Yosemite Information

Yes, go to the Visitor's Center. It used to be that the parks had guided walks by rangers. These are great fun. Of course, there is the Yosemite Falls, and the Half Dome. Also the lodges are great - lovely "parkitecture" buildings.

Thank you Paul

This young lady is so excited about her adventure.

She is young and works for the Austin Rowing Club on the greenbelt and lake.

It will be her first time to Yosemite and the area.

I will pass on your information.

Making my annual sojourn there in a few weeks.

Is it Rush Creek Lodge in Groveland? If so she’ll need a car to get to Yosemite Valley. That lodge is an hours drive to the Valley.

As far as places not to miss….. Vernal Falls, hiking to the top of Yosemite Falls, sitting by the huge fire place in Yosemite Lodge. Enjoying dinner at The Ahwahnee, walking the Loop rail, and if the sky is clear at night, stargazing.
Lastly, a personal favorite, The Ansel Adams Gallery.
Gallery and gift store combo.

Claudia,

you are always such a big help and always cheerful as well.

I will pass info on to the young lady. Wherever she is staying, it is in the park. I obviously can not remember the name but I thought there was a River in the name.

I love Ansel Adams.

I will be going on my trip soon. Less than 2 months, I will be in London.

The best resource for updated information for National Parks are the US National Park Service/ NPS websites for each park (https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm) and the ranger resources, including the Visitor Center. Also, there are many books dedicated just to Yosemite, found in local library and recreational stores like REI. In depth books (and websites like NPS) geared toward specific activities like hiking will have more in-depth information about trails (maps, elevation changes, etc.)

Is it the Yosemite Riverside Inn? If yes, it is in Groveland, outside of the park. She will definitely need a car. Park admission is good for 7 days. In September I imagine the shuttle that has stops around the valley will still be running (they try to minimize car traffic) and there are parking lots. A trip to the visitors center should be her first stop. If she’s interested in climbing and wants something that’s not too challenging she could climb Vernal Falls. Usually by September the waterfalls in the valley are a trickle, but with all the rain and snow we got last year she may get lucky.

If she is young and athletic, she will want to more than just hike to Vernal Falls. I recommend hiking the Mist Trail up alongside Vernal Falls to the top, then crossing on the bridge to continue to the top of Nevada Falls. Return by way of the John Muir Trail. This has been one of my favorite Yosemite hikes for the 50+ years I have been going to Yosemite, starting with 1969 when I lived and worked in Yosemite Valley.

Will she be going alone, and will she have a car? It is pretty much essential, especially if she is staying outside the park at Yosemite Riverside Inn, which is near Groveland. And if she is going solo, it is still OK ago hike; I did lots of hiking alone when I was living there. There are many bothers on the trails so one is never really “alone”.

If she is indeed staying near Groveland, she will have to queue at the Big Oak Flat entrance station each morning. The line can be long—-1-2 hours, even in September. We waited for 45 minutes to get through that entrance last year in mid-October, because we joined the queue at 9:30 am. Best to get a much earlier start.

With 3 nights and 2full days, I recommend spending one day in Yosemite Valley and one driving the Tioga Road east to Tuolumne Meadows to see the peaks and high meadows. That is actually my favorite part of Yosemite in summer, as the Valley is very crowded. Great stops along the road are Olmsted Point, a quick stop with parking on the right (going east). This is the view from there:

https://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/olmstead-point/olmstead-point.htm

Next stop could be beautiful Lake Tenaya. There are parking areas at both ends of the lake. We prefer the western end, for the view in this classic Ansel Adams photo:

https://shop.anseladams.com/products/lake-tenaya-1?variant=31415638622275

There is also good swimming there. The eastern end has a larger parking area, Sandy beach, and picnic tables and a restroom. One can walk the lakeshore trail on the far side (away from the busy road) as far as one likes from either end.

https://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/tenaya-lake/tenaya-lake.htm

Then continue to Tuolumne Meadows. For a fantastic viewpoint, and another of our favorite “hikes”, park at the obvious parking area on the left just as one enters the meadows, and walk up Pothole Dome:

https://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/pothole-dome/pothole-dome.htm

For the easiest walk up the smooth sloping dome, follow the obvious trail that starts to the left of the parking area as you face the dome. Follow it in the horseshoe skirting the meadow (do not even think about treading on the meadow itself) and alongside the steep sides of the dome. Continue to the eastern most side which has the most gentle slop and just walk up where you like ( best not to be wearing smooth-soled shoes).

