WILD YOSEMITE

Massive cliffs, waterfalls and rivers shaping granite walls for millions of years, giant sequoias and wild animals crossing the valleys covered with wildflowers – all what Mother Nature can offer is here – in Yosemite.  

Yosemite National Park covers more than three thousand square kilometres of the Sierra Nevada and was established in 1864 to protect the unique nature of this area. The most visited part is Yosemite Valley with the famous granite cliffs like Half Dome or El Capitan.

What I especially liked in Yosemite was the wilderness.  You can clearly see it both in things big and small, the power of nature. The smooth granite domes sculpted by glaciers inspires respect. The grand meadows changing their appearance with the seasons show how amazing the life cycle is. Walking among the sequoias that are over 2000 years old, you feel how much your life is just a moment. Discovering the diversity and beauty of nature is incredible and you can experience it here.

WHAT TO SEE

All trails are worth to see and there's probably not going be a bad choice. However, if you plan to spend in Yosemite around 3 days (as we did) I can recommend you our trips:

•    Sequoia Groves: the trail through the giant threes will allow you to feel like a dwarf in a fairy tale, or as it was in my case, you can feel like in a real Jurassic park :) The sequoia’s trunk can reach over 7.5 m thick!

•        Lukens lake : This trail is not the most popular one. You will walk through the high trees up to the picturesque lake. The water is clean, and the view of the forest reflected on the surface of the lake is wonderful.

•       Mirror Lake: you can make a loop trail along the Tenaya Creek River. The trail is easy with a lot of squirrels on the path. During dry season (autumn and probably winter) the lake is completely dry… so small surprise for us and other people at the end of the trail :)

•        Lower Yosemite Fall trail: the highest of the waterfalls in the park and one of the highest in the world. Nevertheless, you can see it only during spring and summer time. The trail is adjusted for people on a wheelchair.

•    Bridalveil Fall: this waterfall runs all year round. You can climb up to it on large glazes, but you can see the whole waterfall and feel the water splashing already at the end of the trail.

   

•   The walk through the valley with the view of Half Dome and climbers trying to reach other granite walls is a must while visiting Yosemite 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

The park can be visited every season of the year. And every time it will look different, but always wonderful. We were in autumn, which was connected on the one hand with dry waterfalls and lakes, and on the other hand with a beautiful palette of autumn colours and less tourist traffic. 

The disadvantage of traveling in autumn is the risk of fires. Unfortunately, during our stay there was a fire several dozen kilometres away from us. The smoke reached up to the valley, which often meant that there were no clear view of the  peaks.

There is one campground right in the Yosemite Valley, but with the system first come, first served. Although our trip was in the low season, being at 6 a.m. was not enough to get the place. It occurred that some people spent the whole night in front of the National Park Office, sleeping on the ground at the temperature below zero… so it’s a way better to sleep on the camp ground located about 40 minutes from the main valley and not waiting in the queue. Another benefit of sleeping outside the valley is that you can pick up less popular trails. We chose Hodgdon Medow Campground located in the west part of the park.

I recommend bringing a lot of food, water and a tourist gas bottle. Forget about shopping, restaurants and so on. Don't count on showers or electricity in the fields. Here everything is done in a camping style, as close to nature as possible.

Yosemite is a bear country. The food must be storage in a food locker or bear resistance canisters. Driving slowly is also recommended. Once we saw a bear on our road, so there are not only meaningless precautions. Moreover, the National Park is a home to mountain lions. The children must not be alone on trails. In Yosemite we always have to remember that we are just guests.