So many thoughts... My relation to Yosemite Valley began…read moreabout 64 years ago. In the Cub Scouts, I think. Ralph John loaded a squad of loud, wiggling, excited boys into his blue Plymouth station wagon for the 250 mile drive from Sylmar to Yosemite. No Interstate 5. Valencia was a carrot field, Magic Mountain an oak studded pasture for the Newhall Family cattle operation. Thank you Ralph, thank you Lord Baden-Powell. My most memorable trip, my intro to modern tourism, was when Ted Germond and I took two days of November Coast Guard Liberty from the USCGC Blackhaw, drove from San Francisco one afternoon, arrived at night, pitched camp in the center of Yosemite Valley, covered our sleeping bags with a tarp, woke at dawn under that frost-crusted tarp. We threw that crunching canvas off, shook off the frost, and threw our gear into Ted's Land Cruiser. He took one photo of the valley. We drove back to San Francisco, a handful of photos proving the journey. Aside from my tourism, I have known members of the Southern Sierra Miwok Tribe, keepers of Yosemite Valley and the surrounding area for millennia until gold miners, livestock grazers and the U.S. Government arrived. Priscilla and her husband built a very successful real estate enterprise in Oakhurst, deciding their children needed a better education in a bigger city. I got to know Priscilla through her daughters, was accepted by the family, caring for the sons and meeting The Matriarch, another very sucessful real estate entrepreneur in Southern California. Never a word, never a peep, never a hint the female side of the family were Native American Indigenous people until I was much older. Too much shame. So much taken from the Guardians of Yosemite Valley. May 22, 2026. The Friday of Memorial Day weekend. A perfect set of days to stay away from 21st century Yosemite. We knew this. I chose to cross Yosemite returning home to Phoenix. As our trip home from Coastal Washington began jelling, I checked several times to see if California 120 over Tioga Pass was clear of snow. At first, Tioga was closed, then announced open for the start of The Season, 2026. We breakfasted light at the Angel's Camp Best Western, started early, entered the park with very short lines and rolled for Tioga Pass. We did not enter the valley. Tourist aspects are so slick, capitalized and bussed, we did not choose to deviate from Cal 120. There are many burned areas from recent fires. Fear not! Intrepid sightseer. With Miwok vegetation management ending in the 19th century, the Gifford Pinchot ethos of 1912; the Environmetal Movement, no fire, no tree cutting; plus drought, higher temps and lower humidity. Expect immense burned areas across the Sierra Nevada. Prescribed fire was brought back to The Valley by Harold Biswell in the 1960's, carried strongly in the 1990's and 2000's. Many notable and positive changes are visible in forest ecosystems where fire has been laid down in moderate temperatures and humidities. I note one thing as I close. The turnouts dor the first paved roads to this region were chosen for their breath taking vistas. The forests have grown as forests do. We the tourists in our climate-controlled, musically diverse, internet-connected pods see only tree trunks these days. Lots of tree trunks. Bring Back the ancient and 20th Century Vistas! Yes Park Service, a few trees must go. But, my wife and I stopped near a deck of Incense Cedar logs at one turnout and got a view worth more than Xanterra's cash flow. We need those vistas - to honor the Miwok and their cathedral; the vision of Frederick Law Olmstead and the National Park Service's first Landscape Architects. Most of all, we members of Our Family Human, traveling here from across our planet need those humbling, magnificent, Creator-realizing views to be properly set in our places. To understand our puny, self important sparks in time and space mean nothing at all to geology, nature, and the endless seasons. We can only take care of our beautiful world generation by heneration. Said the Southern Sierra Miwok.

Visited Yosemite Falls on May 1st, and it felt just right…read more No crowds, perfect weather -- not too hot, not too cold. The waterfall was powerful, full of life, rushing down like it had something to say. Yosemite National Park felt wild and peaceful at the same time -- clean, untouched, and deeply beautiful. Grateful for everyone who takes care of this place

Like Nevada Fall, Vernal is a gorgeous waterfall but it was a little small when I visited due to…read morethe lack of rain. Nevertheless, an amazing site and experience. Please come and create your own adventure.