We like to do this late in the day, around 5 pm, so she may want to do this after visiting the meadow itself. There is a visitor center with parking on the right, a mile or more east of the dome. It was not open when we were there last October but it should be this year. If not, the map they give out at the entrance station will show the meadow trails one can wander. The Soda Springs marks the site of the old Sierra Club Campground (now obliterated) and there is a day lodge nearby (Parsons Lodge), which occasionally has a volunteer on site to talk to.

https://www.yosemite.com/things-to-do/adventure-activities/soda-springs-parsons-lodge/

This itinerary, with one day for the Valley and one for Tioga Road, omits the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, but it is an hour’s drive from Yosemite Valley, on the opposite side from the Tioga road, so it would take half a day to get there and back. If she wants to see sequoias there is a small grove at the start of the Tioga road. It is a one-mile walk from the parking area to the trees.

https://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/pothole-dome/pothole-dome.htm

I ran out of space before I could mention another area she might like to see. This is Glacier Point, with iconic views of Half Dome and the high country.

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/glacierpoint.htm

Lots of people like to hike up Sentinal Dome

https://www.yosemitehikes.com/glacier-point-road/sentinel-dome/sentinel-dome.htm

https://www.nps.gov/places/000/sentinel-dome-and-taft-point-trailhead.htm

She will have to choose between this (Glacier Point area) and the Tioga Road experience, as both involve lots of driving. But if she really wants to see the famous Mariposa Grove of Sequoia, then that would fit with the Glacier Point drive as they are both on the south side of the Valley.

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/mg.htm

The Yosemite NP website (mentioned above) offers a wealth of information about the sights and the current conditions. Start with this page with warnings about crowds, parking limitations, and road closures.

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

If staying outside the park, one must queue at the entrance very early to avoid the long line, and possibly be prevented from entering the eastern end of the Valley (where all the “good stuff”is located) because the available parking is full. At that point they re-direct traffic to route newcomers back out of the valley to continue to either Glacier Point Road or Tioga Road. The situation is worst on weekends. And while September may bring lower crowds, it may not be enough to alleviate the parking and traffic problems.

Once parked in the valley, she should leave her car in that spot and get around on foot or by rented bicycle ( kiosks at Curry Village and Yosemite Lodge). There is a shuttle system, but the buses have been so crowded there are long waits to board, leading in some cases to arguments and even shoving matches.

I am certain that she is going with others and will have a car. They are spending three days in Yosemite but it is part of a road trip.

I know her only as an acquaintance and see her when she is working on the dock for the Austin Rowing Club handling the equipment like kayaks and paddle boards. She also works with the public and customers Helping them get on and off the equipment.,

She is extremely athletic.

If she goes to the visitor's center, will this. information be available to her

The visitors center has a lot of information.

I am sending her to the visitor's center first thing but also referring her to some of the links. I am going to ask her the name of her lodge again and I hope that it is within the park. I will caution her if it is outside the park.

Thanks for all the wonderful information.

There is very limited lodging inside the park and most people make their reservations a year ahead. Unless this trip has been planned for a long time it’s doubtful they are actually in the park. The only times I’ve been able to stay in the park we were camping.

Depending on the time of their arrival, it may not even be possible to get to the visitor center, due to traffic or restricted parking.

I apologize for sounding so negative, but these days Yosemite is very different from what it was 20 years ago or even 5 years ago. The traffic and crowding this summer have reached crisis proportions, now that entry reservations are no longer required. They need to be prepared with alternative plans in case the Valley is “full” when they arrive. One plan would be to head up to Glacier Point then, and then hope they can get into the Valley and see the Visitor Center then. Or head to the Mariposa Grove.

And they should consider having a good map in hand when they arrive—a paper map like this one:

https://shop.yosemite.org/collections/plan-your-trip/products/map-map-guide-yv

The map they give you when you past bough the nuance station has a small-scale map of the whole park, good for understanding the relation between the various parts and driving between them, but not for details they will need for navigating the Valley and the one-way road system.

