abmj-jr

In this case, the earlier in June the better. Likewise, the earlier you can book accommodations the better. June starts the (very) busy season for Yosemite and the Sierra region in general. The falls will still be booming but so will the crowds as schools will be out and family travel at its peak. We locals tend to avoid the "front country" of Yosemite during that period, concentrating on the back country or staying away from the Park altogether.

In early June, you will have a 50-50 chance that Tioga Pass will be open to make the eastern Sierra driving route via SR 395 possible. That is a beautiful drive. Just be aware that we have had a pretty spectacular snow year up in the mountains so far. If that keeps up for a few more months, the Pass might not open until July. In that case, I suppose you could go out of your way north to get over the mountains before heading south on 395 toward Death Valley as suggested above or you could just suck it up and drive south through the San Joaquin Valley to Tehachapi Pass and on to DV that way. That drive will not be as scenic but will offer a different perspective of California, through farm country. If you do that, I recommend foregoing the main route on SR99 from Visalia south and instead use SR 65 along the foothills and through the orchards and oil fields to Bakersfield. If we have a wet spring to match the wet winter (it is raining again as I write), the hills between Bakersfield and Tehachapi will still be green and very pretty for a change.