zojoandcompany

We are planning our first-ever tent camping trip to Yosemite in late September for 5 nights with four kids ages 8,6,4,3. Any suggestions for specific campgrounds/sites on the water? We welcome any and all suggestions for hikes, activities, must-sees, and any other tidbits you could share to make our trip memorably wonderful and stress free. Thanks!

moneygirl

Do you already have your reservations? If not, I'll be suprised if you can get them at this late date.

The campgrounds have changed a lot and many eliminated since I was a child due to the flooding so I can't recommend a specific campground... I think my favorite was Lower River... not sure if it's still there or not!

My advice is to take your bikes if at all possible! Your kids are the perfect age for that!

zojoandcompany

It appears that a lot of campgrounds really open up towards the end of September and I have verified this. We're looking into Wawona site #50 or 52 which are available but could easily be swayed by other tried and true suggestions.

curmudgeon

The Yosemite valley campgrounds (Upper/Lower Pines, North Pines) are really the best choices for a first visit; in your circumstance I'd probably take last choice spot in the valley over 1st choice outside. Wawona is fine, but a significant drive from the major points of interest in the valley.

If you are camped in the valley, bikes are fun for the kids (if you can fit them in). The hike from Happy Isles up to Vernal/Nevada falls is a good one; you can cut it to various lengths depending on how energetic the kids are (with the caveat that you may end up carrying the younger ones back down).

If any of the kids have a tendency to car-sickness, the roads in/out of Yosemite will likely trigger it Take it easy and stash some plastic bags in the seat pockets in case you can't stop in time.

zojoandcompany

Thanks for the good advice, curmudgeon/moneygirl. I'm now trying to figure out which "pines" campground/site to shoot for. Just found out also there's even a pretty good wikihow for this as well as a site (yosemitesites.com.) that will tell you up to the minute exactly what site is available. will try to fit the bikes but with all our gear it doesn't seem likely. sigh...

moneygirl

Another fun past time for me as a child was floating sticks or boats we made from sticks and leaves down the river! Climb rocks! Have banana splits or a lemonade at the Ahwahnee Hotel... they used to serve them on the outside patio... perhaps they still do? Ride the trams all over the place! Do all of the hikes... to Mirror Lake, Happy Isles, Yosemite Falls and then do them all again... especially at night if the moon is full! I always wanted to ride the horses they keep there at the stables but never did. Have a wonderful trip!

zojoandcompany

So-thanks to your advice, we have reservations at North Pines not on the water but near it and not too close to the restrooms. I hear sites adjacent to the bathrooms can get a lot of noise in the morning and late at night. I'm now happily gathering info for what to do. The banana splits sound like such a treat! I hope they'll have them.

enzian

The children will have a lot of fun just learning the daily routine of camping. We just returned from a 5-night camp in Tuolumne. Our neighbors in the adjacent campsite had a 3-year old girl; it was fun to watch her get into the whole thing. By the 3rd day she was an expert.

Be sure to keep your campsite scrupulously clean, and use the bear box at all times for food and toothpaste, lotion, etc. Make sure the children understand that they must not feed the animals, not even the squirrels. And no dropping crumbs to bring them closer.

As for hikes---the walk up the path toward Vernal Falls is paved and fairly easy, although you may end up carrying the 3-year-old at times. You could go as far as the bridge for a nice view of the falls. Make sure the older ones understand that they must stay on the trail at all times---no scrambling on the rocks above or below the trail.

If the weather stays warm, and the children don't mind an hour in the car, you could drive up to Tuolumne Meadows for a meadow walk, or even walk partway up Pothole Dome (which you can see close to the road as you enter the main meadow area from the west). The eastern slope of this dome is very gentle and safe to ascend. Ask if the Tuolumne Store is still open before you go; if not, you will need to carry all your food and beverage needs for the day. On the way to or from, again if it is warm, you could stop at Tenaya Lake---there is a nice sandy beach at each end. At the western end (which has the view made famous in the Ansel Adams photograph), the water is very shallow, and warm enough for the kids to dip their toes and play a bit. This is probably the safest place in the park for a swim or for wading.

You might buy each of the older two a disposable camera and teach them to make good snapshots (posed and composed, and one of each scene, not multiples like one can do with a digital camera). They can take photos and make a memory book after the trip.

J_Correa

If you can't fit your bikes, you can rent some in the park. There are lots of good and relatively flat paths through the valley, which was a lot of fun. You can also rent those little trailer/kid-carriers for the little ones.

I am glad you decided to stay in the valley. I think your experience will be a lot more relaxing that way. There is a free shuttle you can take around the valley, so in addition to walking and biking, you may not even need to move the car except for any excursions outside the valley.

The valley tram tour is a great suggestion. I think it is something around $20/person, so not cheap, but you learn a lot and it is a good way to get oriented to the park.

Mirror Lake is a lot of fun with kids, esspecially if the weather is warm - it is shallow and sandy, so makes a great place for swimming. And the walk is not far - uphill, but less than a mile from the shuttle stop and on a paved path.