tips for yosemite in April
 

My family (my wife and I + our 2 13 years old twins girls) are planning a trip to the west cost on April. What should we expect from Yosemite N.P. in terms of what will be closed in April and what are the must see?
Recommandations for lodging (not camping) are welcome.
Thanks
Erez.

April is a lovely time to visit the park. I do know the weather can be a bit iffy then -- usually quite nice, but I was there once when it snowed on the valley floor. I suggest checking the park website as the time for your trip gets closer as they open and close roads and the Badger Pass ski area depending on the weather conditions. If the road is open, the Glacier Pass overlook is spectacular.

My family and I always enjoy short hikes around the park and the hike to Vernal Falls is one we feel we always must do. Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Falls are right in the valley and are "must sees." In the spring, many other seasonal waterfalls are flowing and are easily viewable. If the weather is nice, you can rent bikes and cycle through much of the valley.

If budget is not a problem, the Awahnee (sp?) hotel is the place to stay. If you decide the hotel is too expensive, the Yosemite Lodge is a good alternative.

The Awahnee dining room is lovely and it is fun to have a meal there. I think breakfast or lunch there is a delight as you can gaze out at the beautiful meadows while enjoying the room. Dinner there is also nice but pricey and requires dressing up a bit, but your daughters might enjoy that as a special treat.

Hope this helps.

We went once in early april...it was really nice..very small crowds, and the weather was brisk. No snow in the main park at that time. We spent one night in the yosemite lodge, then the next nights at the Wawona. It is a charming victorian style lodge...great dining room, 3 hole golf course in between the trees (I hate golf, but loved driving the cart!) and close to horse stables. We really preferred it to the other lodging options, although it was nice to spend the first night nearer to the village.

Thanks a lot KathrynT and Icuy for your answers.I was wandering what are your other favourit places (parks, not cities) that we can visit on our week in California.
Erez

What is the best way to make reseravtion in the Yosemite logde?
Thanks in advance.

For reservations in at the Lodge, I would just call and see if there is anything availible. If there isn't, check Curry Village for the motel style and hard-sided cabins. Curry Village also has tent cabins, but they are really close together and it's more like camping so I don't think they would be what you want. If things are full, make reservations in a motel in the town of El Portal, which is the closest to the valley. Check back with the Lodge for cancellations as your trip gets closer.

In Yosemite, there is an open air tram tour of the valley that is really good. It is basically a long open air trailer with seats in it pulled by a truck. A ranger guides the tour and you get a good bit of information about the park. It's a great way to get oriented and I would recommend doing this first and then going back to see the things you want to see again.

J.CORREA - THANKS SO MUCH. I tried to look for the lodge site or E-maile, but came out with nothing but travel angencies and resrvations sites. Can you help me out?

We were there is late April 2 years ago, and it was really a great time for a visit, no crowds, the waterfalls were going full blast, chilly at night be great for hiking during the day. We stayed at Camp Curry in the wood cabins, which is great fun.

erez, here is the site you need for lodging information and to make reservations: http://www.nps.gov/yose/pphtml/lodging.html

April is my favorite month to visit Yosemite. The water falls are fantastic this time of the year. You will need to bring a wide varity of clothes. I've worn shorts many times on hikes in April but it can also be cold and snow.

Tioga Pass will be closed but you can easily spend 3 or 4 days in the park. The hike on the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls is a must. Depending on the snow this winter, the trail might not be open yet, but usually is. The short hikes to Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Falls are also a must. Mirrow Lake might have some reflections this time of year...in the fall it dries up. All of these locations are in Yosemite Valley. You might also enjoy a drive down to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequioa Trees.

Just be warned that the week before and after Easter is crowded but nothing like the summer crowds.

You can find a lot of information on the offical Yosemite website:

http://www.nps.gov/yose/home.htm

For other parks you might check out Calaveras Big Trees State Park near Arnold, CA. I prefer this grove of Giant Sequioas.

There are also many state beaches along the coast north and south of San Francisco that will take your breath away.

Utahtea

utahtea - your comment about Mirror lake drying up made me smile. Our first trip to Yosemite was several years ago in November. It was spectacular with all the turning leaves. Only a couple falls were running, but we were so blown away by the granduer that we didn't even miss them. We had our bikes and spent our time riding around the valley. We saw Mirror lake on our map, so we rode up the road to it. We didn't realize that it is a seasonal lake, and aparently November is NOT lake season :)) After huffing and puffing up that hill, we were greated by dry ground, muck, and sand!

We had a great time wandering around in the dry lake bed though. We even had lunch on a rock that is usually submerged in the middle of the lake.

Thanks you all -KathrynT, lcuy, J_Correa, soboyle, sluggo and utahtea, great tips, makes me want to be there already.
Regarding Lodging in Yosemite - I'd like to hear your opinion: do you think staying in the Yosemite Lodge for about 180$ per night for our family is worth it? What are the rates outside the park? How much time will we save each day by staying inside the Park?
Thanks
Erez.

I would definitely stay in the park. Lodging is expensive, but you are paying for location. It is so wonderful to be able to go to sleep and wake up in that valley. Plus, you can't beat the convinience of walking out of your lodging and being right there - not having to drive anywhere or anything.

We stay in the Housekeeping Camp, which is basically camping-lite - tent cabins, central bathrooms, firepits, etc. And even this is about $70/night. Yes, $70/night for camping. It's expensive, but absolutely worth it, even to a frugal person like me.

To J Correna,

Mirrow Lake wasn't always seasonal. Sediment keeps building up in the lake and it will some day be a meadow.

To Erez,

I believe the closest place to stay outside the park would be El Portal. Don't know the rates, but it will take about 25 minutes (one way) to drive into the valley. Staying in the valley is really awesome. I would try to stay at least one night there.

We camp in Yosemite valley campgrounds for $18.00 a night...never realized what a bargin we were getting!!!!

Utahtea

Regarding places to stay, the Camp Curry wood cabins are very adequate, and feel just right for a stay at Yosemite, and they do have heaters. There is a food court area where you can get food that is decent. For the money you can't stay cheaper in Yosemite unless you camp in your own tent. The tent cabins were not available at that time of year as far as I could tell, they looked like they hadnt been opened up yet.