Yosemite is one of the most visited places in the USA. The park is some 768,000 acres in size and 3.7 million people a year visit it and we plan to add another 2 to that 3.7 million.
Our drive from Sequoia had us back tracking so we could get on the interstate. All the interstate highways in the USA are built to a standard, with no low bridge clearances to worry about and wider roads to accommodate trucks and big rigs like ours so we tend to travel on them wherever we can. They are usually the fastest way between two points. As usual we are too big to get into Yosemite park itself so we booked an RV park about 20 miles from the north entrance - a place called Groveland. As we neared the park we were met with a narrow, steep, uphill grade - so it was truck in tow/haul mode and we climbed, climbed and climbed. There are two roads up to Groveland, one for heavy vehicles and trucks which has a lesser gradient than the other which is for your average type vehicle. Our iPad has become invaluable on this journey - we have a number of 'apps' that provide us with information about road conditions, gradients etc however for some reason this one was not recorded so took us by surprise. However as always the Dodge handled it no problems.
Looking back down the road we came up
Each site is a little different and as mentioned in previous blogs we need to scope each one to make sure that all our slide outs etc fit. In the desert it was never an issue - no trees to contend with there! The height of a tree also needs to be considered as any low hanging branches can quite easily damage the roof which is made of rubber. It took a little longer to set up this time - in the end we settled for not being able to fully extend our awning. We set up our chairs, cracked the first beer and then realised just how dusty the roadway into the park was! Every time someone drove in or out clouds of dust floated our way - we now know why they had a 5mph speed limit through the park (not that anyone took any notice of it!). We probably could have asked for another spot but we were all set up so decided to just put up with it (not without cursing every time someone drove past though!)
We booked in for a week, which allowed us plenty of time to see the main sites and to also have a couple of 'free days' ( to catch up on washing, blogs etc. Thanks for those words of advice Bob!).
May not look it but dust central
Next day we headed into the famous Yosemite National Park and like all the other tourists couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a photo at the entrance - they even have a stand to rest your camera on.
Yosemite here we come!
As expected the road was windy but the scenery along the way was spectacular. We both agree that, as good as they are, photos don't do this area justice - nothing beats seeing it in real life.
A view of El Capitan in the distance
Our first stop was the Bridelveil Falls - unknowingly we had planned our trip perfectly as there was plenty of snow melt feeding the falls which made them all that more spectacular.
Bridelveil Falls
Water coursing from the base of Bridelveil Falls
We continued our drive to Yosemite Village which is the central hub in the Valley. The car park was filled to capacity with cars and Cruise America hire RVs - it was only spring so we could imagine it must be utter chaos in summer!
They try to keep human impact to a minimum in the park but with millions of visitors that's an ongoing challenge. There is a shuttle bus which runs from the car park to all the major highlights and they obviously encourage visitors to take advantage of not having to drive their own vehicles. A quick walk around the souvenir shop, a bit of lunch from the "grill" (fending off the very hungry and quite aggressive squirrels) we headed off to check out Yosemite falls and the surrounding meadows.
So we arrived at Yosemite falls and a quick visit to the loo (bathroom) had me chuckling - we all know what public toilets are like but I have never seen one like this!
No chance of running out
The short walk to Yosemite falls did not disappoint - the view was just amazing. We did the usual and took photos for other tourists and they reciprocated and took ours.
It does not get much better than this
I was tempted to propose again
The valley done we headed to Glacier Point. The shuttle bus doesn't venture this far as the road is really narrow and quite a distance up the mountain. Once again the view just took our breath away - of all the places we have visited in the USA Yosemite is one that we would say is a 'must do'!
Words cannot describe it
Looking down to Yosemite Village some 2000 feet below
Many photos later we headed home - we had driven about 150 miles so we were looking forward to a "day" off.
Our next big drive was to visit the Tioga pass which is closed from November to May due to the amount of snow this area receives. It sits at an altitude of 9945 feet or 3979 metres which in comparison is higher than Mt Kosciusko (the tallest mountain in Australia) which is only 7310 feet high or 2228 metres high.
The drive up to the pass was very scenic and we took the opportunity to stop at various points and see the creeks flowing with the snow melt.
The creeks were running
Now thats a lot of granite, thats me half way up
Just like a mirror
The Tioga Pass road follows the shoreline of Tenaya lake. This is the most reflective lake I have ever seen.
After many stops we arrived at the Tioga pass, which is the Eastern entrance to the park. Always up for a challenge we were determined to walk up to Gaylor lake. The information at the start of the walk had all the usual warnings about bears etc and also indicated that the trail was 3 miles long with a 600 foot elevation gain. So we set off and within what seemed like minutes we are stopped and our hearts are pounding! We acknowledge that we are not the fittest right now having been on holidays for 7 months but this is ridiculous. A rest and we set off again - the air at this altitude is thin and we are feeling it- we had quite a lot of stops on this hike. We arrived at the top, sitting at 10,000 feet looking down on a lake that is still frozen in places, yep it still has ice covering it. All the warnings say to be prepared as at this altitude the weather can change suddenly - and it did - ice rain, wind and thunder in the distance. A quick look around and we were back on the track heading down - back to the truck and its heated seats!
Half way up and time to just take in the view
This was was one steep trail
Lake Gaylor still with ice
There are many warnings about bears throughout the park but in reality they are very rarely seen. We were in luck however as on the way home we rounded a corner and encountered a number of people standing on the side of the road with cameras in hand watching a big bear feeding on berries in the meadow. So of course we stopped and joined them. All road rules are forgotten when there is a bear sighting - within minutes there was a traffic jam including a bus full of Asian tourist snapping away from their windows.
Bear country
And One Big Traffic Jam
Most tourists tend to only visit the main highlights in Yosemite National Park however there is another part that is often overlooked that is equally as beautiful -Hetch Hetchy. This is the starting point to a 5 mile hike up to the Wapama Falls. The hike begins at the very controversial O'Shaughnessy Dam (which provides San Francisco with its water supply), through a tunnel cut through the mountain which originally had a rail line running through it. It seems in the day where transport was limited the best way to build a dam was to first build a rail line to the site - this allowed supplies etc to be delivered to the dam build site. This hike was certainly not as strenuous as the day before and it was nice to be able to stroll along and take in the views without puffing and panting! The highlight was standing at the foot of the Wapama falls as they cascaded down. We even took a moment to take our shoes off and paddle in the ice cold water.
The Walk Started with a Tunnel
Looking Back Towards the O'Shaughnessy Dam
Just Taking in The View
The Falls Just Thundered Down
Taking Time Out for a Paddle
Yosemite is huge - even after covering over 400 miles we had really only scratched the surface of discovering the beauty of the area. Not sure if it is noted as one of Wonders of the World but it has certainly been a major highlight of our trip - a definite must see!
Location:Yosemite National Park CA
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