So..... we're planning a vacation (holiday) to Yosemite next month. Never been there. ******************************* 2 Questions for yall: *1: Whats the weather gonna be like ? *2: What are the "Dont Miss" do's / eats / sights ?
It's been a long time since I've been there. For weather in April, it can be anything including snow. Bring layers. For what to see and do, it's all about the sights. Bring a camera and some good sturdy walking shoes or boots. The park and surrounding areas have limited services. Do not feed the bears and don't leave a visible cooler. Bears know what coolers are. Other than that. Enjoy!
Thanks Rich..... Thats pretty much what Ive been seeing in my research. Our family is not into camping and/or "roughing" it so that means we'll be in a hotel at night. I/We like to visit the elements and see the sights during daylight hours and then be able to retreat to a comfy room at night. ********************************************** ...appreciate the thoughts for my daughter. All better now. We got to spend all day lounging around.
Yosemite HAS to be one of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth! I used to travel to Fresno on business from time to time and whenever possible, I made the drive to Yosemite Valley. Are you staying at the [SIZE=-1]Awahnee? I was never able to do that, but understand it's quite nice. Did have breakfast in their restaurant once - vaulted ceiling seemingly as high as Yosemite Falls! I was there in April only once - best trip of all those I've made there. Weather was perfect (though Rich is right - it can snow then). Tremendous snow melt that spring so the falls were all at full throttle. Awesome sights!! I've been there in October too when those same falls literally were bone dry - not even a trickle! I got up really early one morning in Fresno and headed north to arrive in the Valley about sunrise. On the way in, there's a tunnel carved out of the side of a mountain. That's cool enough, but when you come out the other end, you're looking right into Yosemite Valley (the part everyone recognizes). El Capitan is on the left and Half Dome a bit farther away on the right. I hit that particular spot just as the sun was coming up! Absolutely UNBELIEVABLE!! Next time I was there, my wife was with me and we were staying in a hotel in the Valley. I dragged her out of bed at 0 dark thirty just so we could drive back to that spot to see the sunrise. Worth the effort, believe me! On my first trip there, the April one, I decided to climb Yosemite Falls. Damn it's a long way up there! Not a technical climb - there's a trail - but it still took me FOUR HOURS from the Valley floor to the top! Hell, it took me TWO hours to get DOWN!! First thing I did when I finally got back down was take my boots off and put my feet in the Merced River that flows through the valley. Let me tell you...snow melt is COLD!!! That was also the sunrise trip so I got up around 4, drove to Yosemite, wandered around the Valley, climbed up and down the Falls and drove back to Fresno! A VERY long day!! Ahh, but what a day! If you look closely at the face of El Capitan in the early morning, you will probably see guys sleeping there. They start the climb, get halfway up by dark, so they hang some sort of contraption to the face of the cliff and spend the night! Me? I'll watch the sunrise from the tunnel! Oh, and if you climb to the top of the Falls, DO NOT WADE IN THE RIVER!!! People have done that (because they're STUPID!) and have been swept over the edge. A very long way down! And VERY hard rocks at the bottom! [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]Enjoy, Rick! Below...sleeping on El Cap. [/SIZE]
Bump - dee - bumpbump. ********************* quickly approaching our vacation and I'm still looking for the MUST "sees and do's". We are staying at the Tenaya Lodge and thats about all I know so far. Bought the Frommer's Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks guide and am perusing it but still am kinda clueless on what we have got to see and do while there. Any body with some good idears ??
No way could I ever get a good nights sleep like that. the whole night I would be worried about wether I put the pin in correctly or not. And if the wind blew at all......forget about it.
You have what you need. It's a scenic wonderland that begs for viewing in all it's splendor. There is Mono Lake but the passes are probably closed. Ansel Adams' photographic work from Yosemite is stunning. If I was going to do Yosemite again, I would go in the summer and take the 3 hour horseback tour. Right now though is all about the falls, rivers and spring blooms and the surrounding snow capped peaks.
Thanks Rich. My fam and I are not really into camping, per se. We enjoy sight seeing and then returning to a comfy room for the night. I'm really looking for the best spots to see and the best EATS in the area...YEP. WE LOVE FOOD :drool Got the gear for some light hiking and 1MB card for my camera. Should be a great week
