Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is a wonderland of granite domes and walls, interspersed with waterfalls and lakes, just 3 hours east from the San Francisco Bay Area. Being our closest National Park, we visit Yosemite often, usually paying a visit at least once a year. Unfortunately we don't visit as often as we would like due to the high popularity of this park. The Valley area is often very busy with 2-3 hour traffic jams being common during the spring and summer. There is now a system to reserve parking online to help alleviate this issue. Despite this, Yosemite is always worth a visit, though we tend to shy away from the Valley due to traffic, opting to start our hikes outside the Valley whenever possible or visiting in the off-season.

Upper Yosemite Falls

Mist Trail-JMT: Nevada Falls

Panorama Trail: Glacier Pt to Nevada Falls

Chilhualna Falls

Dewey Point

Tenaya Lake

Upper Yosemite Falls

Being crowd averse, we decided to try this hike that started in the popular Yosemite Valley in the off-season. It was a cold Thanksgiving Day, a little after noon when we started. Much later than our usual start, we were nervous due to the much shorter daylight hours. Sunset that day was at 4:45pm, giving us just under 5 hours to complete the 8 mile hike. Our usual modest hike speed of 2 miles/hour led us to believe that we would be able to complete this hike by the time sunset occurred.

Hiking under massive towering granite walls en route to Upper Yosemite Falls

The waterfall was barely trickling, making it hard to recognize as the gushing Upper Yosemite Falls that we had seen so many times across the valley. When we got to the top, we opted to NOT go down to the overlook of the Falls due to the very slippery and icy conditions. The visibility was very low as well near the top, as fog started coming in as I left.

Upper Yosemite Falls just a trickle, Yosemite National Park, CA

The hike uphill most of way there, downhill most of the way down. It was icy and snowy at the top half of hike. Ice and snow on granite steps make for a slippery trail, as we found out. The way up was not too bad, but on the way down we all slipped many times, especially me. This is the first time it took us longer to get down than to get up, due to ice. I kept slipping and was the slowest one in the group of 2 adults and 3 kids.

The icy route up towards Upper Yosemite Falls in late November

Near the top of the Upper Yosemite Falls hike in Late November

Sunset was at 4:45pm. We got to the bottom at 7:30pm, so the last two hours of our hike was in complete darkness. Luckily we cleared the snow/ice part of the trail before the sun went down and had flashlights in our packs. It also reminded me to update our backpack with enough emergency blankets, heat packs and large trash bags to serve as a barrier to help keep heat in, in case the need arose to to spend the night unexpectedly. I have since added a 2-person tent in our emergency pack to have another layer of protection.

In retrospect, it probably was not wise to complete this hike in the winter snow, which caused us to miss out on the much coveted view of the Upper Falls both from the bottom and from the top. Given the crowds during the high season, I'm not sure we would return to redo this hike from this trailhead in the Valley. But I thought I spotted a hike in from Tioga Road to the Falls, and I am definitely open to that approach.

Mist Trail: Vernal and Nevada Falls

We enjoyed a great hike here during a May long weekend a few years ago. We climbed 2000 feet in elevation to see the top of two waterfalls at Yosemite National Park: Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls. Our first stop was the Vernal Falls Footbridge, a little ways downstream from the bottom of the falls. After waiting a few minutes we got our photo opportunity over the thundering waters rushing beneath us with Vernal Falls in the distant background. I had warned my kids about the dangers of waterfalls and the deaths that have occurred to innocent waders. A sign at the beginning of the Footbridge drove my point home for my boys. The first mile or so was very busy, as we hiked on the Mist Trail, up the 600 or so wet granite steps meandering along the hillside parallel to the rushing waters of Vernal Falls. There was quite a lot of foot traffic despite the steep incline. I noticed that some hikers were making their way down on these slippery granite steps. I am glad we chose to go up these granite steps and not down. It seems a lot easier to slip, the steps are high and there is a lot more head-on traffic on the narrow steps for those going down. The Mist Trail was an experience I won't forget…. We were soaked by the time we got to the top (rain gear recommended) but it was totally worth it! It reminded me for a boat ride I took a long time ago at Niagara Falls called the Maid of the Mist.

View of Vernal Falls from the wet granite step on the Mist Trail, busy trail

Misty view close-up of Vernal Falls from the Mist Trail, Yosemite NP, CA

We took a break at the top of Vernal Falls on the huge slabs of granite, enjoying the view we had earned. My husband and son stood in line for their photo opportunity at the corner closest to the top of the Falls. Unfortunately, as with most waterfalls the view is best on the journey to the top. Once at the very top, the view is of rushing waters.

