met19

I am planning a trip and have a reservation for a 2 night 3 day trip to yosemite in June this year.

I probably will drive up from San Diego (where I live) on the first day, have 2 nights in yosemite valley and depart on the 3rd day. I plan on leaving San diego early on the first day to maximize my yosemite time and leave yosemite late on the 3rd day for the same reason.

Can you give any advice on high yield hikes and activities to do? Half dome is a no-go for us as we are novice hikers. Additionally, I heard peak waterfall flows are expected in the next week or so due to the drought.

I've read the entire lonely planet book and have been to the yosemite website- thinking of hitting panorama trail, mariscopa grove, lower yosemite falls and vernal falls trails. Maybe glacer point. any other suggesions.

With the limited time we have- should we avoid tioga pass to the meadows (full disclosure- we are moving from the east to west coast in late july and august and might be able to swing through to see the meadows then).

Thank you

JamilD

Half Dome is an incredible hike, but yes, extremely challenging. If you don't feel up for that, Vernal Falls (1000 ft) is a great first step, then continuing on the Mist trail to Nevada Falls (2000 ft) if you still have energy. The trail is mostly switchbacks and stair-like rocks, so it can be tiring.

A smaller, more relaxing hike is Yosemite Falls. Lower Yosemite Falls is only a mile and 50 ft of elevation gain, but there's beautiful views and it's easy to just enjoy the falls for a while. IMO Yosemite Falls is far more beautiful than Vernal or Nevada. You can also continue to Columbia Rock, which is about 1,000 ft gain and 2 miles roundtrip.

With your limited time, I'd say that there's more than enough to see in Yosemite Valley -- don't worry about Toloumne.

Hope you enjoy Yosemite -- it's one of my favorite places in the world. And try to aim for Half Dome, even if it takes you the entire day

abmj-jr

The Vernal Fall trail is an excellent hike for novices, as would be Lower Yosemite Fall. Panorama would be a bit more challenging. The drive down to the Mariposa Grove will take 40 minutes or so but it is a nice introduction to the Giant Sequoias. With all of these, particularly Mariposa Grove, start as early as you can. In June, they will be very crowded, particularly later in the day after the buses start arriving.

Glacier Point has some nice views and there are a few quite nice hikes that start from trail heads scattered along the Glacier Point Road, leading to impressive viewpoints out over the Valley. Remember that Glacier Point and the hikes in that region are quite a bit higher in elevation than the Valley floor. Give yourselves a day to acclimate to the Valley altitude before doing anything very strenuous at higher elevations, particularly since you are coming from sea level.

Tuolumne Meadows, on the Tioga Pass Road, is very nice and the views along the TP Road itself are spectacular. It involves a bit of a drive from the Valley. I'd recommend leaving that for another visit but definitely plan for it. The drive over the Pass - either east-west or west-east - is not to be missed and the day hikes among the domes around Tuolumne are very nice. Again, be aware of the higher elevations.

There are tons of nice hikes along the Merced River, right on the Valley floor, that have no names but give nice views of the towering cliffs and the river. They are marked on the tourist map the entrance ranger will give you when you enter the Park.

I think you will find plenty to see and do in and around the Valley to fill one full day. The remaining part-day could be used for left-overs and to see some of the higher areas like Glacier Point.

I am afraid you are right about the state of the falls in June. Normally they flow well into July but this year they are expected to shut down in May. I was up in the Valley on Thursday and the falls were full, but we had just had a pretty good storm, which dropped both rain and snow in the high country. If we don't get significant storms in the next month or two, it is going to be a little disappointing later. There was significant remnant snow along the higher areas of the south entrance highway from the last storm but nothing to interfere with driving. That will all be gone by June.

April 9, 2015, Tunnel View, early evening.

met19

That photo is gorgeous. Wished I was moving to NorCal instead of NYC metro......

I wanted to thank both of you for the advice.

I was thinking of this then:
day 1) leave SD and drive (leave very early- like 6). get up there around 2 (southern entrance) and explore the sequioias in the grove (maybe something else down in that area too), hit tunnel view around later afternoon and if still have time yosemite falls trail (if not just bask in the amazing valley)
day 2) either panorama trail or senintal dome trail and glacier point. if dont do the panorama trail spend more time in valley.
day 3) some more stuff in valley. head out around 3ish.

for the valley besides the trails any other suggestions?

Another option would be to fly from SD to Fresno and then drive the rest of the way (flight leaves SD at 845 and gets in 1030 and then leaves Fresno 545pm). Still would have to drive the last 60 miles but that might save a little time. Of course the negative is I must leave the area prob by no later than 3 I would say.

abmj-jr

Flying in and renting a car would work if you want to go that way but I think your time estimates are a little off.

For a 5:45 pm flight from FAT, you would want to leave Yosemite Valley by 2 at the latest, perhaps a few minutes earlier. Don't let the Google Maps fool you. Over half of that route is mountain driving and will not be at 60 MPH. I can make it from my home not too far from FAT to the south entrance in 1:15 if traffic is light, closer to 1:45 with heavy traffic on SR41. The Valley is another 30 to 40 minutes beyond that. About the same for Glacier Point. And I am very familiar with and comfortable driving the route.

Leaving an hour to check in and clear security and 15+ minutes to return a rental, you would want to be back at FAT by 4:00 to 4:30 pm. You can't do that leaving Yosemite at 3.

Thank you for the kind words.

FATFlyer

I would agree that you would want to leave Yosemite Valley 2pm or earlier for the 5:45 flight. Traffic can see slowdowns since it is a 2 lane highway with RVs, local traffic, etc.

