yosemite national park

[Earl E Retyre]

Thinking of going to Yosemite National Park and was curious if anyone has been and any advice. My current thoughts:
- go week of May 19 ... assuming it will be less crowded than summer but still warm enough to enjoy; less expensive; nice waterfalls
- stay in Oakhurst since the park stays are mostly booked; seems to have decent enough hotels and restaurants
- allow for 4-5 full days to see the park ... especially since it will be almost 1.5 hours to get to Yosemite Valley each day from the hotel ... that should give plenty of time.

Thoughts? Any advice?

 

[Chuckanut]

Assume a long wait to get into the Park at the entrance station.
Check to see if you need an entrance reservation. If so, make it now!

 

[Drake3287]

Sounds like a great plan. If you can afford it stay at the Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp just up the hill from Oakhurst. Wonderful resort and it's a beautiful drive into the valley from here, also closer to the park than Oakhurst. Living here in the Bay Area we've done this trip many times.

 

[ABQ2015]

Oakhurst is 30 minutes south of the Wawona park entrance and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. Many of more popular attractions and hikes are further north in or near Yosemite Valley, especially since the higher elevation areas of the park may not be open yet at the time of your visit. The drive from the Wawona entrance north to Yosemite Valley, although scenic, is at least 45 minutes.

Another option to save on driving would be to stay near the northern Hwy 120 and 140 park entrances. There are several hotels in El Portal on Hwy 140 - outdated and overpriced but functional in a scenic area and close to the park. There are also vacation rentals in Yosemite West, about half way between Wawona and Yosemite Valley. It is not that difficult to get reservations at the Wawona Hotel in the south end of the park, the one restaurant is good, and require no park reservation or waiting in line at the entrance. Of course there are some nice nearby resorts, for example, Evergreen Lodge and Rush Creek Lodge in Groveland near Hwy 120 and in Fish Camp as mentioned.

When I visited Yosemite in early May 2022, I stayed in Yosemite Valley for a few days and then a couple of days at the Wawona Hotel. It snowed right before I got there but otherwise the weather was nice. Even in early May, it got crowded on the weekend. I think you are wise to visit before Memorial Day weekend.

 

[swakyaby]

Chuckanut is correct. Yosemite has now started a reservation system to enter or drive through the park. Last year, they didn’t, and there were 4 hour waits to enter the park in July. So for visits April 13-June 30, advance reservations are required for weekends and holidays. July 1-Aug 16, reservations required daily. Aug 17-Oct 27, reservations required for weekends and holidays. I would contact the park for reservations as soon as possible.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Thinking of going to Yosemite National Park and was curious if anyone has been and any advice. My current thoughts:
- go week of May 19 ... assuming it will be less crowded than summer but still warm enough to enjoy; less expensive; nice waterfalls
- stay in Oakhurst since the park stays are mostly booked; seems to have decent enough hotels and restaurants
- allow for 4-5 full days to see the park ... especially since it will be almost 1.5 hours to get to Yosemite Valley each day from the hotel ... that should give plenty of time.

Thoughts? Any advice?

Read the other replies. I've been to Yosemite several times and was literally born on the road to Yosemite. Staying in the valley is awesome but it books way in advance so maybe not an option. El Portal is better than Oakhurst.

May will still be chilly and possibly some snow on the ground. That's not a bad thing. The roads should be clear. No access to the high country or Tuolumne Meadows at that time.

It will be crowded.

 

[scrinch]

Don't forget to bring your "America the Beautiful" national parks pass!

 

[SecondAttempt]

Don't forget to bring your "America the Beautiful" national parks pass!

And make sure you buy it BEFORE you make your Yosemite entrance reservation. They will not honor your card when you enter if you made your reservation without it. You'll waste $35!

 

[Surewhitey]

Yosemite West is a great place to stay if you want a house rental. Some have hot tubs... We've done larger groups and shared the cost and it's way closer to the valley.

