Yosemite – Help, I need better adjectives!

Evening light on Half Dome.

I have officially run out of superlatives, my adjectives are inadequate.  Neither my words nor photos will do justice to Yosemite. Honestly, our national parks often leave me awestruck and at a loss. But stick with me and I’ll do my best! We were super excited to add another national park to our list. Yosemite is the 45^th park we’ve visited, just six more and we’ll have done all the national parks in the Lower 48. Woohoo!

One of the first things that struck me about Yosemite was the size and diversity of the park. Within its nearly 1,200 square miles are the iconic granite cliffs, groves of giant sequoias, lush meadows dotted with wildflowers, rushing rivers, crystal lakes, and glorious cascading waterfalls. More than 94% of the park is designated wilderness, and there is unmatched beauty everywhere you look.  

Did you know that Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees were the very first scenic natural areas to be set aside for public benefit? Over 160 years ago, in 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act, stipulating that the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove “be held for public use, resort, and recreation… inalienable for all time.” It was later designated a national park in 1890. The park now hosts more than 4 million visitors a year. And I swear all of them were trying to book a campsite at the same time we were! Let me tell you about that.

Abraham Lincoln protected Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove in 1864. 

Our first Yosemite challenge was securing a camping spot. There are 13 campgrounds in the park, however not all of them are RV-friendly. We entered a lottery to get a shot at early access to North Pines, one of the RV accessible campgrounds in the Valley. No luck. For most of the campgrounds, reservations are available in 30-day blocks several months in advance. Sites are released on the 15^th of the month at 7am PST. I’d researched the campgrounds, looked at maps and Google satellite view, and made a list of options. Both Rog and I were ready and waiting with all the info filled in and a reservation waiting in the cart. The second our computers clocked 7am we hit the reserve button and….got the spinny wheel of death. Nooooooo! After multiple refreshes came the dreaded “site not available” message. While Rog kept trying for different spots in the Valley campgrounds, I switched to the Wawona campground at the South end of the park, about a 45-minute drive from the Valley. I’d heard it didn’t fill up quite as fast and I was able to grab six nights. The campgrounds in the Valley were filled in seconds and even Wawona was completely reserved in less than 10 minutes. Geesh! The competition for sites was crazy fierce! Our efforts were rewarded though, as we had a lovely spot right next to the South Fork of the Merced River.

The Merced River ran right next to our campsite.
Guess where Rog was every afternoon? Lol.

We arrived at the park on Sunday, 6/8. As we approached the gate our RV Garmin started throwing a hissy fit, stating there was a 10’3” low clearance tunnel ahead. We are 12’2”, so there were a few panic-filled minutes before we figured out that the campground turnoff was before the tunnel. Whew! We later found out that the 10’3” is measured at the curb and huge tour/city buses go through the tunnels all the time, they just ride the center line. Good to know!

Our co-pilots weren't too concerned about the low clearance tunnel, turns out they were right. 

Knowing our time in the park was limited, we crammed every day full. After getting set up at the campground, we drove to the Wawona Visitor Center at the Thomas Hill Studio. Hill was a famous landscape artist who spent summers at Yosemite from 1882 until his death in 1908. His paintings of Yosemite were highly prized. His daughter married the owner of the Wawona Hotel and Hill had a studio on site right next to the hotel.

Check out the amazing paintings. (Rog for scale. Lol.)

The Wawona Hotel was closed for renovations when we visited.

The Yosemite History Center was also a short walk from the Visitor’s Center. We crossed the restored covered bridge to learn a little about the history of the area, view several historic buildings, and watch a volunteer blacksmith ply his trade. At one time his skills were in high demand at the Yosemite Stage and Turnpike Company based in Wawona. They employed 40 stage drivers and 700 horses. After the long stagecoach ride into the park, folks spent the night at the Wawona Hotel before heading out on the 8-hour stagecoach ride to Yosemite Valley. (Wow, remind me not to whine about the 45-minute drive in air-conditioned comfort. Lol.) We chatted with the blacksmith, who told us about the nearby Swinging Bridge trail. We love getting recommendations from the locals for fun things to do!

The covered bridge crosses the South Fork of the Merced River.

The blacksmith was fun to watch. 

Eight hours in one of these to get from Wawona to the Valley. Ugh!

The Swinging Bridge was fun!

On Monday, 6/9, (Happy Birthday, Rian!!) we set out to see the big trees. When we planned this trip, I had no idea that there were giant sequoias in Yosemite! There are three groves in the park, we visited the Mariposa Grove which was near our campground. After parking at the Mariposa Grove Welcome Center, we hopped on a shuttle that dropped us at the Big Trees Loop Trail. From there we stitched together portions of different trails to see several of the more famous trees. With its impressive granite domes, rushing rivers, tremendous waterfalls, grand vistas, and forested wilderness Yosemite checks a lot of my boxes, finding out they also had groves of giant sequoias was just icing on the cake.

The Fallen Monarch.

Grizzly Giant - the largest tree by volume in the park.

The California Tunnel Tree.
Carved in 1895 to allow horse-drawn carriages to drive through.

The Faithful Couple is two trees fused at the base.

Did you know that giant sequoias can live for 3000 years and they never stop growing? These behemoths grow from a tiny seed no bigger than an oat flake and a mature tree can produce as many as 400,000 seeds a year. They have shallow root systems that extend 100-200 feet from the trunk and can fuse with other trees to share resources. Their tannin rich bark can be up to two feet thick near the base to help protect against fires, insects, and disease. I do love the big trees!

Scarred but still going strong.

We do love the big trees!

