Kristina

Has anyone been to the Yosemite Valley in the last couple of weeks? What was it like?
We have plans to go over Labor Day weekend, staying at one of the hotels in the valley, but my understanding is that air quality is poor there right now due to local fires. Plus, a lot of things are closed/unavailable due to Covid. All things considered, I'm wondering if we should cancel. If so, we have to decide by tomorrow!
Edited to add, I've looked at the AQI numbers (on the rise) and the Yosemite webcams and it's really hard to tell what it's like there.

janisj

There are several webcams in Yosemite - they would give you real time images.

This one looks a bit hazy but not bad. https://yosemite.org/webcams/half-dome/

This one looks terrible https://www.nps.gov/media/webcam/vie...27F29DCD4CE913

(I'm supposed to go to YNP the first weekend in October and I assume air quality will be iffy even then so I'm waiting til the last minute to decide.)

MmePerdu

You can check for smoke on the airnow.gov & purpleair.com websites & they'll give you current readings. But the air quality changes day to day & hour to hour so past doesn't predict future, unfortunately. You may have to decide if you're willing to put up with some smoke, have alternate activities planned or even Plans B & C to go elsewhere if you're sensitive.

https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Yosemit...CA&country=USA
https://www.purpleair.com/map?opt=1/...7054/-119.6554

Kristina

Thanks. I've been looking at those webcams for days and they pretty much look unchanged. I don't know why the half dome one looks so awful and it hadn't changed since this weekend (though the time stamp has).

Kristina

Yep, that's the big question, what will it be like in a week? I was hoping to find someone who had been there in the last week who could give a first-hand impression. Unfortunately, there is no plan B or C. If we don't cancel by tomorrow, we will lose 3 night's hotel cost and it's too late to book anywhere else for Labor Day weekend. And did I mention it's an anniversary trip and our first vacation in over a year? Sigh...

MmePerdu

Webcams don't tell you as much as the air quality measurements provided in the links I posted above. What it looks like (webcams) & the level of particulates near the ground (Airnow.gov, etc.) are 2 different things. And what it's like on any given day that someone's been recently & what it'll be like when you get there, or even the time of day you get there, are all different. Tough decision.

mlgb

Ahwahnee Meadow is probably most reflective of what you'd be seeing from the Valley Floor.

This was Tuesday

https://halfdome.net/movies/ahwahnee_meadow/

Jean

Sadly, if you only visited Yosemite when there's no smoke, you may never get there. Covid closures would probably affect my decision more, but I don't know what closures you're facing...

We're headed to the Eastern Sierra (June Lake) immediately after Labor Day, so I've been watching the airnow website. Conditions a few days ago were MUCH worse but have been trending toward good in the last couple of days.

Another helpful website is ventusky.com which can help in guesstimating AQ trends. Right now, the worst air quality in the state is in the Lake Tahoe area, but winds are carrying most of the smoke due east. Winds can change, and new fires can start, but I think things look good for Yosemite NP in the near term.

Jean

Sorry. Meant to include this link:

https://www.ventusky.com/?p=37.74;-1...=20210826/0200

Kristina

That website is great. I've downloaded the app, thanks!
In terms of covid closures, we're booked at the Yosemite Valley Lodge and the pool is closed, the nicer restaurant is closed, and there's no housekeeping. The restaurant at the Awanhee hotel is only open to hotel guests. There are no park tours that they usually offer and the shuttle busses around the valley aren't running. There are other things not happening but I can't remember what else right now.

Jean

That's a lot of closures... I wouldn't miss the pool or tours, and no housekeeping is pretty universal right now. I would cycle around as much as possible. But limited nicer dining would give me pause... How many days is your stay and how far are you traveling to get there?

Kristina

Driving from LA, 3 nights. Yeah, I'm mostly bummed about having to eat cafeteria food for 3 days. The other stuff? Meh. Though my husband is bummed about the pool. Yes, we hope to rent bikes (assuming they aren't all rented because of the holiday weekend). We booked this trip way back in February when we assumed (hoped, wished) that by now, everything would have re-opened. I was really looking forward to it. I think we're going to go for it, but I'm a little resentful to be paying a premium for what looks like a mediocre room with reduced amenities. Yeah, yeah, I know, it's all about the location.

janisj

"The restaurant at the Awanhee hotel is only open to hotel guests. "

I'd double check on that. As I understand things -- advance reservations for dinner are limited to hotel guests. But AFAIK the dining room is open to anyone for breakfast / lunch / dinner. Lunch is 'take out' but with seating in the dining room on a space available basis.

janisj

. . . and the lobby bar does serve food.