If you want to rough it, house keeping camp is great too. They have power, beds and they're right on the river (spring water can be chancey). We did this in September last year & had a view of the falls right out of the room.

Before Memorial day is definitely better. We left on Memorial day (Saturday before) and there were 5 miles of cars @ the south entrance.

If you are a hiker, this is the best hike I've ever seen... 90% down hill and you are going to want hiking poles. Pack a couple sandwiches and 2-3 waters each too. It goes from Glacier Point and ends in the valley. It's a 6-7 hr trek if you want to enjoy the scenery and stop often.

The map is only 2/3 way down... Stay going once you start seeing lots of people. You won't see many people most of the time. Also the views of at least 3 falls and you will be walking over & down them instead of up the trail.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

Loved Yosemite! We stayed in a tent cabin in Curry Village inside the Park. Rather primitive, but we loved it.

 

[plsprius]

Once you are in Yosemite be sure to make long the trip (60 minutes at least from Wawona) up to Glacier Point. Then, if you are into hiking, do the hikes out to Taft Point and also the more challenging hike to Sentinel Dome. Check to make sure that the road is open for the season! That's good for one day.

On another day explore the Yosemite Valley. Stop in to see the film in the visitor center. Consider a day hike to Nevada Falls and Vernal Falls and/or Yosemite Falls. That's another day.

Try to stay away from Yosemite on the weekends to avoid crowds--which are frustrating because of the car traffic and parking problems. The trails are not usually too crowded once you get 15 minutes from the trailheads

I second the recommendation of the Tenaya Lodge. Nothing too special, but close to the entrance gate. I like visiting the Maraposa Grove in this region of the park. Remember that Yosemite Park is very large and it takes time to get from one place to another. Four nights and three days would be an ideal trip for me.

Finally, it's also nice to stay in the park and the Yosemite Lodge provides a convenient location in the valley.

 

[Earl E Retyre]

OP here ... thanks all for your replies. So, I went ahead and made my reservations today based on all your inputs. Here is what I decided to do:

I reserved a cottage at Tenaya at Yosemite for 4 nights M-F and I will reserve 1 night near the airport for Friday night (probably Table Mountain Casino).

This will give me 4 full days to hike and go sightseeing.

By the time we land and get to the Tenaya on Monday it will be about 5 pm. So, we might be able to hike the Mariposa Grove or just hike near the resort when we arrive. Monday is primarily a travel day.

We can do all the Yosemite hikes and sites Tues-Fri.

Saturday is primarily a travel day since we fly out at 2:30. It was very pricey to spend Friday night at Tenaya and since Saturday is just a travel day I found I could stay closer to the airport for cheap.

I was not sure whether to do 3 or 4 full days but figured it could not hurt to have 4 full days. If we get sick of all the crowds in Yosemite or have seen everything after 3 days I figured we could always do nearby hikes and relax at Tenaya on Friday.

Just FYI ... here are results of my research:
- Wawona hotel was booked so not an option (it got mixed reviews anyway)
- El Portal hotel, while close to the Valley, got a lot of really bad comments /reviews so could not do select that one
- Rush Creek and Evergreen lodge looked nice and got really good reviews but were very pricey (and I think I like the area down by Tenaya anyways)
- I looked at airBnB and there were some good options in Groveland but that would have been a further drive to the Valley
- I looked at airBnBs in Yosemite West but did not find anything nice or cost effective

The reservations all have free cancelation but I think this should be a good plan. Between now and end of May, I just need to plan my 4 days of hikes. We love hiking and seeing nature, and are in pretty good shape, but we probably need to keep all the hikes to between 1-7 miles and easy-moderate hikes (not strenuous hikes).

Thanks again for all your inputs. I think this will be a lot better than my original plan of staying in Oakhurst.

Oh and ... I think I do not need reservations for yosemite park itself since it says reservations are not required other than on weekends so I do not even think it would allow me to make a reservation midweek.

 

[Drake3287]

You'll enjoy Tenaya Lodge. Also, bring your bathing suite, they have a nice indoor pool. Outside also depending on the weather. Not sure where you're from but it's not uncommon to have warm summer like weather in May.