We designated Tuesday as Doggy Day. We start to feel guilty about leaving the pups behind, although they seem quite happy to hang out on the couch with the AC running. We started off with a hike on the Wawona Meadow Loop Trail, one of the few trails in the park that is pup-friendly. The trail winds through the trees on an old unpaved fire road that circles the meadow. We knew the entire loop (3.5 miles) was going to be too long for our pups, so we shortened that to two miles and even then it was too much in the heat. Raney did a good job of self-regulating, she’d just plop down in the shade and refuse to budge until she was ready to move on. Smart girl.

Lupine blooming in the open meadow.

Break time!

In the evening, we loaded Raney and Riley into the Pupwagon for a sunset drive to Glacier Point. The pups loved going for a car ride. Our goal was to catch Half Dome in the evening light, which was magnificent. We also found out that dogs are allowed on the paved walkways around the viewpoint, but we left our two unicorns to chill in the car while we took pictures and enjoyed the view. They attract so much attention it can be a full-time job fielding questions and requests to pet them. The pups can get overwhelmed, so I feel like a cross between their PR person and security detail. Lol.

Raney and Riley in the Pupwagon.

Half Dome with Vernal and Nevada Falls on the right.

Yosemite Falls sunset.

Half Dome pano - so much beauty.

Taken from the Geology Hut at Glacier Point.

Stopped on the drive home for a final sunset shot.

Rog and I finally made it to the Valley on Wednesday, 6/11. We drove through the 10’3” (not!) tunnel and pulled into the Tunnel View parking area for an iconic shot of the valley with El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridal Veil Falls. We spent the morning exploring the Yosemite Valley Welcome Center area. We walked to Yosemite Falls and then hopped on a shuttle bus to the Mirror Lake Trailhead. The shuttles are a great alternative to driving, especially given the very limited parking at the trailheads.

The tunnel that struck terror in our hearts. Lol. 
Measures 10'3" at the curb, but over 13' towards the center line. Whew.

Iconic shot of Yosemite Valley from the Tunnel View overlook.

El Capitan is even more impressive close up. 

Bridal Veil Falls.

Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls.

The hike to Mirror Lake was a gorgeous walk along Tenaya Creek beside massive granite boulders. We got there in the afternoon and the lake was popping, with lots of families enjoying the water. If you want to capture reflections of the mountains on still water (it is named Mirror Lake), I’d advise you to go very early in the morning. Lol.

The welcoming committee at Mirror Lake trailhead.

I'd really like a few of these boulders for my yard.
Wouldn't they make a great Yosemite souvenier? Lol.

Mirror Lake.

Thursday, 6/12, we got an early start so we could do one of the more popular Yosemite hikes – the Mist Trail. The trail gets its name from the thunderous mists rising from Vernal Falls (317 feet tall) and Nevada Falls (594 feet tall), on the Merced River.  We made it a 7-mile loop by returning from the top of Nevada Falls on the John Muir Trail. The distance wasn’t the problem; it was the 2000 feet of elevation gain in the first 2.5 miles! The Mist Trail is epic, it's pretty much straight up with over 600 water slicked stairs. Thank you, Robyn, for all the leg work, but I’m telling you my cardio sucks. Ugh!

Vernal Falls.

The first stop is a footbridge at the base of Vernal Falls. The mist from the falls ensures you end up completely soaked. Delightful on a hot day, but I can’t imagine how miserable it would be in the cold. The rocky trail and stone steps are very, very slippery so we took our time (plus, I needed to stop to breathe fairly regularly).

The misty part of the Mist Trail. 
Slippery when wet, which is all the time. Lol.

Sunshine + Mist = Rainbows!

At the top of Vernal Falls.

After passing Vernal Falls, we continued up, up, up, the steep trail to the top of Nevada Falls. There is a bridge across the top of the falls and lots of space to spread out and take a lunch break before starting down the opposite side of the Merced River on the John Muir Trail.

The views along the trail were spectacular.

A rest break to admire Vernal Falls (and breathe!). Lol.

View of Vernal Falls from the John Muir Trail.

After the fabulous Mist Trail hike, we made our way back to our campsite to celebrate Riley’s 8^th birthday! Yes, treats were involved. I can’t believe he’s officially considered a senior. Mature, yes…old man? Nah. He has slowed down, but he is still insatiable when it comes to playtime with Daddy. He is such a handsome Boo. (I meant Riley, but, yeah, Rog too. 😊)

Who's a handsome birthday boy? Riley is!

Rog had been itching to go fishing and we designated Friday, 6/13, our last day in the park, for kayaking on Tenaya Lake. Rog has regaled me with stories of his motorcycle trip over Tioga Pass on Hwy 120 from the east side of the Sierras, but the pass was always closed when we came down Hwy 395 in the RV. This time we drove up Hwy 120 from the park, stopping at Olmstead Point for the spectacular views.

View from Olmstead Point on Tioga Road (Hwy 120).

Yellow-bellied Marmot.
This little dude was such a poser, he was really working the crowd. Lol.

The real gem was Tenaya Lake. Simply stunning. (Can someone please suggest some more adequate adjectives?) It may be one of my favorite places in the park. Crystal clear water, granite cliffs, and rainbow trout for Rog! He caught four in about a half hour. The wind had kicked up and we let it slowly push us all the way across the lake. Then Rog stowed his fishing gear and we both had to paddle like mad to get back to the takeout. I’ve said before that the wind is not your friend in an inflatable kayak. Consider it an upper body workout to balance out yesterday’s leg day. Lol.

Dazzling from a distance, but...

...even more beautiful up close.

Rog with a couple of the rainbow trout he caught (and released). 

Kayaking on Tenaya Lake. Definitely two thumbs up!

Our time at Yosemite ended all too soon. We hit the highlights, although there is so much more to see and do. But it’s time we moved on to our next “adventure”, building a deck at Rian’s house in Sacramento.