Yosemite with baby
 

Greetings, I'm tagging along w/ my husband on his business trip to Yosemite in October. We are staying at a nice hotel/resort in the park...the name escapes me at the moment. Our daughter will be 16 months old and I will need to find activities for just she and I for a good part of the time. Any suggestions? Or is this just a stupid idea and I should stay home? Thanks!

By all means GO! Take a stroller because there is miles and miles of walking/bike trails that the two of you can take and see this beautiful area. Also you can ride the free shuttle buses.

Utahtea

Definitely go! There is plenty to keep you and your daughter occupied. We go every year with a big group and there are always little kids who have a great time.

A fun thing to do would be to rent a bike and a kiddie trailer and ride around the valley.

Like Utahtea said, there are miles of walking trails, many are paved so you will do great walking with a stroller. And in the valley, everything is pretty flat, so no worries there.

You are probably staying at the Ahwahnee in the valley so you are in a great location. TAke the easy walk / hike to Mirror Lake, Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil falls.

Go go go! We just got back the first week of June with our then 11 month old. Bring a good stoller and some good shoes for yourself. Our daughter loved the waterfalls, although there probably wont be much of a flow in October.

I think the park service offered an open air tram tour that looked really cool, but we missed out on that. There are shuttles around the valley that were really convient and free. Many of the major sites had paved pathes for the stroller (you will get some glute work though).

I wouldnt suggest the bike/buggy thing though. We saw many people doing it and most said it was a bad idea. But that was their opinion!

Have a good time and enjoy!

PS If Glacier Point is still open, it is a must see! There is a turnoff point right before the point that has wonderful peaceful views, especially first thing in the morning.

I would say to go if you are at all interested in seeing this beautiful place. Even if all you do is walk through the meadows and by the river you will be in lovely surroundings. I'm sure your daughter will be curious about everything she sees and you will find plenty to do.

Great advice! I'm so happy to hear that it's easy to get around with a baby. She loves being outside, so I'm excited. The hotel is something like the Tenanya (sp?). Would you suggest a jogging stroller or will a regular stroller make it fine? Thanks again!

A jogging stoller might do better because of big wheels and brakes. The Mariposa Groves (seqoias)sp? trail was the only one not paved and had a lot of rocky parts, so our Graco stroller would not have made it. We had the Baby Bjorn, which I do not recommend for your daughter since she will be 16 months! If you go the backpack route invest in a hiking one for yourself!

We managed just fine with our Graco stroller on the other trails. So if you dont already have a jogging stroller or hiking backpack, and dont foresee using it in the future..then dont waste the money.

You will have a lot of fun watching your daughter's expressions! Just bring lots of liquids/snacks for both you and the tot!

Have Fun!

PS Cell phones don't work in Yosemite! Keep that in mind.

If you are at Tenaya Lodge, it isn't in the park, it is outside the south entrance (in Fish Camp), and about an hour drive from the valley and the main part of the park. While it is a nice hotel, there isn't a lot to do right in that area. Double check on which hotel, there is a big difference in location. You still might want to go even if it is at Tenaya, but it wouldn't be nearly as convenient.