Yosemite National Park Travel Forum

Hi fellows,

Four of us want to have a day trip to Yosemite in January. None of us have experiences of driving on snowy road. Is it safe for us to rent a car driving there in Jan? or Where I can find a day tour with reasonable price, if the day tour company is better alternative to us. Thanks

I am from the east coast & have always wanted to visit Yosemite. . . ideally, during the summer months. I have an opportunity to visit in March (13th-17th). What can I expect, not only weather wise, but the park in general. I am more the type of tourist who enjoys warm weather travel, photography & picnics rather than skiing & other outdoor sports, however, I feel this is an opportunity I would be foolish to pass up. I am anticipating much smaller crowds & a more intimate park experience. What are the chances of seeing active waterfalls?
Thank you in advance.

Hi

My girlfriend and I will be travelling to the US from Ireland for the first time next march and are really looking forward to it. We hope to drive from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite in March but heard from friends of ours that some of the roads might be closed due to snow. We were wondering what the story is on this, are all the roads closed, or is it just the more scenic routes?

Trevor

My husband & I are flying from the east coast to Las Vegas in mid-March on business. We are considering extending our stay by 3 days & driving up to Yosemite. Is mid-march too early for wildflowers & waterfalls?

Hi all,
Am travelling over the US from Australia in December. We are hoping to drive from Las Vegas to San Fran up through Death Valley, up the 395 and skirting around Yosemite (as I assume a lot of access will be cut off due to snow). Just wondering if this was a feasible trip over the course of 3 or 4 days?? Anyone that can give me an indication of the amount of snow I may encounter would be great. I have never driven on snow before and am a little apprehensive.
Thanks
Steve

I am planning a trip to Yosemite with my boyfriend during Thanksgiving. This will be our first time and neither of us are great hikers. Is it a bad time of the year? I had heard that fall is very pretty in Yosemite and thus had thought of the trip, but is the weather too cold/ rainy by the end of November? Our other option would be mid-March so we could postpone the trip. Any suggestions?

Hi all!

I'll be arriving (if I find a place to sleep) the 14th of august to Yosemite. I'm traveling on my own and using public transport (YARTS) and I'd like to know of suitable places to stay that are close to the bus itinerary. I've been looking on the net, and I've seen several places, but they might be quite far from the main road, and I have no car. If, besides, there are cheap places, then it'd be perfect, but I can't ask for too much in my conditions.

Thank you all!

I plan to visit Yosemite National Park over Labor Day weekend. How crowded can I expect it to be? I understand the Park will be busy over a holiday. Particularly, I am interested in potential traffic congestion and bumber to bumper traffic. Will this be a problem, or will traffic flow be okay? Thanks.

Does anyone know if there are bike racks on the buses? Can I take my bike on the bus from Yosemite Valley to Tuolemne Meadows and then bike down? Rel cyclists will say i need to earn the downhill by biking up, but hey I'm on vacation!!

Thanks.

Hi everyone,

We are from Spain and we are planning a trip to Las Vegas, SFO and LA in late September - October. We have everything more or less sorted out, our only problem is Yosemite. We want to travel from LV to SFO and on the way see some of Yosemite. We leave LV on the 21st early in the morning and want to be in SFO sometime on the 23rd (giving us two nights to stay somewhere along the way)
Our main questions are:

Which is the best route to follow?
Can anyone recommend somewhere to stay for the 2 nights (can be separate locations)?
Things we should see once in/around Yosemite?

Any other recommendations are welcome 

Thank you all in advance for any help.

Can anyone inform me of the conditions of the waterfalls in Yosemite Valley and along the John Muir Trail towards Half Dome (Vernal & Nevada Falls)? Since we had had a dry winter, the snowpack in the Sierras was lower than normal. Are the falls pretty much dried up now? I'm planning to visit Yosemite at the end of July.

I heard there is afternoon at the Ahwahnee but I would like to know more details about it: time of tea service, whether reservation is required, dress code, and cost. Also, is tea served with sandwiches, scones, pastries? And which teas are served, i.e. Earl Grey, Darjeeling, etc. I've had teas at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Banff Nat'l Park (Canada), the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes Nat'l Park (Canada), the Savoy Hotel in London (UK), the Terrace Bar at Harrods Dept Store in London (UK), and the Orangerie at Kensington Palace in London (UK). I'm going to Yosemtie at the end of July and hope to add a tea experience at the Ahwahnee. If anyone has had tea at the Ahwahnee or knows of its details, please inform me of it. Much thanks.

I am hoping someone will be able to tell me what the average temperature change is between the Valley and Glacier Point, Wawona, Tuolumne Meadows this time of year. We are headed to Yosemite this weekend, June 16th and understand the Valley will be around 85 or 90 degrees. Any guidence would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi. Our party of three, wife, son and me are driving to Yosemite from San Francisco on July 16. We plan to leave SF early in the morning and get to Yosemite by lunch time and then leave after lunch the next day. Where would be a good place to stay in the average range of a $100 a night. We are not too keen on camping since we dont have any gear with us since we are just visiting the US from the Philippines. Thanks for your help.

Hi, My boyfriend and I are heading to Yosemite at the end of May. We want to spend one night in the back country but must get a permit ahead of time. What trail do you suggest we start out at? We both are in good shape. I want to get the permit all set sooner than later.
Thanks!