View from the top of Vernal Falls, Yosemite

After a quick snack break, we pressed on to our next Falls, Nevada Falls. The Merced River flows over cliffs at Nevada Falls before making its way down to pass over the cliffs of Vernal Falls. Nevada Falls is around 600 feet high, Vernal Falls about 300 feet high. Before long, we got to the Footbridge at the foot of Nevada Falls. Foot traffic here was considerably less. That hike continued partly into shaded trails, then out again onto steep granite steps, this time not wet. It's amazing how close the waterfalls feel when on the granite steps, as the thundering waters rushed before us.

View from Nevada Falls Footbridge, falls in distance

We took a break at the top of Vernal Falls on the huge slabs of granite, enjoying the view we had earned. My husband and son stood in line for their photo opportunity at the corner closest to the top of the Falls. Unfortunately, as with most waterfalls the view is best on the journey to the top. Once at the very top, the view is of rushing waters.

View of Nevada Falls from the granite Steps on the Mist Trail, dry this time

Shaded granite steps of the Mist Trail towards Nevada Falls

We made a few stops on this part of the hike both to enjoy the views of granite domes overlooking the granite-lined Canyon below and to catch our breath. This part of the hike was our hardest, as we approached the 2000 foot elevation change in the 2.5 miles we hiked from trailhead. 0.2 miles got us to the top of Nevada Falls from the top of the Mist Trail. The top was covered in large slippery slabs of granite. We took the Footbridge going over the falls and enjoyed a quick view of rushing waters. Thunders started sounding and we hurried through to get off the large granite slab that cover most of the top of Nevada Falls.

View from the top of Nevada Falls

We took the John Muir Trail on the way down. This trail is a little longer than the Mist Trail, less steep, but still downhill. Initially, the trail took us along a bench that gave us amazing views of Nevada Falls beside three huge granite domes overlooking a granite-walled canyon.

View of Nevada Falls, Liberty Cap, Half Dome from John Muir Trail

A short walk from the top we came across a wall of rocks with water flowing over it onto our trail - a sort of weeping wall. My kids were happy to walk through this water to cool off. On our way down, we spotted another two-part waterfall in the distance, far down in the Canyon. Sheer vertical walls of granite greeted us at almost every corner. The stairs here were slippery, mostly granite covered with a fine sand. My kids fell on their bottoms a couple of times before deciding to take us up on our offer to hold their hands.

View of the granite-walled canyon from John Muir Trail

View of Half Dome from John Muir Trail

We hiked a total of 10 miles that day, starting our walk from the parking lot near Half Dome Village, up the Mist Trail to the top of Nevada Falls then down John Muir Trail, and back to the car. It took us a total of 5 hours for the entire 10 miles.

I woke up around 4:45 that morning to pack up our picnic lunch and put together some snacks. We were in the car and on our way by 5:30am. We arrived at Yosemite National Park at around 9am. Only 5 cars were ahead of us at the Entrance gate. We circled the parking lot at shuttle stop #14 a couple times, and found one after some effort. We intended to take the shuttle, but after seeing one shuttle go past us because it was too full, and about 15 people ahead of us in the bus stop line, we decided to walk the 1-1.5 miles to our trailhead.

All in all, despite the traffic, early wake up call and big crowds, the hike up the Mist Trail was definitely worth the trouble! It was a challenging hike for us, with three kids in tow, but it is one that I highly recommend if you are able to.

Panorama Trail: Glacier Point-Illilouette Falls-Nevada Falls

We started our day at Glacier Point just before 8am on a Sunday of the May long weekend. There was a huge parking lot, but it was already half full by the time we got there. We headed towards the viewpoints closeby. I was tickled to see Half Dome, Vernal and Nevada Falls across the valley. We hiked the Mist Trail last year to the top of Nevada Falls, and it was awesome to see it all in one panoramic view here. Many pictures later, we headed to another corner for a view of Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls.

Wandering around looking for our trailhead, we found a sign that indicated a distance of 5.2 miles to the top of Nevada Falls along the Panoramic Trail. We had originally planned to hike to Illilouette Falls and then to Taft Point. But today Nevada Falls was calling our name. I was excited to see Nevada Falls from a different approach.