The journey it took me to get here was crazy and I almost gave up twice, but that VIEW? All of the…read morenature and smell of the trees was breathtaking. The water was insanely cold, but felt really ~ refreshing ~ to jump in. Added years on my life and made me think about life. Great 5/6 mile hike, but expect lots of elevation and prep with the stair master! Bring your bathing suit and shoes that can get wet because it gets misty and rainy up there... I'd come back again! Parking is a bit rough, but just keep circling around because people are constantly leaving and arriving. Bathrooms are available right before the trail and halfway through the hardest part of the hike.

Finding a place to park for this hike was a struggle! We failed the last time we visited but…read moremanaged to figure it out this time. We parked at Yosemite Valley Trailhead Parking, took a short walk to Happy Isles and where the restrooms were, then took the free shuttle, got off after one stop at Mirror lake! And going back to the parking lot, we took the shuttle one stop again and it was a short walk back to the parking lot. This hike reminds me of the Little Yosemite hike in Sunol, CA in the Bay Area! It's paved for most of it and there's restrooms at the beginning and about midpoint of the hike. The fall foliage was beautiful, but the lake wasn't full since its fall. There was still some water in it since it rained and snowed not too long ago.

I had not done my research and was taken aback that mirror lake was completely empty when we came…read morein late September 2025. I was hoping to show my husband the lake for the first time to get the beautiful reflection but not this time. It was still fun to walk around in the lake bed and hike the surrounding trail and picnic here, but a real bummer not to get the reflection.

We love this location and it's so beautifully fresh green during late Spring. It's just so calm…read moreand peaceful and so blessed to walk around here or just to sit down glazing the waterfall and amaze at beauty of nature

This is probably one of my favorite hikes as I love the view of the waterfall, how close the view…read moreis, the large rocks you can climb if you'd like and the walking bridge. If you are looking for a short and fairly easy hike, I'd add this one to the list. There are also man made seesaws from logs right outside the trail which are fun to check out!

This bridge is in half dome village, our one day guided tour stopped here for a short while to…read moreappreciate the stone bridge and Merced river underneath. The views on both sides of the bridge are the same beautiful. But the busy traffic on the bridge makes it hard to cross over so it's best to stay on the same side where you park. Often you can see the half dome reflection in the river too. We took time to enjoy the gorgeous views and took some real nice photos. A little red boat was passing through the river and it made the view look like a vivid oil painting! For some reason I really liked this stone bridge and the surrounding views especially the beautiful Merced river underneath. I suggest drive by or park somewhere to enjoy the gorgeous views of sentinel bridge and everything around!

Went mid-March valley floor hardly any traffic early 8 am. Got busy after 10am. Rode bikes Yosemite…read morevalley loop El Capitan, Half Dome, Horsetail, Bridal veil, and Vernal falls. Tried singletrack that paralleled then the crowds at Yosemite village slowed our pace to a crawl. A family of four walking side by side blocking the path completely. Even oncoming hikers gave them dirty looks. Selfish people have zero consideration or self awareness. If you go biking, go early to avoid crowds.

When in Yosemite National Park, Lower Yosemite Falls is a must!…read moreIt is a short and easy 1.2 mile walk. There is an easy little trail that leads you to a bridge where you get to be near the waterfall. Depending on the season you get to witness either a flowy fall or a dry one. Our favorite time is Spring because we will witness a nice flowy fall and some mist that hits us with the breeze. The kids love it. I Highly recommend this fall- for all ages.

Review is for the Merced River Trailhead near Briceburg, this is very south of Yosemite but I…read moredidn't want to make a new review page just for this small trailhead. If you are taking 140 south leaving Yosemite you'll drive right next to the river and you can stop here. You can get under the freeway underpass for some nice variety but the main attraction is the River. There are small tributaries throughout this area and the kids enjoyed building dams with the rocks here. There are also some nice flat stones closer to the water if you want to teach the kids how to skip stones. There is a bridge you can hike over to for a higher view of the scenery, cars and trucks did drive in this smaller bridge so we didn't cross it all the way. Overall, it was a nice stop with plenty of parking and no one else there when we went, it's much more secluded than some of the more popular Merced River stops closer to Yosemite.

Beautiful river that feeds into Yosemite Valley…read more If you are entering the valley from the west which we did, you will be driving along the river for a while before the entrance of the park. The water is beautiful and clear and lots of people fish in the river. Tubing is also a fun activity to do. Take photos, enjoy the view!