And it would be most helpful to know where they are actually staying. There is no in-park lodge with a name using or remotely related to “River”. There are private rental cabins accessed from inside the park, and possibly that is what they have—-a cabin with “River” in the name. . These are located in communities named Yosemite West, Wawona (aka The Redwoods) and Foresta, and are good for a small group. IF they DO have one of these, the good news is they will only have to face the long entrance line once. And if their cabin is at Yosemite West or The Redwoods, it would make sense to head there first, then visit Glacier Point or Mariposa Grove the first day, rather than trying to get into the Valley. Head there early in the morning the next day for the best chance of getting a parking spot.

Note that if they are bringing in food in the car, it must all be hidden in the trunk, well out of sight from bears during the day. And it all must be removed from the car and taken into their room or cabin at night. If a bear breaks into their car to get at food inadvertently left behind, they will have not only a bill for the damage caused to the car, but a ticket from the rangers.

With all the comments and advice here, I suggest you send her the link to the whole thread, not just individual links. You can copy it from the top of this page, or use this:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/beyond-europe/yosemite-information/replies/new

A friend of mine recently returned from visiting Yosemite in July. She said that it was very crowded and they could almost not find parking.

This same friend was taking a road trip in Northern California / Oregon. She and her friend were forced to sleep in the rental car on July 4th because there were no hotel rooms available.

My friend brought me back a Yosemite bag that I use when out and about. That is how I got to talking to my acquaintance. She noticed the bag and asked if I had been to Yosemite. I had but it was in 1984.

She was looking for information about Yosemite and I told her that I would ask around for her.

If you could, advise her to look at any up-to-date park alerts on the Yosemite National Park Service website prior to her trip, as well as any last-minute press info. That information is truly invaluable and can save someone many hours (as well as providing entry/exit/attractions access status and other touring expectations). Last time I we had day plans to Yosemite, they (unexpectedly) fell on the day that President Obama was touring the park. Knowing that ahead of time saved us a very frustrating trip and allowed selecting a better day to visit.

we'd be happy to see your friend here. Maybe suggest that she join us...

Nigel,

Are you talking about joining Rick Steves? I will suggest the Forum to her but I think she is very busy with a full plate like most young people? However I will suggest it. I only see her when she is working on the dock and I am communing with the bunnies. But I will bring it up. I will write out Rick Steves for her.

I had gone to Yosemite in 1984. I was all alone by myself in a dorm room that slept a lot of people. I do not remember how many but it felt weird

I got swindled . I was visiting San Francisco for several months and there were tour companies.They had boards out on the street saying Yosemite $39, Lake Tahoe $39, The Redwoods $39, Reno and so it went. I do not remember the exact amount but reasonable. The travel service I went to was on Market Street and they signed me up for Yosemite. I got train tickets, a bus into Yosemite Park, maybe two nights. I do not recall if any meals was included.

I charged it and I got my bill when I got home. This travel service had billed the whole dorm room to me. I did call about it but I believe that I was responsible for paying the bill which included a dorm room that slept a a lot of people but I was the only person in it.

I got bilked.

I was in San Francisco during the time "And The Band Played On" if you read the book or saw the movie. AIDS was ravaging the Bay Area and people were very frightened (with good reason) They did not yet know where AIDS came from or how it was transmitted.

Times were tough. People were not going anywhere and that travel service took me. I had forgotten all this. I had out it away in memory but took it out of memory to post this discussion.

But however, when it is all said and done, Yosemite was beautiful and I am glad that I got to see Yosemite pre huge crowds.

One interesting story. I was in a restaurant at Yosemite and a man at another table asked me if I lived in Austin. He told me that he was a musician and I had been in his audience when he taped Austin City Limits.

The Beauty of Travel.

bostonphil, I realize that it's too late to do anything now, but in the future if your credit card is used for something fraudulent or something you did not agree to or receive, you have the right to dispute that charge to your credit card company. It will then launch an investigation to see whether the charge is legit or not. You usually have several months to dispute each charge.

Just something to keep in mind, although hopefully it won't happen again.

Thank you Mardee

I can not remember what happened in 1984. I know that i called about the fraudulent charge. I can not remember if I was forced to pay it or not. I have no memory if I opened up a ticket with my cc company.

I do remember being shocked when I got my bill.

Now I am older and wiser. I know the right questions to ask and how to complain and not give up too easily.