Yosemite National Park Is known for its towering waterfalls and granite cliffs such as El Capitan and Half Dome. The park is very popular so make sure to book lodging or camping as soon as it opens for the timeframe you would like to visit. We were able to get a tent site within the park at the Upper Pines Campground, which is a nice campground with a lot of trees for shade. Many sites in Yosemite are fairly close together so do your research and find out what spots are the biggest. We were booking with another family and only one of us got a site and that was trying to book for August as soon as reservations were open. Luckily the site we were able to get was big enough for two tents and a couple of hammocks. See the photo below of our tent and the beautiful big trees shading the area.
We were also treated to nice views right from our tent site.
Make sure to bring a bathing suit if visiting in the Summer. It can get quite hot in the summer months and there are several opportunities to cool off. The easiest place to do so is in the Merced River within the “Yosemite Valley”. Yosemite Valley is the main tourist area of Yosemite National Park.
Another neat place to cool down is at the base of Lower Yosemite Fall. This can be done in late summer when the conditions are drier. Follow the signs to the falls from the Visitor Center or if taking the shuttles (closed 2021 due to Covid 19) it is stop #6. Begin at the Lower Yosemite Fall Trailhead and when you reach the footbridge over the Yosemite creek, you can either scramble over the rocks or find a herd path to the left of the jumbled rocks. taking the path is much quicker than scrambling over the rocks.
The rocks are also very slippery, probably due to all the foot traffic from tourists over many years wearing the rock down. You can not see the pool from down below as it is hidden from view. Make your way up looking for where the bottom of the fall is. You will eventually come up to some larger boulders and when you make it over these you will finally see the pool. There was a rock that people were jumping off from into the water. Please make sure conditions are safe before you do this, as water levels can be very different depending on rainfall and season.
In the meadows in Yosemite Valley look for Mule Deer as they are a pretty common sight. Do not feed the wildlife in the park as it is illegal to do so.
Glacier Point – This is a view viewpoint above Yosemite Valley with incredible views that is reachable by road and is handicap accessible. Note that Glacier Point Road will be closed to all traffic in 2022 to rehabilitate and improve the road. The only access to Glacier Point will be via the Four Mile, Panorama, and Pohono Trails, all of which are strenuous hikes.
Our recommended short hike from Glacier Point is to Sentinal Dome, elevation 8,123 feet. The hike is an easy to moderate 3-mile roundtrip from Glacier Point or a 2.1-mile roundtrip hike from an alternate parking lot a few miles back from Glacier Point at the Sentinal Dome/Taft Point Trailhead parking. The trail from Glacier Point is a junction of the Panorama and Pohono Trails. See our YouTube video @ Sentinel Dome Yosemite National Park – YouTube.
You ascend through a magnificent forest of pine trees before the trail opens up to views of Half Dome. The last section is a wide-open granite dome with 360-degree views from the top. You can see El Capitan and the Three Brothers on one side and Half Dome on the other side.
The hike back down the same way is an easy hike. We were able to do the hike in about 40 minutes at a quick pace.
Our recommended long hike is a one-way hike of the Panorama Trail to the Mist Trail and out to Yosemite Valley. Have someone drop you off or take a shuttle (when running) to Glacier Point. You can do this as a stand-alone or do both Sentinel Dome and these two trails together as one long hike. Hike Sentinel Dome first and continue the hike from the same starting point of Glacier Point, but now head off to the left following the Panorama Trail. This is one of the most amazing trails in Yosemite, maybe the entire country with non-stop views of Half Dome and surrounding valleys.
The start of the hike is downhill through semi-open meadows with incredible views. Then you will hear water in the distance and a small viewpoint to the left of the trail reveals Illilouette Fall.
You will descend to Illilouette Creek and cross the creek on a small footbridge. Here starts the ascent over a satellite shoulder of Mt. Star King. This is a fairly long ascent, so make sure to stay hydrated and take breaks when necessary. The sight of Half Dome will be lost for some time, but it will come into sight again when cresting the final ascent of this section. Take a moment to take in this view, seems almost surreal, Half Dome filling your view closer than ever with many other defined crags sticking out here and there and deep-cut canyons and valleys falling away from the higher points. The trail flattens out for a little while and finally makes its descent to the top of Nevada Fall.
From this point, there are a couple of ways to get back down to the valley. You can take the Mist Trail which hugs Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall, which is steeper but shorter, or the John Muir Trail which is longer but less steep. We opted for the scenic but steep Mist Trail. This trail is the ultimate stair stepper, as there are rock stairs almost the entire way down this trail. It can be slippery with sand and gravel on the rocks. Do not rush this at the end of the day when you are already tired, it is a good way to get injured.
The next waterfall along the trail is Vernal Fall, you cross over the Merced River once again on a footbridge above the waterfall, and soon after starts the very steep ascent from the top of the falls. The top portion has handrails and then the steepness starts to moderate until you get openings through the trees of the majestic waterfall.
El Capitan – When in the Valley make sure to stop along the road to take some photos of this giant granite monolith. It is impressive, to say the least, standing approximately 3000 feet above the valley floor. The rock is well known for death-defying rock climbs throughout the decades. The first ascent of the “Nose”, a route up the near-vertical face was in 1958 by Warren Harding, Wayne Merry, and George Whitmore using siege tactics, using expedition style climbing. It took them 47 days over 18 months to make it to the top.
Other Activities – Biking in the Valley is a favorite among tourists, check out a museum in Yosemite Village or the Ansel Adams Gallery. Rafting the Merced River is another activity but has been put on hold due to Covid, so check for updates on this activity to see if it has opened back up. Check out the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the Merced Grove of Sequoia Trees, Wawona, and the Mariposa Grove, and last but not least Tuolumne Meadows.
Food – Curry Village in Yosemite for its Pizza and Yosemite Valley Visitor Center for Deli Sandwiches at Degnan’s Kitchen and grilled items at the Village Grill. There is fine dining at The Ahwahnee Hotel. Hidden Gem: Evergreen Lodge Dining on the way to Hetch Hetchy in Mather.