Yosemite Help

[phazan]

Me and my dad are planning to go to Yosemite soon, and we have never been there. Have any of you done something there that you liked a lot? I am looking for types things like hikes without much people around. I just want to go out and see the some cool nature stuff without being surrounded by a lot of people. Also, keep in mind I am going on a day trip so I don’t have one day to do stuff!

 

Any help would be great!

 

-Thanks!

[shepp]

If you've never been there...

 

THE classic hike from the valley is the Mist Trail to the top of Nevada Falls and back. It will be crowded...if you're going on a weekend, even jammed...but the huge snowpack ensures two truly awesome falls en route. You will get wet, you may get soaked. But do it. Trust me on this.

 

A lot of the things a first-timer should do are gonna be crowded - visiting Yosemite and Bridaveil Falls, driving up to Glacier Point, etc. - but that goes with the territory. Even the most rigorous day hikes, like climbing Half Dome or to the top of Yosemite Falls, are gonna be zoos.

 

If the road and trails to Glacier Point are clear and there are enough people to do it, one of you can drop the others off at the top and the rest can return to the Valley via the 4-mile Trail. At this time of year, the Tioga Pass Road will still be closed...that's the easy route to the backcountry. And up near Wawona, things will be less jammed.

 

The only way to avoid Valley crowds is to go in the winter, so resign yourself to that. Plan on coming back and doing multiday hikes...bt even then, the campsites can be crowded.

 

Take the trams as much as you can. There's a filling (though not great) buffet at Curry Village. If you cross-country ski, find out if there'll still be any skiable snow up around Badger Pass. And remember there are hungry bears. All over the place.

[phazan]

Thank you so much for your help!

 

We read a lot of good reviews about Bridaveil Falls, so we are planning on doing that if we can get there. There is a lot of flooding going on right now because of the fast snow melt.

 

Is Bridaveil Falls close to El Capitan?

[shepp]

It's right across the Valley. Last time I was at Bridalveil in May, you couldn't actually see the base of it, the mist was so intense. And getting there was like being in heavy rain...carry an umbrella.

[BiCoastal Kid]

One day in Yosemite? I went for three the first time I went and felt robbed.

[phazan]

Well, I got back, and it was a really fun trip! The size of the cliffs are AMAZING.

Ill post a trip report maybe tomorrow.

 

Thanks for the help Shepp!

 

I could sit there watching the water fall with freezing mist blowing hard into my face for hours! It is just so cool!

[Angry_Gumball]

Yosemite is an awesome place to visit. That place brings back memories, when I visited it in Kindergarten. We slept in the log cabins and one night, my dad went outside and began scratching the walls and doors...my cousin and I thought it was a bear as we heard about bears being in the area. Also, the 4 days we were there, we had all 4 seasons, not in order.

 

A more recent trip was a day trip, cramming all of us and some neighbors into a van for a day trip. We hiked the trail to Nevada Falls but the hike continued to get steeper and the trail got narrower...and we had some young ones with us, so we didn't want to wear them out. We later walked around, looked at the rivers and gift shops and so on.