We started downhill, under some redwoods over a meadow, all the time with a view of Half Dome, Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls across the valley. Half Dome changed its shape as we walked along; Nevada Falls played peek-a-boo. Having walked the Mist trail exactly a year ago, I know it must have been a zoo on that trail, though from this vantage point, it looked so peaceful. We couldn't see any hikers along Vernal Falls, nor the footbridges that crosses the Mercer River over the top of two falls. It was a good vantage point.

Changing views of Half Dome along our trail

Soon after we lost the view of Nevada Falls, and after a few stream crossings over well-placed rocks and a flooded trail, Illilouette Falls came into view. Having shared our previous plans with the boys, they mistakenly thought that this was our turnaround point. After some convincing, we were back on the trail. We heard the river before we saw it. The loud crashing river eventually poured over a cliff to form Illilouette Falls. We were happy to see that there was a footbridge over it. It had been downhill until this point, then we started going uphill again.

Illilouette Falls, from viewpoint, Yosemite National Park

As we walked along, Yosemite Falls came into view in the distance, both the Upper and Lower Falls. Again, it was peaceful vantage point from here, not giving any sign of the crowds that must be at its base. As we followed our trail, Lower Falls disappeared and Half Dome came into view.

Yosemite Falls from the Panoramic Trail

Some sidestepping under mini falls, and some rock hopping over flooded trails, and we joined the John Muir trail. At this point, a sign indicated we were 0.2 miles from Nevada Falls. The trail got busier here, and before we knew it, a familiar view of the footbridge over Nevada Falls came into view.

We found a spot away from the water to have lunch. Being parents of 3 active boys, sitting close to danger spots is not an option. Lunch was in the company of some very large black ants, who quickly climbed all over our packs to get a share of our lunch. We ate quickly, marveling at the granite dome rising on the other side of Nevada Falls. We noticed some intelligent hikers in their portable hammocks tied between trees here. Note to self.

At the top of Nevada Falls, Yosemite NP

When it was time to go, we headed up the trail. After several uphills and downhills, we came across a hiker who warned us of a baby bear up the trail. I got a little tense, held my bear spray in my hand, knowing where there is baby, mama is not far behind. As we walked along, we caught a glimpse of baby hurrying away. He was a cute little thing. No mama in view. Phew. I know how protective nervous mamas can be.

Up the hill some more and both Vernal and Nevada Falls came into view. We're in the stretch run now. When we finally made it to the Glacier Point trailhead, Strava indicated 6 miles for our one way journey from the top of Nevada Falls, a little more than the NPS sign indicating 5.2 miles. The crowd factor on this trail wasn't too bad either. There were a couple of big groups, but they either lost us, or we lost them fairly quickly. Certainly much less crowded than the Valley trails, and about the same as Chilhualna Falls. This hike took us 7.5 hours to complete including all breaks and Strava indicating a 2000 ft elevation gain one way, due to the non-continuous ascent. This hike was a little more difficult than Chilhualna Falls, possibly due to the blisters that had formed on my toes over our 10 mile hike the day before. (I need to get better fitting shoes). We ended out our day at 13.5 mile roundtrip, including the walk around the Glacier Point viewpoints and to and from our parking spot.

Chilnualna Falls

We started our May long weekend 2017 at 10am at the trailhead at Chilnualna Falls. Parking was scarce, but we managed to snag one of the last two regular spots, lots more for creative parkers. Parking area and some of the road in was dirt/packed gravel with potholes, though our low clearance 2WD sedan made the journey just fine. A sign indicated the presence of mountain lions. Definitely keep kids close.

Falls as high as the eye can see, waterfalls at beginning of Chilhualna Falls Trail, Yosemite NP, CA

We followed the Foot Trail (vs Stock Trail,) going uphill. Within a mile there was a spur trail going towards the crashing river alongside, so loud we couldn't hear ourselves speak. The trail here was narrow, muddy and uneven but it took us close enough for us to be misted by the cascades. The water cascades seem to reach high above as far as our eyes can see, beyond the trees above us. I wondered at the time if this was Chilhualna Falls, though it was too close to the trailhead. We saw many families with kids here.

Falls at beginning of Chilhualna Falls Trail through the trees, Yosemite NP

We followed the snaking trail up from the misty falls to a sign that stated 4.2 miles to Chilhualna Falls. Here the trail veered away from the creek, under trees and into flowering meadows. Soon we caught a glimpse of two more cascades of waterfalls in the distance. Though we weren't very close to the falls, we could still hear the crashing waters nearby. Our trail took us across a few streams, some under small waterfalls. We easily made it across the streams hopping rocks and balancing on logs.

