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How to Yosemite

  • fivestarsbarb
  • Nov 4, 2023
  • 7 min read

Updated: Jan 1

Yosemite's reputation for crowds and traffic kept me away for the first six years I lived in the Bay Area. I saw my chance during the COVID pandemic, when a small number of entrance passes were rationed through a lottery. That 2020 trip was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the park with very few humans in it. I've returned every year, honing my strategy for a pretty good, low-hassle Yosemite visit at any time.

Be an early bird

If you're not willing to rise long before the sun, grab a coffee and granola bars for the drive, finish your hikes and sight-seeing by midday and clear out before the tourist hoards take over the park, then stop reading. I'm serious. If you plan to roll into the park at 9 a.m. after a leisurely breakfast, you'll find long lines at the entrance gates, no parking spaces at the trails, and I can't help you.

Check for closures

Don't be surprised by seasonal or construction-related road closures. The road to Glacier Point may close for the season in late October or November and stay closed until May or June.

Check entrance policies and permits

Sometimes you must reserve your entry pass online, in advance. Sometimes you have the option to buy a pass online, or at time of entry. Sometimes online passes are not available at all and you can only pay at time of entry. The National Park Service site will have the info.


Tip: If you enter the park early in the morning before the booths are staffed, you can drive straight in. You're supposed to pay when you leave but most of the time the exit booths aren't staffed because there's too much inbound traffic to deal with. Not paying to use a national park is shitty, so when this has happened I've gone online and paid for a pass.


If you have ambitions to hike Half Dome (which I absolutely do) you'll need to enter a lottery for day permits. On my November 2023 trip I was bummed to learn that the cables (which are important for not-falling-off-the-mountain purposes) are taken down for the season in October.

Where to stay

I've booked a Cottage Room at Tenaya Lodge for every trip. The Cottages are tucked away from the main resort and usually pretty quiet. Each Cottage has three units, each with a small private porch or patio. (Do not accept or accidentally book the ADA/Accessible Cottage unless you need it - it's noisy and close to the road.)

The Tenaya property is a few miles from the park's South Entrance, which is closest to the road to Glacier Point and a more scenic drive from my home. The main resort has all the amenities - pool, restaurants, spa - but I generally avoid it apart from a couple of excursions to the gift shop.


Tip: Subscribe to Tenaya's newsletter, they run sales throughout the year, usually 20% off.

I've investigated other accommodations, and was momentarily excited about the AutoCamp - until I found photos showing how exposed and close-together the units are. Plus, the AutoCamp is closer to the El Portal Entrance which is more convenient to Yosemite Valley (which I avoid because that's where the hoards are) and less convenient to most of my favorite hikes.


What to bring

  • Kettle and backpacking dinners. The kettle is great for instant coffee to fill your thermos, cocoa, and dehydrated meals. The meals save time and money, avoid weird restaurant situations, and allow you feel like you're "roughing it" a little bit. But you're really not.

  • Audiobooks and podcasts.  You'll spend a lot of time driving around, so load up on listening material. As a solo hiker, I listen to audiobooks and podcasts on the trails. Tip: Listening to podcasts or music with noise-cancelling earbuds also helps the animals sneak up on you more easily.

  • Noise-making stuff. Bring a bear bell, and also the world's loudest whistle or something fancy like the Birdie. These are for scaring away animals, or attracting human rescuers. You're unlikely to need bear spray for black bears and let's be honest, you'd probably spray yourself in the face anyway.

  • Bug stuff. Yeah, there are bugs in some places. I dislike bug repellent, so I have this net thingy in case the bugs ever get so bad I can't deal with it. Mostly I just keep moving.

  • Snacks. Probably unnecessary to mention since I aways have snacks.


Download all the things

You probably won't have mobile service in the park - or much of the drive to the park from the Bay Area. Download your route in Google Maps, or whatever navigation app you use. Download a map of the park. Download your podcasts or playlists for driving around. Download everything. And grab a paper map just in case.