 

[audreyh1]

Wow, this is inspirational!

 

[Surewhitey]

You'll enjoy Tenaya Lodge. Also, bring your bathing suite, they have a nice indoor pool. Outside also depending on the weather. Not sure where you're from but it's not uncommon to have warm summer like weather in May.

It snowed on us in Yosemite West one May too, so plan for either possibility.

Enjoy, either way.

 

[Earl E Retyre]

You'll enjoy Tenaya Lodge. Also, bring your bathing suite, they have a nice indoor pool. Outside also depending on the weather. Not sure where you're from but it's not uncommon to have warm summer like weather in May.

Thanks for that tip ... not sure I would have thought about bringing a swimsuit. Would be nice after a long day of hiking ...

 

[Earl E Retyre]

park pass question

It looks like I have two options regarding park pass ...

I can wait until I get there and buy a pass at the park for $35 valid for the whole week for both of us.

I can buy an America the Beautiful Pass online or at the park for $80 good for a year for all national parks (I am under 62 years old). I am not sure I am going to go to any other national parks in the next year ... so, are there any big advantages to buying a pass beforehand?

 

[audreyh1]

Stick with the local week pass and wait until 62 for lifetime pass. Since you don’t anticipate other national parks.

Since you don’t have to deal with entry reservations.

 

[Chuckanut]

It looks like I have two options regarding park pass ...

I can wait until I get there and buy a pass at the park for $35 valid for the whole week for both of us.

I can buy an America the Beautiful Pass online or at the park for $80 good for a year for all national parks (I am under 62 years old). I am not sure I am going to go to any other national parks in the next year ... so, are there any big advantages to buying a pass beforehand?

The price is fixed so there is not advantage to buying it ahead of time. Unless Congress decides to raise the price.

 

[Phroig]

if you rent a house, check the description carefully. Ours (many years ago) was a good 3-4 storeys worth of steps down from the main road. I had to lug several bags and a cooler down and then back up when we departed. I was much younger, but was still glad I only had to do it twice. I wouldn't want to do it now.

 

[plsprius]

One more idea. When you get to the Yosemite entrance they will give you a weekly calendar of events. I have always enjoyed going to a NPS Ranger talk or two. Some of the talks are for kids, and some are better for adults. Also, stop in at the Ansel Adams Gallery in the valley floor. Nice photos, and they run a few photography classes that are great for novices.

Free Photography Walks, led by our staff photographers, are offered Tuesday and Thursday throughout the year. These depart from the Gallery porch at 9 AM and are limited to 10 people. Topics are basic information about using cameras, composition, exposure, and whatever questions come up. Both digital and traditional formats are welcome. Please go online or call to reserve your space. Registration opens 3 days in advance of the scheduled walk.

https://www.anseladams.com/

 

[1242Vintage]

If you are up for a challenge, all-day (12 hr ) hike up to Half Dome!

You’ll need a hiking permit! Limited number of hikers allowed up due to traffic jams going up and down on the cables.

https://www.recreation.gov/permits/234652

 

[MC Rider]

Yes on reservations, it can be very crowded. Last time we went Yosemite Valley was a parking lot of slow traffic. The high country and Tuolumne Meadows road was still closed with snow in June. We went to Hetch Hetchy "next door" and it was awesome and almost deserted. I would not want to go to Yosemite Valley in crowd season again. Sorry to say.

 

[1242Vintage]

Second the comment about Hetch Hetchy. Worked for City of San Francisco up near Hetch Hetchy years ago and did quite a bit of hiking there. Uncrowded and beautiful country.

 

[Wile E. Coyote]

Stick with the local week pass and wait until 62 for lifetime pass. Since you don’t anticipate other national parks.

Since you don’t have to deal with entry reservations.

Thanks for pointing this out. I turn 62 in a few months. I went to the website and discovered I can get a Military Lifetime pass as a Veteran for $10. So, I ordered that right away