Yosemite National Park Travel Forum

I want to fly into the closest airport to yosemite and take a shuttle to the park. Is this possible? Or do I have to rent a car? I am joining a hiking group when I get there. Is it best to fly into Sacramenta or Stockton? ARe there shuttles going to Yosemite from the airport? How often to they run?

We are driving from LA to Yosemite in February and it sounds like we should get Snow Chains no matter what the weather just in case. From what I have read it sounds like service stations in Oakhurst would be a good place to get them from. Does anyone know how much they cost?

My husband and I are driving to San Francisco from LA mid February and I am really keen to stop at Yosemite for a few days on the way. My husband is a bit reluctant because he has never driven in snowy conditions and hasn't put tyre chains on before. He thinks it could be too much of a mission, especially if Yosemite isn't as good in Winter as it is in summer.

Can anyone please tell me what the driving conditions are like? If it is icey or snowy, how far out from Yosemite Valley does it become bad to the point you would have to stop and put chains on? If it is only 30 mins or so I'm sure we would manage but if it is treacherous for a few hours we may need to rethink things. Also, how straight forward is it to put chains on?

Is there shuttle service (paid or free) on/along Tioga Road? Or is shuttle service limited to Yosemite Valley? If there is service, any contact information (phone or web) would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jeff

We want to visit our son at Tuolumne Meadows this August. Which airport do you recommend flying into? Reno? Sacramento? Fresno? Other? How hard is it to get
to this eastern gate from any of these airports? Which drive is fastest? Stil scenic? Our family has 7 members, and we will need a minivan or Suburban. What about lodging? How far is Mammoth Lakes from Tioga Pass gate? There is a nice condo there. I think. Seasons 4.
We could all fit in a 2 bdrm loft. Also looking into Lake View Lodge at Lee Vining. Opinions? Suggestions? I know it is short notice. It's the best we can do.

If I'm passing through the area this summer and find myself at Yosemite without a place to camp, will they allow you to sleep in your car? How far will I have to drive to be able to get some rest if they don't allow me to park and sleep?
Thanks...

Is there a running water faucet on each site? Also is the light provided inside the unit enough, or should we bring another indoor light?

We'll be staying at the Cedar Lodge in El Portal for a few nights in June, and I'm wondering if anybody knows where we could go for breakfast in that area? Would we need to head into Yosemite Village?

TIA!

Does anyone know if Degnan's is open in the winter?

Hi
I will be visiting Yosemite this summer.
We are sleeping the previous night in Merced and from there going to Yosemite.
Ineed to get from there to LONE PINE and i can see there is a road crossing the park.
On google maps it puts the driving time at approx 5 hours.
We will be there mid week.

How busy is the cross yosemite route.

Hi VTers! Have been reading through the posts and got a lot of information. Would like to ask, I'll be visiting Yosemite early November this year, and bringing my 60year old parents. My dad is usually not very active but he enjoys nature stuff lots, so was wondering if 2 days are enough? Also what are the key attractions that I should not miss given its november and 2 days? It seems like Mariposa and Glacier point will be closed, so would Yosemite Valley be enough?

Thank you all!

I have been reading that Oakhurst isn't a good place to stay in?
That it takes too long to drive to Yosemite?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I picked Yosemite for vacation this year because I LOVE mountains!!!!
....I just want to see mountains....and the huge trees are a plus! lol...
I have been to the NC and Tennessee mountains...they have places where you can search for rocks and caves to go into....and streams to see there....
Is Oakhurst the same? I just wanted to make sure that we picked a good place to stay in...Thanks!

My family and I will be staying in Oakhurst, CA in March of this year...
How cold is it usually in march? What kind of clothes would you pack for 3 and 6 year old lil' boys? We are from Florida, so we aren't used to the cold....we have never seen snow, so we don't know what to expect. I do know that we need chains for our tires for this time of the year. I just don't know what kind of clothes I should pack for my boys. Would jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, and jackets be enough? Does it snow a lot in March? We will be staying in Oakhurst, but going to visit Yosemite. Thanks for your help!

The first two weeks of June, we'll be traveling through California, and of course we'll be making a stop in Yosemite. People have been telling me it's best (and cheaper) to stay in one of the towns around Yosemite. We'll have a rental car so a short commute to the park won't be a problem. Are there any towns you can recommend for us to stay at?
We're not planning on making any hotel/motel reservations in advance, we want to just go and see where we end up. I would like a general idea of which towns are good to stay overnight. I've read here that the park is very busy in spring and summer, do you think we would find accommodation without reservations?
Any advice is much appreciated!

Hi there!

Just wondering if anyone is able to advice on what sort of weather conditions we can expect in the first week of April. Is it still bitterly cold and very snowy therefore hiking requiring proper clothing and equipment or will it be a little more civilised by then? We like to get out and about but have a little comfort in the evenings. Can anyone also recommend any cheap but friendly / cosy lodgings?

