Jul 1

Jul 1 Yosemite Trip

How does one describe Yosemite? If you haven't had the chance to visit, then it is highly recommended! Yosemite Valley (here is a video of the valley) is the hotspot for sure, and gets crowded on weekends.

We had four hours on a Thursday and all day Friday to explore the nooks and crannies of the valley. I had to remind my daughters to look up at the walls of El Capitan which was looming above nearly everywhere.

We hiked to Yosemite Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Vernal Falls. They all had cemented paths and Vernal Falls was the longest and steepest trail of the three. Bridal Veil Falls was only a few hundred yards and Yosemite Falls was about a half mile flat walk.

We took a drive up to Glacier Point and walked to the views there. It gives a birds eye view of the valley and has a restaurant up there. It is well worth the long drive.

An even longer drive to the Southern Gate leads to the Sequoia grove that gives a whole different perspective to this dynamic National Park. We walked a bit on the trail and headed back.

We spent most of a Saturday traveling up north to 8,600 foot Tuolumne Meadow. My daughter earned her Junior Ranger Badge here after listening to a wonderful talk by a veteran Ranger. He told us some facts about the park and the meadows specifically.

The three spots we visited in Yosemite were so different from one another. We had a picnic lunch in the meadow, my six year old jumped off a rock into Merced River (here is a video from the spot) in the valley, and the Sequoias dwarfed us all!