ADVICE FROM YOSEMITE

zammitch
Oct 17, 2016
2 min read

I cannot think of a better way to spend a long weekend than being out and exploring. This was my first trip to Yosemite and from that I can conclude it is the most magical place I have ever been. Although we spent only one day, we were able to cover most of the park and see so many beautiful places.

Day one began bright and early as we hit the road, driving 6+ hours to the Easter Sierras. One tornado and speeding ticket later we ended up checking out Mammoth's famous hot springs. Seeing that the pool was already full of happy bathers, we continued up to the first site we planned on staying. Note that I didn't call it a camp site because it was basically just a spot out in the middle of the woods. Up by June lake we turned onto a winding dirt path and, following some crude directions, eventually passed a big tree and a dead tree to park in the middle of the woods. It was raining so we set up the tent and just chucked all the gear inside, staying cozy in the back of the Jeep.

The next day we woke up, packed up and headed straight up Tioga Pass into Yosemite. We stopped at the first restrooms we saw to change and make breakfast then continued into the valley, stopping to take in the views at almost every turn out.

When we finally reached the valley, we headed to Bridalveil Falls. While exploring the parking lot we found some cool orange mushrooms called Chicken of the Woods. The hike to the bottom of the falls was short but the view was amazing.

Next we drove up Glacier Point road towards Glacier Point, but parked at the trail head for Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. The hike to the point is about 1.1 miles but was refreshing because it was cool outside. Taft Point is the most beautiful yet terrifying place we had gone all day; no railings, just you staring down thousands of feet to the valley floor from the side of a cliff.

It began to hail, snow and rain so we headed out and drove as far as we could without falling asleep. This lead us back to the hot springs which is much more popular at night than it is in the day. Before we left the next morning, we woke up to see the sunrise and enjoy another rainbow.