Yosemite without the Crowds
Here’s a confession that’s likely to earn me a few rude comments (if not outright death threats): I don’t like Yosemite. Or at least I didn’t, until very recently. Hot, crowded, and dusty, it always held all the charm of a refugee camp for me.
I could see that California‘s most famous national park was magnificent, I just couldn’t transcend the tour buses and carbon monoxide.
In fact only about 5% of Yosemite’s 3.2 million annual visitors ever leave the valley floor. As of last month I’m finally one of them, and now I see what all the fuss is about.
Here’s how to do Yosemite right.
Sleep outside the park
It’s easier to enjoy Yosemite when you put a little space between you and the headliners (El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridal Veil Falls, and Yosemite Falls). You can still go visit them for the day, but you don’t have to sleep near them.
An excellent choice is Evergreen Lodge on Yosemite’s western border, just a mile from the Hetch Hetchy park entrance. Not only is it a lovely and peaceful place to stay, it gives you easy back door access to the park. You can hike to Carlon Falls, harass tadpoles and bullfrogs in nearby Birch Lake, or just toast marshmallows for s’mores at the outdoor fireplace.
Another great find for families is Spinning Wheel Yosemite Vacation Rentals near Groveland, just 10 miles from the northern park entrance on the middle fork of the Tuolumne River. If you like huge grassy spaces and porches that overlook rivers—and who doesn’t?—this is the place for you.
Visit the high country
After you’ve driven four (or more) hours to get to Yosemite, the last thing you want to do is get back in the car. I hear you. The park occupies an area the size of Rhode Island however, so you’re going to have to drive some. This is not a park to be conquered in a single weekend.
Take a day to drive up to Tuolumne Meadows past some of the prettiest ponds, lakes, granite peaks, and vistas you’ll see anywhere. Even on the busiest summer days it’s quieter (and cooler!) up here. Best of all, July and August are the height of wildflower season at 7,000 feet!
For panoramic views of the granite landscape, get out of the car and scramble around on the rocks at Olmstead Point. For a peaceful picnic and an unforgettable and bracing alpine swim, spend an hour or two at Tenaya Lake.
The Tioga Road is only open when it’s snow-free and plowed though, which is impossible to predict. It usually opens in late May and closes in November, but check with the National Park Service website before making plans.
Hike a little
Even small kids can enjoy a hike as long as it’s fairly level. Jump on the John Muir trail at the Dog Lake parking area in Tuolumne Meadows and head toward Lyell Canyon. You’ll ramble through a beautiful and flat canyon, past wildflowers, and over a bridge crossing the Lyell fork of the Tuolumne River. Walk only as far as you’re willing to walk back—this is not a loop!
In Yosemite Valley, hiking to Mirror Lake is nice for families. It’s 2 miles round trip with a wide paved path, and is level all the way. The lake is slowly turning into a meadow (a natural succession in these parts), and is especially pretty at sunset.
Strap on a backpack
I’ve always wanted to try backpacking, but I’m deathly afraid that bears will come and try to eat my toothpaste and lipstick in the night. That’s why I was so excited when I found out about Yosemite’s High Sierra Camps, which offer just the right mix of adventure (you walk to them) and civilization (they cook for you).
Beginning on September 1st—that’s right, today!—families can enter a lottery to stay in one (or more) of five rustic, remote camps. Children must be 7 and older, and accommodations are basic (though not as basic as, you know, backpacking).
Rates are around $150/person per night, for which you get meals, tent cabins, beds, bedding, and bathrooms (which vary by location). All applications must be received by November 1, 2009, and applicants will be notified of their standing by January 15, 2010.
Good luck! The season is short and demand is high, but somebody’s going to win—it might as well be you.
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August 31st, 2009 | by Jamie Pearson 12 comments
1. Amber's Crazy Bloggin' Canuck on September 1st, 2009
Great post, my dear and it makes me want to return with my kids. My one and only time I ever went to Yosemite we backpacked deep into the backcountry and then scaled Half Dome. It was one of my favorite trips ever but probably wouldn’t have been if we hadn’t ventured out.