10/10 would do it again! doors open at 8 am , it's not to long of a hike about 5-6 miles total…read moregoing and turning back! definitely take water & sandwiches!! make sure to take ur trash ! leave the trails clean !!!

4.28.18 Please note…read morethat the Gate to Hetch Hetchy opens from 8:00 am - 7:00 pm, so you can't start your hike earlier. A ranger will open the gate usually spot-on at 8 am and then you'll drive a mile or so to pay for entering Yosemite National Park. From there you'll have a 15-20 min drive to parking. For a day hike its in your best interest to not park in the backpackers parking campground but to continue on the road another mile to park literally right next to the dam. I started my hike at 8:35 am. The hike is fairly easy with lots of rolling hills and switchbacks, ups and downs. You'll come to Wapama Falls in about an hours hike. In the early Spring water is flowing at its peak. I came here 3 weeks ago but couldn't even make it to Wapama Falls because there was so much water running off the mountain that there were so many new waterfalls spilling onto the trail. A ranger came by as I couldn't get past one of them and told me that they need to rescue some Boy Scouts via boat because they camped up ahead and can't get past Wapama Falls because the bridge is covered with water. So three weeks ago I turned around and did a much smaller hike nearby. Wapama Falls is nice, a few bridges that provide views of the falls and much needed mist. You'll always have great views of Kolona and Hetch Hetchy because the trail is always on the North side of the mountain. Continue on for another 1:15-1:30 or so and you'll reach Rancheria Falls. You'll first see what appears to be a long water slide, don't stop there keep going and you may come across some backpackers and tents. Keep going... another 10 minutes or so on the trail. It will split, but stay RIGHT for another few minutes. There you will see the Rancheria Falls bridge and have a great perspective. This is an awesome spot to break for lunch. You can head back down and make your way to the river that flows into Hetch Hetchy, there are some pretty good spots to chill. Started my hike at 8:35, made it to Rancheria Falls bridge at 11 am. I took lots of videos and photos on my way up. I had lunch at the falls and left at 12:00 and arrived in the parking lot at 2:15. This is a long hike at 13 miles total.

Our tour guides were absolutely amazing (John and Mia) and they were very knowledgeable and helped…read moreanswer all of our questions (about Yosemite in general, specific famous features on our hike, and even random questions about birds and plant life). The hike is as advertised (in terms of ratings and what features you will see). They always put safety first and even offered to help carry our back packs when we got tired or were crossing a small stream! They treated us like close family/friends, were encouraging us along the way, and adapted to our pace and schedule. Our group ranged from age 6 to adult and we couldn't have made it to the end of the hike without them! Book them for your tours and have fun on your Yosemite Vacation!

Will definitely be booking again with John and Y Explore!!! Honestly when we booked the guided half…read moredome hike I went into it thinking we were just utilizing the purchased permits as hadn't won the lottery ourselves but as the day progressed I became more and more grateful for the wisdom and knowledge of our guide. From breathing techniques and tips for ascending and descending the cables to the order of of our group and perfectly timed rest breaks this was worth every penny as we had not only a successful summit but an overwhelming positive experience! Hubby and I are excited to travel again to more destination with Y Explore in the near future!

Dave is AMAZING! We had the best day with him on our private tour of Yosemite. He is so fun,…read moreknowledgeable, a great conversationalist and made the day fabulous. I had the best time and felt like we got to really see Yosemite and get to know the park. I would 100% recommend booking with him and his company. Hands down the BEST!!

I cannot say enough about David and the two days he spent with us in the park. It was our first…read moretrip to Yosemite and David planned two great days that really gave us a feel for the incredible natural beauty that surrounds you in the Valley. While you can only see so much in two days, his skillful guiding made the most of that time covering the multiple waterfalls in the valley, the Sequoia Grove, Hatch Hatchy and many others. He is a self taught naturalist and gave us just the right mix of park history and insights into the floral and fauna. He also balanced our hiking so it was challenging enough to keep me interested but not to difficult that Thelma could not enjoy it as well. He was also terrific about assisting her through some of the more difficult and rocky sections so she was never uncomfortable. His planning was simply impeccable and more than worth every penny as we could never have enjoyed as much as we did on our own. There is just no substitute for having a professional guide a Dave was as professional as it gets. Simply cannot thank him enough and more highly recommend him to anyone who wants an extraordinary experience.