Kristina

Yes, I know about Lunch, but it was my understanding that dinner was reservation only, buffet only, and for hotel guests only. I don't think they allow walk up guests at dinner. At least that's what the recording said the last time I called about a month ago. Perhaps that's changed. The Mountain Room restaurant is fully closed at the Yosemite Valley Lodge, but the bar is open there too.

Kristina

We have decided to go. I reached out to the Ahwahnee and they said "Currently, the Ahwahnee is for guests of the Ahwahnee only. Reservations are required for breakfast and dinner."
Recent reviews of the Yosemite Valley Lodge Base Camp Eatery speak of 45 minute wait times for dismal middle school cafeteria food. We'll be packing some snacks with us just in case.

Jean

Well, that's too bad... But you'll be in Yosemite!!

CoConspirator1

I assume by "the nicer restaurant" you mean the Mountain Room, which when we were last there did not look particularly impressive, though we didn't eat there, so I can't really say.

In any case, the Base Camp Eatery (the cafeteria associated with the Lodge) is more than decent, ime. As in: good salads, above-average entrees, and perfectly pleasant surroundings if you eat outside at a table. It may not be Michelin-starred, but it's not the Olive Garden either, if that's what you're thinking.

While I have no doubt that some of the reviews are scathing, my guess is that those are coming from people who are visiting Yosemite primarily for culinary adventure. IME, it's hard to complain about anything -- even sub-par AQ -- when you're surrounded by such spectacular beauty!

There's also Degnan's, which has decent-to-good sandwiches, freshly-baked pastries & good coffee (Peets). Bonus: it's a pleasant 10-minute walk on a trail through the woods from YNL.

I'm surprised to hear about the Ahwanhee restaurant being only open to hotel guests. We were there last autumn during COVID (pre-vaccination), and though we stayed at the YVL, we had no problem eating at the Ahwanhee. Several times, actually.

mlgb

Quite honestly, the one time we had breakfast at the Ahwahnee, the food and service were unimpressive. Let's just say that I've had better at Denny's or IHOP on both accounts. It's all about the setting.

We have had decent meals at the Camp Curry cafeteria. Big issue is the early closing time.

Kristina

I wanted to follow up with my experience in Yosemite last weekend (Labor Day weekend). To answer the main question of the original post, there was no smoke. It was a bit hazy, but in general, the weather was hot and beautiful.

The positives: The park was capacity controlled and while there were plenty of people around (the hotels were full), it wasn't crazy crowded. The Yosemite valley lodge is in a great location for doing just about anything you want to do in the valley. Our room was clean and acceptable, nothing special (except location) for almost $300 per night. Having a balcony was nice and the mini refrigerator was very useful too. We brought food for breakfasts and lunches as well as stuff to make a charcuterie plate for our first night's dinner. We also brought wine and ingredients to make cocktails.

The negatives: The Base Camp eatery cafeteria food was just barely mediocre. We had one breakfast there (steam table eggs and bacon and a yogurt parfait) and one dinner (meatloaf and a burger/fries). It was food and that was it. The menu did not change during the 3 nights we were there. The Starbucks was closed for the season. One night we went over to the Ahwahnee Lounge to have a drink and some food and our experience there was extremely poor (both service and food) which made us glad we hadn't opted for the expensive buffet in the dining room. The pool at the Lodge was closed for the season but the one at the Ahwahnee was open. Why?
The park's shuttle bus was also not operating for the season and that would have made things much easier (we've used it before and it was very useful). Instead, we had to drive to get to the start of our bigger hike which was at the opposite end of the valley. Bike rentals didn't start until 8am, so we couldn't do that either because we wanted to get out earlier to avoid some of the heat.

Hiking: We did two big hikes. On the first day, we hiked up to Columbia Rock which is on the trail to Upper Yosemite Falls. This hike has 100 switchbacks straight up to get to a fantastic viewpoint over the valley. I think it was about 4 miles round trip. Hard but worth it. The only downside was that Yosemite falls was completely dry (because, summer). The next day we did the hike up the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls, and then continued on to Nevada Falls (both had a "trickle" of water compared to Spring I was told) and then returned via the John Muir Trail. With the walk to/from our car parked at Curry Village, that was a 10 milk hike. Ouch. But totally stunning and worth every minute!

All in all, we had a great time. I certainly want to return, but will wait until everything is back to normal and open before I do. I would even stay at the Yosemite Valley Lodge again (with managed expectations) .