Yosemite in November-- worth it?
 

We will be in SFO/Vegas from Nov 22-28th and are contemplating a two night stay in Yosemite. (probably Nov 23-24th, back in SFO by 25th)

Is it too cold by then? Will there be much snow? Will trails be open? I'd like to know if it's worth the 4-5 hour drive from SFO....

Thanks!

Too cold? Hmm, I'm the wrong person to judge as I'll go camping in Yosemite in January and February. For late November, expect nights to be freezing (~32 degrees farenheit) and days to be cool to cold. Most trails will be open. A section of the mist falls trail may be closed due to icy conditions. There shouldn't be much snow on the valley floor, but I'm not a weather prophet.

Yosemite is good at any time, but it's not at it's best in November. The waterfalls are usually not flowing very well, leaves are off the trees, and the vegetation is brown - fall colors have passed. I actually prefer the snow as Yosemite takes on a different character with a blanket of white.

On the other hand, the park is very quiet and the views are still spectacular. You might even get a good deal for the Ahwahnee.

I'd say pretty much zero chance of snow in the valley, but the Glacier Point road might well be closed, as would Toulumne Meadows. Definitely not bitter cold. Getting into rainy season; if the forecast (when you get close to the time) was for solid rain, I'd probably bail out.

Thanks for the replies. Could Lake Tahoe be an alternative to Yosemite? Neither me or my husband ski... we would definitely like to see Yosemite at its best.. so maybe end November may not work. Rain would be a big bummer.... :(

Lake Tahoe would definitely be an alternative. Totoally different from Yosemite, but definitely a beautiful area. The elevation at Lake Tahoe is higher, so there is a greater chance of snow.

If you are going to do it, make your reservations now. That is a holiday weekend, so things fill up very quickly. Also, you might run into 3 night minimums for the holiday, so you might need to add another night.

Sequoia-Kings Canyon might be a good alternative. There's a bit of snow up there now, and the Redwoods look nice in the snow.

And, of course, if you'll be near Vegas, Zion, Bryce, and Death Valley are all options. DV is an obvious choice, but it'll be very busy over the holiday as this is peak season. Zion and Bryce can be very, very cold, but are much closer to Vegas. And, sunrise over Bryce Canyon with a dusting of snow is spectacular.

You will not want to be on the road either on the 21st or the 25th. Those are the two worsest days to drive of the year.

You might be OK if you leave Yosemite on the 25th by no later than 7:00 AM otherwise the road to San Francisco will be a parking lot by noon.

A drive of 4-5 hours on those days can easily be 8-10 hours.

And those 2 days, traffic to/from Tahoe will be just as bad (or worse)

Thanks for the traffic tips.. we plan to hit the road as soon as we land in SFO (Nov 22nd 5pm) so we can get to Tahoe by night and leave on 23rd evening back to SF.

I'm hoping not that many people will be on the roads on thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving night, the roads should be relatively clear of traffic. Keep in mind that it gets dark around 5:30 or 6 that time of year. If the weather is cold and at all wet, be careful once you get into the mountains. Even if it hasn't snowed, there can be black ice on the roads. If it has snowed, what can happen is that during the day, the snow can melt and water goes across the road, then at night the temperature drops and it refreezes and makes the roads slippery. So just take it slow - even if it is late and you just want to get to your hotel, resist the urge to drive fast.