Yosemite National Park

View of Half Dome from Yosemite Village

I just came back from an annual trip to Yosemite, one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Every year, going back to when my mom started going as a kid, we try to get a campsite in the valley. It's hard to get reservations, and we have been lucky most years, but there have been years where we had to find other accommodations.

This year we ended up with one double and one single site. My brother took the single and my daughter and I took the double. In all we had a fairly large group. The weather couldn't have been better. The days were in the low 80's and the nights cooled down enough to make sleeping comfortable. There is still a lot of water coming off the falls but the river were not too fast and rafting and swimming in the river was possible (Last year the current was to fast to enjoy the river).

Days were spent taking hikes, hanging out at the river and hitting the bar at Half Dome Village. Nights were spent around the campfire catching up on family stories. Yosemite offers something for every type of person. Trails come in difficulty from flat to very steep. Rock climbing is for the serious hikers. The scenery and wildlife is everywhere for those that just want to relax. There are restaurants, bars, museums, cafes, stores and activities for everyone to enjoy.

For children I would recommend the bike trails, valley walks and the museum that includes an Indian Village. Happy Isles also has a nature center. Half Dome Village also has an ice cream parlor that the kids go crazy for. There are places around the park where you can take them in the evening for a movie or slideshow on the history of the park.

For the older crowd a day hike is good to take. Make sure you are in good enough shape to take the hike. The Mist Trail is fairly easy up to the bridge. The Valley Floor Trail Lower Yosemite Falls are also fairly flat. Harder hikes are Upper Yosemite Falls. The Mist Trail past the bridge, and hiking down from  Glacier Point. My advice is to read the trail map be careful of difficulty. It would take a lifetime to do every trail, the John Muir Trail can go as far as Mount Whitney which is 211 miles.

If you are planning on camping in Yosemite my advice is to get on the reservation system before they are open for that week and pick a few sites in different campgrounds. be ready to click book at 7 am Pacific and hope for the best.

I hope from the pictures you see the beauty of Yosemite and want to visit.

Lower Yosemite Falls

Vernal Falls

Start of Mist Trail

Mist Trail