I feel the same way about Yellowstone. The backcountry is AMAZING but few ever make it past the boardwalk.
2. Grace Ghiselli on September 1st, 2009
Hi Jamie!
We were just there in August and just loved it. We did more of the touristy things, but the girls loved earning their Junior Ranger badge and watching movies at the Curry Village Amphitheater at night. We biked all over the Valley Floor, which was beautiful. Next time we’ll head up to Tuolomne! Friends of ours go every year…
Love your reports!
3. Shelly (Travels with Baby) on September 1st, 2009
Yosemite? I just love it all, top to bottom, side to side. But especially in the spring and fall when it’s less crowded. ;-)
4. Carrie Robertson on September 1st, 2009
Thanks so much for this great post! I have fond memories of working at a pack station in Fish Camp when I was in college, and your advice to explore the high country and sleep outside the park is right on. Some of the prettiest campgrounds and destinations are close, but not in, Yosemite…
Thanks!
Carrie
(Mommy Adventure Club)
5. Seana on September 3rd, 2009
Another great time to see Yosemite is in the Winter, when the crowds are nonexistant and the snow blankets the Valley. I honeymooned there and have been aching to go back. It’s so serene in the Winter time. There are kid activities just outside the valley as well, with skiing and sledding not far away. Hot cocoa and toddies in the Ahwanee are nice too.
6. Trekaroo on September 3rd, 2009
You’re so funny. Love the way you express yourself. We were actually there in April and rented a house right outside the hwy 120 entrance to the park and it was wonderful. All the comforts of home and peaceful. I agree that staying away from the valley floor after you’ve been there once can make for a much more enjoyable visit.
Oh and we were at Kings Canyon and Sequoia over the summer and thought it was just as beautiful.
7. Sharlene on September 3rd, 2009
After choking on my soda and gasping at the thought of anyone not liking Yosemite I continued to read the article. Ahh yes. I can understand why someone who never left the crowded valley floor and went during peak season could feel that way. I LOVE Yosemite and think the valley floor is magical. Especially at 6 in the morning when the sun is starting to rise and most people are asleep. Yosemite is huge and just walking a few hundred yards away from the hustle and bustle can make you feel like its all yours. Great post Jamie.
8. Carolina on September 3rd, 2009
So I stayed outside the park when I went this spring, and I found that it was tiring just getting in and out of the park…and if it’s a crowded day, you have to be at the gate before 9 am or sit in an hour of traffic to crawl along 1/2 mile to the entrance. I would either stay outside during off-season, or plan WAY ahead and stay right in the thick of things for crowded times…get up early and enjoy the park before everyone else gets in.
Clearly I’ve given this too much thought. :)
9. Mari Chazen on September 11th, 2009
Tuolumne Meadows was incredibly beautiful, great hiking and fishing. AND we stayed outside of the park all in July, which must have been why we had such a great trip. When we were driving by all of the campgrounds on the valley floor all I could feel was utter relief that it wasn’t where I was going to be sleeping with tired, dirty kids.
10. Cath Lawson on September 15th, 2009
Hi Jamie – I’m trying to choose between Yosemite and Yellowstone. But we need to go in July or August and I was worried about the crowds.
Evergreen looks like a brilliant place to stay. Hetch Hetchy gets far fewer visitors than Yosemite Valley. I also like the idea of spending a night at one of the High Sierra camps – don’t know if we’ll be able to plan far enough ahead to enter the lottery though.
11. Jamie Pearson on September 15th, 2009
@Cath The wonderful thing about Yosemite in July and August is that your kids (and you, brrrrr!) can swim in the rivers. If you can plan far in advance, you could stay 2 nights at Evergreen, 2 in the camps, and 2 back at Evergreen again…
As for Yellowstone, I can’t advise you. I haven’t been in a long, long time (check out this photo of me the last time I was there: http://www.travelsavvymom.com/blog/family-travel/before-we-were-moms/)
Good luck!
12. donna on March 10th, 2010
Planning to go to Yosemite this summer with my family. How many days do you need to see everything?
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