Also FYI for others who stumble upon this thread I would add starting next month there will now be year-round YARTS shuttles from FAT to Yosemite Valley (also starting are summer-only shuttles from FAT to Sequoia NP). Travel time from Fresno to Yosemite Valley using these shuttles will be 3.5 hours, longer than driving but it eliminates the cost/need of a rental car. Info on the new YARTS route is at
http://yarts.com/routes-and-schedule...semite-valley/
with the schedules available in the next few weeks.

mlshanks

Another possibility for a spectacular hike would be to make a reservation to take the Tuolumne Meadows hiker's bus up to the Snow Creek (May Lake) trailhead, and then hike *down* into the valley from the North. The bus picks up at Curry Village, the Fire Station, and Yosemite Lodge 8-ish....and you should be at the trailhead before 10. It's about 7.5 miles of stunning views of Clouds Rest, Half Dome, and Mirror Lake as you descend into the Valley.

met19

thanks all for the advice. any idea if the waterfall situation has changed for the better or still expecting a may shutoff for most falls?

abmj-jr

Well, it is snowing up there right now and that is expected to last through tomorrow (Sunday.) After that there is no more precipitation predicted for the next couple of weeks.

I don't think a couple of days of rain and snow will make much difference in the long run. I suspect the falls will be pretty good for the next several weeks but will start to fail by early June. The smaller ones like Horsetail will go first, followed by the medium ones such as Bridal Veil. The bigger falls like Yosemite and Vernal will be last to go but I can't see them surviving past mid- to late June. Last year, my "full Yosemite Falls" photos (thread "Yosemite 2014") were taken on 4/30 and my "completely dry" comparison was taken on 7/15. This year's drought has been even worse than last year so I would be surprised if the falls last even that long.

dhuey

Wow. That sounds like a fantastic idea. Thanks for sharing it -- might be on our family's agenda at some point.

Quarky Quark

Hi, I'm going to be in Yosemite for 5 nights in July. Have got the road guide to Yosemite book (convertible booked with Avis) and the lonely planet book is on delivery.

I obviously want to see as much as possible but broken up into a mix of driving, hiking and even a bike ride or two. I'm based in El Portal so unfortunately not in the park but fairly close.

Based on that do any experienced hands have any suggestions? Happy to drive for 90mins each way or more if the experience is worth it.

TIA

abmj-jr

Not much to go on there.

First suggestion is to drop the convertible and rent a nice hardtop. In July, the drive from your arrival point to Yosemite will be brutal with the July sun beating down and in the high country, sun and wind burn while you are driving will be even worse. Just as an example, it is only early June now and daily temps have been over 100 F all week here in the Central Valley just below Yosemite, 90+ in Yosemite Valley. If you must have the convertible, use more sunscreen that you think you need, wear a hat and always use sun glasses.

Here is a planning guide for the Park: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/index.htm

darthbimmer

With 5 days in the park you will have enough time to see all the major sights plus some of the lesser-appreciated ones, too. Exactly which areas you visit and which activities you engage in depend on your interests and physical ability. If you share more info with us we could offer more specific guidance.

Quarky Quark

Thanks abmj-jr and darthbimmer for replying. I realise I was a touch vague! I am yet to do any detailed research (exams and assignments take precedence ) but I deliberately didn't mention any specific areas so not to prejudice any advice.

Have hired the convertible so I can get around and take in the views although I realise it's gonna be hot! I'm Australian so hopefully can cope with that, I have survived a year in Alice Springs

I'll be going around with my camera and a day pack, so looking at day hikes or drives where I can get back to El Portal for the night. I have no problem getting up at silly o'clock to get to places worth visiting. Lets say moderate in terms of length and difficulty. I'm not planning to climb to the top of Half Dome for example. Seclusion is preferable, all things being equal I'd rather not be walking along a trail with hundreds of other people - but I'm realistic that this is July and the popular trails are so for a reason. I just mean I'm willing to travel to get to more out-of-the-way spots that might be a bit removed from the tourist hordes.

Would be nice to see some wildlife but I know Yellowstone is a better choice for that, which I do plan to visit one day.

I'm particularly interested in terms of balance what you think is worth my time between visiting Yosemite, Sequoia and even Kings Canyon. I'm happy to spend all 5 days in Yosemite if that's what the obvious choice is. Or to know if there is anything else in the vicinity that is a hidden gem worth seeing. I have two guide books which I will be poring over, but I always like to get local views which I think have more weight.

TIA again to you both

darthbimmer

I'm not sure what you mean by moderate, but two absolutely stand-out hikes that are less strenuous than Half Dome are:

1. Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. Approx. 7.5 miles roundtrip, elevation gain of 2700'.

2. Vernal and Nevada Falls. Approx. 7 miles roundtrip, elevation gain of 2600'.

These trails are extremely popular, so you'll be sharing the trek with those "tourist hordes" you mentioned. But that's no reason to avoid the trails. On a beauty scale of 1-10, each of these is an 11.

In terms of physical challenge, do you want more suggestions on this level or are you looking for easier activities?

I think I'd advise against splitting up your 5 day visit across multiple parks like that. Yosemite has plenty of variety and beauty that most visitors never see because they focus on the same two days worth of highlights. By being there for 5 days you'll have the opportunity to see things that probably fewer than 1 in 10 do. Split your time across parks and you're just seeing the same "highlight reel" as everyone else.

That said, if you do want to make a side trip, I recommend driving out the east side of the park on a day when you're visiting the Tioga Pass area, and dropping down the mountain to Mono Lake.