. It's not that far and the drive is pretty easy. In June there will be plenty of traffic in and out of the valley, so plan accordingly.
As for things to do in the valley - you get a little newspaper when you arrive at the gate which has a listing of all the ranger walks. There is also an open air tram that takes you around the valley which is a lot of fun - a ranger narrates the tour. There are trails and roads all over the valley which are great for walking or bike riding.
Aug 11th, 2003, 07:26 PM
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I would stay in the cabins and enjoy walking in the valley at night. Moonlight, campfires...nothing like it. Biking is the best! Also, you could go on a short horse ride. Go to the museum where you can see pictures of how things looked before the flood. Hike to as many falls as you possible can. Take a camera and lots of photos. The trams take you everywhere and it might be a good idea for you to ride all the way around once, paying attention to your map, just to get your bearings. Enjoy.
Aug 11th, 2003, 07:44 PM
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Going in early June is the BEST time of year -- the falls are all at their fullest and roaring, then park is still "fresh" having recovered from the previous year and not had the millions of people that will flow thru there from mid June to Sept, and its till late Spring at the higher elevations (Tioga Pass is at about 9800 ft ya know) See all the valley sites and do the "mist trail" hike up to Vernal Falls. Bring your binoculars, pull off in the meadow at the base of El Capitan, and lay there and watch the rock climbers. See all the Falls up close and personal and be ready to get wet. Enjoy. Leaving out Tioga is a good idea after a few days in the valley -- and Lake Tahoe is beautiful area too. Just remember you are in the Sierra Nevada Mntns and some windy roads await you
Aug 12th, 2003, 06:50 AM
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Thanks, everyone. I'm feeling better about a 2.5-day plan. And, bigdog, I'm up to the windy roads.
Now, can anyone address the feasibility of driving El Portal-Tioga Pass-Mono Lake-west/north Lake Tahoe in a day?
Now, can anyone address the feasibility of driving El Portal-Tioga Pass-Mono Lake-west/north Lake Tahoe in a day?
Aug 12th, 2003, 07:19 AM
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I second the recommendation to stay in the cabins. Definitely not posh - but being in the Valley is much better if you have limited time.
As for whether that drive is doable - just in mileage it is. But a couple of things - there is no guarantee Tioga Pass will be open yet. You will know pretty much by about early May when it should open. Depends on how late and how much snow ther is. So have a plan B in case.
The drive into/out of Bodie and walking around is time consuming - it is a fabulous place but you need to plan at least 2 or 3 hours to do it justice
As for whether that drive is doable - just in mileage it is. But a couple of things - there is no guarantee Tioga Pass will be open yet. You will know pretty much by about early May when it should open. Depends on how late and how much snow ther is. So have a plan B in case.
The drive into/out of Bodie and walking around is time consuming - it is a fabulous place but you need to plan at least 2 or 3 hours to do it justice
Aug 12th, 2003, 07:32 AM
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I'll respond regarding visiting Mono and Bodie:
The visitors center area is just south of Lee Vining as you come out of Tioga Pass. About a 10 minute or so drive. It's very interesting and there is usually a ranger down by the water's edge. An hour visit would probably be sufficient to see this particular area.
Driving north you'll see a turn off for Bodie. Lots of people miss it and end up turning around so keep a sharp eye. This road is mostly NOT paved so it's slow and bumpy. We stayed a couple of hours but I imagine depending on your interest (or whether you have kids saying "it's hot") you may stay longer.
From Bodie to South Lake Tahoe via Kingsbury Grade is about 3 hours. If you head to the north from South Lake Tahoe to get to teh West shore this will be the best view of the lake for your drive. Last week we drove north on the east side and it was truly boring as the east and north do not have good views of the lake.
The visitors center area is just south of Lee Vining as you come out of Tioga Pass. About a 10 minute or so drive. It's very interesting and there is usually a ranger down by the water's edge. An hour visit would probably be sufficient to see this particular area.
Driving north you'll see a turn off for Bodie. Lots of people miss it and end up turning around so keep a sharp eye. This road is mostly NOT paved so it's slow and bumpy. We stayed a couple of hours but I imagine depending on your interest (or whether you have kids saying "it's hot") you may stay longer.
From Bodie to South Lake Tahoe via Kingsbury Grade is about 3 hours. If you head to the north from South Lake Tahoe to get to teh West shore this will be the best view of the lake for your drive. Last week we drove north on the east side and it was truly boring as the east and north do not have good views of the lake.
Aug 12th, 2003, 07:57 AM
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There are several types of cabins in Yosemite.
We usually stay in the Housekeeping Camp, which are tent cabins along the river. Each cabin comes with an indoor area, a covered patio area, picnic table, fire pit, and a bear box. There is electricity and central showers and baths. We always bring our own food and cook out, but you can go over to Curry Village or the Lodge to eat if you want to. Also, I believe you can rent bedding.
At Curry Village there are some tent cabins as well, which are ok. They are pretty close together and don't have any outside space for a table or anything, but they are in the valley and there are food concesions near by as well as showers and baths. I believe there are also some hard-sided cabins with their own facilities as well.
We usually stay in the Housekeeping Camp, which are tent cabins along the river. Each cabin comes with an indoor area, a covered patio area, picnic table, fire pit, and a bear box. There is electricity and central showers and baths. We always bring our own food and cook out, but you can go over to Curry Village or the Lodge to eat if you want to. Also, I believe you can rent bedding.
At Curry Village there are some tent cabins as well, which are ok. They are pretty close together and don't have any outside space for a table or anything, but they are in the valley and there are food concesions near by as well as showers and baths. I believe there are also some hard-sided cabins with their own facilities as well.