Trail through meadows at Chilhualna Falls, Yosemite NP

A couple more miles and many breaks later, we found ourselves at the top of a waterfall cascade. A shading tree invited us to have lunch under it. After lunch we followed the trail which continued on stone stairs running beside the gushing creek.

At the brink of the 1st tier of Chilhualna Falls, Yosemite NP

A couple switchbacks later, we found ourselves staring up at a very tall falls made up of 4-5 tiers directly on top of each other. It looked like a white-frosted multi-tiered wedding cake to me. It was beautiful. Of course, our first inclination was to go towards this giant falls. One of our boys had other ideas. He decided that he was done and would not go any further. He was not open to being convinced. We decided at this point, to take a few pictures, and make this our turnaround point.

Third set of tiers of Chilhualna Falls, looks like a tall white wedding cake

The hike down was all downhill. Energy wise, it was much easier, though my toes didn't appreciate it. Our 10 mile hike took 6 hours, including all breaks and kid- bribing sessions. We encountered many backpackers along our hike, and found out that a permit is needed for overnight stays. This wasn't a terribly busy trail, certainly not compared to the Valley hikes.

The view from the bottom of tier 2 of Chilhualna Falls

Dewey Point

Our October hike to Dewey Point took us under towering mossy trees, some meadowlands and three stream crossings. One stream had a wooden bridge built over it which kept us all dry. The other two stream crossings had makeshift logs put into place over the stream. We managed across the streams, with only one of us getting our foot wet. The hike under trees went on for over 4 miles before we saw a clearing indicating the granite canyon ahead. If you love hiking under trees, you'll love this hike!

Hike under towering mossy trees, near Dewey Point, Yosemite National Park, CA

Out of the trees, near Dewey Point, Yosemite NP

Once out of the trees, a couple of granite domes peeked in the distance. As we got closer, we could see the entire canyon. What a view! In front of us, was a trickle of a waterfall plunging several hundred feet towards the canyon floor. Large granite domes and peaks stood to the right and left of where we stood at Dewey Point. There are no guardrails here, so be sure to warn kids ahead of time of the importance of Not running and keep a close eye on them. We could have stayed a lot longer to appreciate the view, but as soon as lunch was done, our kids started to direct their energy to their legs. That was our cue to get off the cliff. What an amazing view though!

View of the granite canyon below, Dewey Point, Yosemite NP

We started our Fall hike a little later than our usual preference, at about 11:30 in the morning, starting at the trailhead on Glacier Point Road, heading north on McGurk Meadow. The trail was well signed to indicate the correct direction toward our intended destination. Our entire hike took about 4.5 hours including a half hour for lunch overlooking distant granite domes at Dewey Point. There was a gate at the entrance of Glacier Point Road, which threatened to close at 4pm that day, which we noticed was extended to 5pm on our way out. We parked at some space just beyond the McGurk Meadow sign before walking back to our trailhead. From McGurk Meadow trail, there were turnoffs to Taft Point and Glacier Point. Inspiration Point was a few miles beyond Dewey Point. Due to time constraints, we did not get a chance to explore beyond Dewey Point.

Tree growing at the edge, Dewey Point, Yosemite NP

Tenaya Lake

View of Tenaya Lake and mountains from the white sand beach, Yosemite National Park, California

During our August trip to Yosemite National Park area, we decided to explore the parts less traveled, mostly to avoid the crowds. Our first stop was Tenaya Lake, which is located on Tioga Pass Road in Yosemite National Park. At over 8000 feet elevation, Tenaya Lake is a beautiful alpine lake located in the High Sierra's surrounded by granite mountains. Formed by glacial action, Tenaya Lake is tucked into the mountains that looks almost tropical. White sand beaches adorn this beautiful lake. The kids had fun making sand tunnels and dams while my husband napped in the warmth of the sun. It was a relaxing way to spend an afternoon. We spotted a few people fishing from the boulders on the lake shore. Nearby is a shaded trail (about 12miles long) that can connect you to the Village area of Yosemite. Would love to do that hike once the kids are older and more able to handle longer distances. There is also a 2.5 mile hike around the lake. We started around the lake but had to go back. We couldn’t convince the kids to leave behind their sand structures early enough for the entire around-the-lake hike - the sun began setting. The only bad thing about this spot is that Tioga Pass Road runs on one side of the lake. From our spot on the white sand, it was easy to ignore the road, we couldn’t hear it at all. Tenaya Lake's proximity to Tioga Pass Road also makes access easy.

Playing on the white sand beach of Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California

View of Tenaya Lake from the trail, Yosemite National Park, California

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