Does anyone know how long it takes to get to the east entrance for Yosemite Park from Juno Lake and what are the odds that the tioga pass will be open by Memorial Day weekend and should I buy some snow chains just in case.Lastly does anyone know how long it takes to drive thru the park end to end at a leisurely pace.

Thanks

I am getting ready to start packing for my trip and was wondering how much repellant I should bring along. We are staying at Yosemite Lodge in the valley. Has anyone been there recently or ever at that time of year? I am hoping (dreaming maybe!) that we will be there before most of the mosquitos hatch. Any input is greatly appricated!!

My boyfriend and I are travelling to US this summer and want to drive from San Fran to Las Vegas via Yosemite and Death Valley. Any
one got any suggestions on the best route, and how long it will take? Could we dpo it in one day or will we need to stop over? Any suggestions where? Many thanks, any help would be much appreciated!!!!

Is diesel fuel available in the park?

Hello. I need help. after san francisco, i'd want to go to yosemite nat. park.
what is the best road?
i see i have 2 options:
1- drive to manteca and enter from big oak flat entrance to yosemite
2-from manteca, drive to merced( i've already reserved vagabond inn -merced) and enter from mariposa-el portal .. in this way i can go easy to mariposa grove,(wawona) and see giant sequoias.
what do you think about it? the second itinerary is longer( about 35miles).

I really really want to go camping in Yosemite for a few days. I really really would feel awful going without my dog who would love it out there. However, it appears that there are very stringent restrictions on bringing a dog to the Park. Before I despondantly give up on going, I would like to know how strongly the regulations are enforced. I am an active environmentalist and I understand the necessity of the restrictions, but my dog is strongly under voice control and well behaved off-leash. If the major attractions are off-limits, could we just do some hiking and swimming somewhere in the Park? Thanks for any input.

Help!

We are over in the States exploring and are driving from San Fran to Vegas next Wednesday March 21 first thing in the morning.

We are heading to Vegas and have a room booked there from the night of Thursday March 22.

We'd love to go via Yosemite, spend a few hours there then head off again, staying somewhere near the park on Wednesday night.

However I see the Tioga Pass is closed and there are mentions of snow chains etc!!

Would you help us decide if:

* It's worth going to Yosemite during our time frame (have always wanted to go)

* It's wise to go at this time of year in a little rental car with no snow chains (are there any failsafe roads in and out of the park?)

* there is a good route to take from Yosemite to Vegas (I looked on the map and it seems the route at this time of the year is the one that goes through Bakersfield and then thru Death Valley to Vegas.

Can you also advise on driving times for the best routes.

Thank you so much!!

Is it worth going to see Yosemite for a day from San Francisco in the middle of March?Its a shame I have only one day but it has been a lifelong to see this place and I don't want to miss it if it can be done.I understand I will miss a large par t because of winter closings but seeing a few beautiful vistas should be enough.If
I do go what should I see?

My husband and I will be taking a trip for Las Vegas to Yosemite the week of March 31, 2007. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best route (avoiding the roads that are closed this time of year). We are photographers and are looking for the best scenic routes and points of interest. We are looking for points of interest any where around the Yosemite area. Thank you for the help :)

I'm travelling to Yosemite without a car this June. I am thinking on going by train. Has anyone done this? Would you recommend it? How long does it take? Any other suggestions on how to get there. We can't drive and don't really want to do a tour. Thanks Chucks 25

Hi everyone, my lovely husband has surprised me with a holiday to california, being the more active couple ,opposed to sunning it up in the south we have decided to stay in san fransisco for a week them travel down to yosemite for a week.Firstly anyone reccommend any nice hotels-lodges to stay in and would you say it was best to stay within the park, and secondly what is the weather like at this time of year?Being from england but originally from scotland i am used to the colder weather.I can imagine in fall it is absolutly beautiful.What kind of activities is there to do, me and the husband do like mountain biking and walking so we should be in heaven in the yosemite area.Sorry the about the of questions but we are so excited.
Look forward to any replies.
Arlene :0)

We will be flying from Virginia into San Fransisco for a quick visit to the west coast on Apr. 5. We would like to spend 2 days in Yosemite and 2 days in San Fransisco. We've made reservations at the Yosemite View Lodge for 2 nights. What is the best travel route from San Fransisco International Airport to El Porto in early April? We have 2 boys ages 7 & 12. What are the recommended "must sees" in Yosemite and Fisherman's Wharf? Since we have such a short time, we are looking for recommendations so we can plan ahead.

Hi There!!!!
I am planning to drive from LA to Yosemite on 21st March and will spend 21st and 22nd at Yosemite. Which gate i will be entering in the park and would like to know lodging information too. I am a Graduate Student so i am on very tight budget.... I am also confused with snow chains(I am from Wisconsin but never used one) and driving inside the yosemite...Is it possible to drive inside the park? or one should depend on the YART or Yosemite Shuttle system.....thanks in advance.

Hi There
Wondering if anyone has any advice on travelling between Yosemite and Las Vegas in early September. Please could you advise on best route with just one night's stay between to ease the journey by car.

Cheers xx

Hi

Would you recommend doing Yosemite yourself? Would you see much? I am thinking on going by train and using the YARTS/free shuttles to get around? And tips on where to stay and what's best to see? I'll have 3 days there. Is this enough? Would I be better getting a tour?

Any suggestions welcome and thanks