Use AllTrails

I assume by now everybody knows about AllTrails. Use it to plan your hikes and don't forget to download the maps. I rely heavily on the reviews, personal lists, elevation charts and the "Preview trail" feature on the mobile app.


Tip: To calibrate the "Hard," "Moderate" and "Easy" ratings in the AllTrails app, pretend each has "...for an experienced hiker" after it. These ratings would be wildly ambitious for the average American. "Moderate" is no walk in the park.


Tip: Once I've planned the day's agenda, I bookmark the trailheads on Google Maps.


Suggested day trips

Glacier Point and Sentinel Dome: Get up early, drive to Glacier Point and be awed by the view as you finish your coffee. Then hike the Sentinel Dome and Taft Point Loop trail and be awed some more. Go home, nap and chill out.


Tuolumne Meadows and Cathedral Lakes: Get up super early, drive to Tuolumne Meadows and hike the Cathedral Lakes Trail. Make sure to bring enough food for the long hike and drive. Go home, nap and chill out.


Vernal and Nevada Falls: Get up early, drive into Yosemite Valley and behold the stunning views. Punish your glutes on the hike up to Vernal Falls and - if you're up for it - Nevada Falls. Go home, nap and chill out.


Last Day / Take it Easy: On the morning I check out, I usually do an easy trail with less driving, like the Corlieu Falls trail just south of the park (charming, hidden gem), the Wawona Meadow Loop Trail (flat and nice for jogging) or the Big Sandy Road Trail which connects to the Tenaya property. (Tip: On the Big Sandy Road trail, turn left through the gates at the big green electrical box and you'll find a "hidden trail" leading to a beautiful little waterfall.) On my 2024 trip I hiked the Washburn Trail up to the Grizzly Giant Loop and it was perfect.


Hikes

Goals for future trips:

Memories


2024

Better! Still had a little trouble disconnecting from work, but I did OK. On the first evening I was exhausted but forced myself out of my room like a good little trooper. I forgot my rain jacket so I was soggy and tired, and spent some time wondering why I do this to myself. I was rewarded by a full rainbow and some lovely views, no regrets. The rest of the trip was well-executed. I did my usual Glacier Point + Sentinel Dome trail junket on Day 2, and on Day 3 rallied for the ambitious 12+ mile Ostrander Lake Trail. I wasn't prepared for the biting temperatures and nearly froze my toes off, but it was worth it. Gorgeous. That afternoon I had one of the best deep tissue massages of my life at the Tenaya spa. On the last day I tried the Washburn Trail + Grizzly Loop Trail, despite my grave fear of tourist hoards. I set out long before the buses started running and had the place to myself. Great trip. Full report here.


2023

Finally made the trip in November after two or three aborted attempts during the summer, due to sickness and work conflicts. I hit the usual spots and accidentally tackled the butt-kicking Illilouette Falls trail for a second time. This was another quick trip, just two full days. The fall foliage was beautiful. I listened to "Things I Learned from Falling," which is a fitting selection for hiking solo. It rained on check-out morning so I spent my time writing this. I feel some of the numb melancholy from the 2022 trip, but not as much. Maybe I need more time to unfurl, instead of the hard slam from the intensity of work to a quick weekend trip, and back to work again. Still, grateful.


2022

This trip was quick and subdued, like I was going through the motions. I left home way later than planned because of work, drove in the dark and hit the pillow around 2 a.m. I crushed the trails as usual, but felt foggy with anxiety and stress, and kind of sad and resentful that work could encroach so much on a rare and much-needed break.


2021

I will always remember the time I saw three deer swim straight across Lower Cathedral Lake. Mind blown; I had no idea deer did that. Hiked Vernal Falls with all the tourists, so I could check it off and never have to do it again. Discovered the Sentinel Dome and Half Point Loop trail. Explored around a lot!


2020

My first, magical trip during the pandemic. I experienced everything for the first time: Half Dome and El Capitan were stunning from above and below. Tuolumne Meadows was lush and beautiful, the Cathedral Lakes were an awesome surprise. It was a revelation that all of this exists a four-hour drive from my home and I could come here for a long weekend any time. That trip was exactly what I needed, loved it.

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