Yosemite in early October
 

Hello,
Never having been to Yosemite, I was wondering if early October is a good time to go? I know the waterfalls are best in the Spring, but I assume a Fall trip would be nice for other reasons. Has anyone been to Yosemite in early Oct and how was it!? Is it possible that the Fall colors would be out?
Thanks!

I think that Yosemite is spectacular any time. The waterfalls are only one of the attractions. One of the benefits of going in October is that you will miss the summer crowds. We were there several years ago in early November and the fall colors were gorgeous. Early October might be too early for much color since California is generally fairly warm through September, even at higher elevations.

We've gone in early October to celebrate our anniversary several times. If you catch it right after a rain, you might see some water in the falls. Otherwise you will probably only see a trickle.

But like J_Correa said, there is more to Yosemite than just the falls. The granite walls are pretty magnificant all by themselves. There's a good chance you will see the leaves turning to the fall colors and you can drive over Tioga Pass to the High Country. The crowds have thinned and the weather is usually pretty nice.

Utahtea

October can be stunning in Yosemite. The weather is still good and at eh higher elevations the colors have started to turn. This is especially true near Toulemne Meadows.

I was in Yosemite in early October a few years ago. It was awesome, a little brisk at night and delightful during the day.

yes, it is true there were no waterfalls and everyone kept telling us what we were missing but really you cant miss what you dont experience. we had a wonderful time!!!

one note of caution. we wanted to stay in heated tents in Curry Village and we found out that there is a specific date in early October when they turn on the heat. we had to work around that. Then we found out that they also remove the climbing ropes on HalfDome at another particular date in early October. Therefore, we were squeezed on both ends of our trip by these constraints and had to pick our dates very carefully. It ended up being a trip of a lifetime!

Have fun~!