Yosemite in mid-April
 

I will be going to Yosemite in mid-April for about a week and am wondering if people have suggestions about what to do there. We're going to be staying in the park in the Housekeeping Camp (any comments?). We love the outdoors and camping. We'd like to be active, but not too active since I'll be three months pregnant at the time. Things that sound appealing:

short hikes with beautiful vistas
biking on the valley floor
gentle river rafting trips
snowshoeing at Badger Pass

Any ideas or comments? (We're planning on bring lots of warm things!) Any help would be greatly appreciated!

We've stayed in the Housekeeping Camp a couple times. I would request a cabin near the river because the view is nicer and also they tend to be more spread out along the river than closer to the road. The cabins closer to the road are pretty tightly packed. We always bring our air matress with us and a small rug to put on the (concrete) floor. Makes things more comfortable - although there are matresses on the beds, they are standard camp matresses and pretty hard.

For activities:

The river will be flowing pretty fast and the water will be COLD, so river rafting is probably out. Later in the year, you can rent rafts at Curry Village, but this time of year the only outfits that run rafts on the river are outside the park.

* Biking around the valley floor is really fun. The valley floor is pretty flat and there are paved bike trails, so it is easy. You can rent bikes at Curry and I think at Yosemite Lodge (or right around there anyway).

* There is a nice hike to Vernal Falls - the foot bridge at the base is about a mile hike and then the trail goes farther up to the top of the fall and beyond. This is the Mist Trail, so bring rain gear if you go past the foot bridge. The hike to Mirror Lake is good too - not very long and the lake is at the base of Half Dome. There is a trail around the lake as well. Then there are a bunch of miscelanious trails in the valley, along the river. I like wandering those, esspecially in the evenings.

I had to chuckle a bit about camping in Yosemite in April.

First time in April we were in a camper thank god. It rained!

Second time closer to May we sensibly stood at the lodge across from Yosemite falls. Was great! Hiked and biked in days.

Third time in April was with a bunch of teenage kids and we did the tent thing. It gave a whole different meaning to FROZE! We were brushing our teeth with freezing water and using the freezing restrooms. I believe it was Northcamp? One afternoon we saw all the kids streaming back to camp. When we asked where they were coming from, they said they had been going to the Ahwahnee lodge the whole time to use the restrooms! Grrr!

The river will be way to cold to raft then if the rafting concessionaire is even open yet.

Bundle up! C:)

I wonder if orangecats is there now or is going this week. Since it's mid-April now, I just checked. Yosemite is expecting snow tonight and possibly tomorrow. The whole next week doesn't look that promising for warm temps, but the rain should clear up.

We've been many times in April. Twice I remember wearing shorts on the Mist Trail up to Vernal Falls. Last year as we were leaving, it started to snow, but it didn't snow much.

Spring weather is just to unpredictable.

Utahtea

This entire year has been unpredictable weather-wise just about everywhere. We are expecting rain here on the central coast by Thursday. Yosemite is looking at the same and possibly snow.

It’s also the time of the year when bears are very active. :S-

Here’s a web cam we can watch and see how orangecats is weathering the trip.

http://yosemite.org/vryos/

Mrs. Bear and I are hankering for a road trip that direction next month.

Video of my last Spring trip to Yosemite: :-P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVS1UfCfxlU