We stayed around LA for almost all of our 27 day adventures so far, but for Day 15 & 16 (October 13-14, 2018), we ventured further and visited Yosemite National Park.
Contents
Hours
Yosemite National Park is open 24 hours a day so you can technically visit anytime you want. However, I wouldn’t suggest going in the middle of the night unless you know where to go or you are camping. We wanted to do the camping option but all of the campgrounds were full already unfortunately. Book well in advance!
Directions
Yosemite is a huge park. It’s about a 1 to 2 hour drive just to get from the east end of Yosemite to the west end. I highly recommend filling up your gas tank before you enter the park. When you enter, you will get a map (make sure you don’t lose it!). There are 5 entrances into the park: Arch Rock, Big Oak Flat, Hetch Hetchy, South, and Tioga Pass. The one that we went through was Tioga Pass Entrance (on the east side).
Admission
You can either pay for a day pass, annual pass, or lifetime pass. We purchased the day pass only. Depending on your method of transportation, your fee will be different. For regular vehicles, the cost to enter the park is $35.
Cell Service
There is only cell service/signal at Glacier Point and Yosemite Valley. Other than that, don’t expect to be able to navigate yourself or check your Instagram. If you have a good GPS in your car, I would suggest using it. This is also where the map that you got at the entrance will come in handy.
Parking
Parking is basically free at Yosemite. You already paid for entrance upon entering. Each attraction or hiking trail will have it’s own parking lot. Depending on the time and day that you go, some of the lots could be full so you will either need to wait or come back a little bit later. You can also use the shuttle system that will take you around to each place.
Restrooms
Not all of the attractions/hiking trails will have restrooms. So you will need to refer to the map to see where the restrooms are located.
Hiking trail signs
We drove through most of our trip. Whenever we stopped it was mostly stopping on the side of the road because people stopped there.
This is a picture of some interestingly looking trees on the side of the road. They look like they burn some areas intentionally. You might find a sign that states to not report the fire as it is park organized.
We had a general overview of where hiking trails were located, but the park’s signs for the trails were smaller than other national parks we have been to. There are usually big signs before the parking lot area about the point of interest or multiple signs indicating the point of interest before passing it.
In other national parks and hiking trails, there can be a lot of insects and bugs. However, during our trip to Yosemite we didn’t see many bugs at all, but we did see birds and squirrels.
What to do
Tenaya Lake
This was the first stop we made since we entered Yosemite from the east entrance. You can just park and walk down to the lake. You get some pretty good views from here. There were some people having a picnic by the lakeside. If you want to hike, you can walk the loop of Tenaya Lake which is 2.5 miles round trip.
El Capitan
El Capitan is a well known and photographed vertical rock formation in Yosemite. If you are an Apple person, a lot of the built-in wallpapers is of Yosemite and El Capitan. This is definitely worth a visit when you go to Yosemite National Park. You can also get a beautiful view with El Capitan in the background if you go down to the river (Merced River).
Tunnel View
This is another must stop if it’s your first time visiting Yosemite. There is no hiking involved – you can just park and walk up to it. Tunnel View offers a majestic view of El Capitan, Bridalveil Falls, and Half Dome. If you are adventurous, there is a ledge that you can stand on to get an even better view.
Washburn Point
Washburn Point is one of the easiest and least populated ‘hikes’ to do at Yosemite. I’m not even sure it would be considered a hike since you only need to walk a couple steps to get to the viewpoint. You can stop by this attraction on the way to Glacier Point. You get a really good view of Half Dome here.
Glacier Point
At the end of Glacier Point Road is Glacier Point. This viewpoint offers an overlooking view above Yosemite Valley where you can see the Half Dome and Yosemite Falls. This is also the only area that has cell service, snacks, a gift shop, and restrooms. We would highly recommended visiting Glacier Point either for your first or last stop.
Taft Point
We visited Taft Point for sunrise and it was an amazing experience. You can get really close to the edge (we don’t suggest doing this if you are afraid of heights!) and stare straight down. The hike is another experience in itself – you’ll be walking through the woods and over fissures.
Some of the other popular places that we didn’t have time to visit include:
Bridalveil Falls
Cathedral Lake
Lower Yosemite Falls
Vernal Falls – Mist Trail
Where to Stay
There are several accommodation options in Yosemite National Park. You can stay at a hotel/motel, a bed and breakfast, a cabin, or camp. We originally wanted to do camping but all of the reservations were taken so we ended up staying at a hotel/motel.
Big Trees Lodge
Big Trees Lodge offers two main room types: rooms with bath and rooms without bath. We booked a little late so we could only choose the room without a bath (there is a shared bath). The room was cozy and the walls were very thin (you can hear the people above you, beside you, and also people walking around outside). It was a little chilly at night but there is a heater so it wasn’t too bad.
Parking is free here and since we got a room more in the back, we were able to park in the back closer to our room.
There is a bar and restaurant at Big Tree Lodge that we used after a long day at Yosemite. The wait for the restaurant was under an hour for dinner.
Just like in almost all the areas of Yosemite, there was no cell service at Big Trees Lodge. They advertise that they have free Wi-Fi but it wasn’t working that night unfortunately. Since there was no cell service and no Wi-Fi, it really felt like we were isolated and it was nice in a way. If you needed to contact the outside, you can use their landline.
Not only does Yosemite offer beautiful views, but it is also considered one of the seven natural wonders of North America! Even if you are not into hiking or nature, it is still something that everyone needs to see at least once in their life. We enjoyed our visit to Yosemite but if we were to go again, we would probably try to do camping.