Many thanks

Alison

We are hoping to visit yosemite in the summer, has anyone stayed at the redwood cabins in Wawona? They look very nice but I wondered if there is any public transport to the valley centre from there and how far away are you? Is there anywhere to buy groceries etc and things to do in that area without a car. My husband will be taking the car for a couple of days so I don't want to be stranded!
We have stayed in Yosemite before at the yosemite lodge so were really near everything but fancied some nicer accommodation as there is five of us this time.
Thanks for any advice

Hi,

We are planning a trip to Yosemite on March 29; because of work reasons, our only choice is to drive from Reno. Does anyone know what the drive from Reno is like into the park (we are staying in the Village) and whether we might run into bad weather or poor road conditions at that time of year? We'll have our young daughter with us on the trip.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Is there a way to track the snowfall at Yosemite (and therefore know what type of waterfall season is to be expected the following spring)?

A few years ago, I was planning a trip to Yosemite, and ended up going to Arizona instead. Although it was a fantastic trip, I later found out that it was the most water flow in Yosemite in about 20 years. I still dream of Yosemite, of course, but want to go when there's good water flow.

What is the best route from San Francisco to Yosemite, we land from Heathrow to SF at 2.30pm on 22 March 09. We will pick up a hire car and would like to stop somewhere along the route to Yosemite approx 1-2 hours from SF, we will be extremely tired after 11 hour flight, but thought it best to get out of SF. Then continue to Yosemite on 23 March and spend 2 or 3 nights in Yosemite and then continue to drive to Grand Canyon.

All help would be appreciated, where to stay, what to see, and best route onto Grand Canyon. We are on a budget as the dollar is dropping for us at the moment and we will then continue to drive from Grand Canyon to San Diego and back to SF, along Highway 1. We love the great outdoors surfing and walking but have never been anywhere in the snow, and have never skied etc.

Hi there,

a group of 10 ppl are visiting yosemite during thanksgiving and we have a choice of vaccation home -

1. Mariposa
2. West Yosemite ( suppose to in the park)

what do u guys recommend?

thanks,
harshada

Visiting Yosemite from 4-7 Nov, planning to drive in from MonoLake using the Tioga Pass Road. Is the road closed/dangerous to drive during that period?

I am tentatively planning a springtime trip to Tuolumne Meadows to do several hikes. One would be to hike from Tenaya Lake to Clouds Rest and then down to the Valley, another one would be to hike from Pothole Dome to Glen Aulin and Waterwheel Falls I have been reading that spring time is the most scenic but also the mosquito problem is quite severe until August. Since these hikes are in areas along the river, there is a potential for lots of mosquitoes. Is there a time before the mosquitoes are in full force that a trip can be planned for these hikes or is it better to plan this trip in August?

please help with *must* things to do, we will stay 2 nights. We are driving fron San Francusco, which route is better? Thank you

We will be in Sacramento for my son's wedding in January and have always wanted to visit Yosemite. We have two days for a non-wedding sidetrip. From reading other posts, the road will across the park will definitely be closed, and waterfalls will probably be frozen over. I am looking forward to the hike down the Panorama trail based on the experience of a friend of mine. Just wondering if it is worth the trip in the winter, or would we be wiser to head elsewhere due to the weather and catch Yosemite on another vacation. Thanks for any advice!

We are travelling to california from scotland mid october and staying in El Portal for 6 nights. We intend to travel out of the Tioga Pass and down the 395 stopping for an overnight stop so that we can sightsee on the way. Can anyone tell me how long it will take to drive from El Portal to Bishop or Lone Pine and then on then how long from Bishop or Lone Pine to Las Vegas. There doesn't appear to be a lot of choice of accommodation after Bishop - any recommendations? Any help would be appreciated - thanks.

I'm going to Yosemite in Mid-September for three nights with my girlfriend. We're from NYC and haven't traveled to Yosemite before. My girlfriend is an experienced hiker, but I've only hiked on a couple of occasions. We're really excited about going to Yosemite and want to make it a memorable experience. Can anyone suggest an itinerary? What are some of the 'not to miss' areas to explore in Yosemite? Thanks a million!

My husband and I will be at the park nov. 13th -nov 15th., driving from San francisco. I welcome any advice about lodging ( we are travelling from argentina), tips about clothing as we should pack everything in Buenos Aires!, and specially all things we shouldn't miss to do or see. As our flight back home from San Francisco is on the 17th, is someplace worth staying on our way back the 16th? thanks

What's the best airport gateway to reach the park? Best area to stay inside the park? Shoud we stay in one place for three days or move to different areas in the park each night?

My husband, 18 year-old daughter and I are spending two nights in Lee Vining on our way home to Oregon after climbing Mt. Whitney. We will be there the nights of July 30 and 31. We will arrive in Lee Vining before noon on July 30 so we really only have 11/2 days. We thought we would explore east Yosemite on the first day and then maybe go to Yosemite Valley the second day. It would be great to get some advise about what hikes we could do in the short period of time we have. Also, we would like to avoid driving our car in Yosemite and use the shuttles instead. Thanks for any help you could give us.

A few friends and I will be driving from San Francisco in mid-October and are planning to visit Yosemite. Everyone seems to be in agree that we should visit the valley. I know there are a ton of hiking trails in Yosemite. Are there guided nature walks or any river rafting trips we can do? I would love any advice on how to book these either through a tour company or the park. If there are additional activities you think we should do I'd appreciate your advice on them as well. Thanks!