Highly highly recommend stopping over at this point if you're on your way to Tenaya lake !…read more This point provides absolutely stunning views of the Half Dome and if you observe closely through a binoculars you'll see folks hiking up-to the Half Dome

Named after the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (best known for designing Central…read morePark NYC). From here you are north and east of the Yosemite Valley looking at Half Dome from the other side. There are trails along the rock and scrabble. A nice stop. One of the recommended stops along the Tioga Pass Road, Olmsted Point does not disappoint. We knew nothing of this when we were there. This was out second visit to the park but the first time to this area. Saw Tenaya lake pics somewhere and headed over to see it ... happened upon several bears .. i large brown bear and later a momma black bear with 3 babies. We spent some time enjoying the lake .. drove up and had it to ourselves without hiking or effort. Easy and special moment. Afterwards we stopped a few time to soak up the view of the Tioga pass... Olmstead point was def worth the stop .. very unusual rock formations. Easy to see .. no effort

Construction on Thursdays = Major Delays. Not recommended for families with babies or toddlers…read more We arrived at the Village at 8:30 a.m. to catch the 8:45 shuttle to Devils Postpile, only to be told the first shuttle was delayed until 10:05. Since we were already committed, we drove to Main Lodge instead, where we found a huge line from everyone waiting on the delayed shuttles. At every step, we asked staff for updates, but no one warned us how bad the delays would be. We were told the shuttle ride would take about 20 minutes, but it ended up taking over an hour because of stop-and-go traffic from construction. The return trip was even worse. We boarded the shuttle at 1:30 p.m. and didn't get back to Main Lodge until after 3:00 p.m. The shuttle was hot, overcrowded, made multiple stops, and even returned to Devils Postpile before heading back. Staff seemed just as uninformed as visitors, and no one could provide accurate wait times or expectations. Our timeline: * Arrived at the Village: 8:30 a.m. * First shuttle departed: 10:05 a.m. * Reached Devils Postpile: Just after 11:00 a.m. * Boarded return shuttle: 1:30 p.m. * Returned to Main Lodge: Just after 3:00 p.m. The ticket agent refunded our shuttle tickets and admitted they didn't realize how severe the delays were because multiple agencies are involved. If you're traveling with young children, especially babies or toddlers, I'd avoid visiting on Thursdays during construction. It turned what should have been a simple outing into an exhausting, all-day ordeal.

What a great experience at Devil's Postpile NP. Easy 1/2 mile hike with some climbing, steep…read moreportions of trail. What an incredible experience. Steep climb to top but worth it. Ample parking in dirt lots. Cool info signage about the area. Seeing this phenomenon was amazing. Two miles further to Rainbow Falls. Devil's Postpile is closed 10/6-10/11, major road work repairs.

Formerly the Leconte Memorial Lodge, renamed the Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center in 2016…read more This is the original visitor in Yosemite. Built in 1903-1904. These days it still serves as a information and educational center with a great library and kids activities. In the evenings on weekend they have free programs by artist, historians and photographers to name a few. This is a seasonal building only open from early May to late September. Staffed by volunteers of the Sierra Club. A must see stop during your visit in Yosemite.

I'm reviewing the historic Mono County Jail, not the newer facility…read more It's a fun place for a quick stop to take the kids and let them experience "jail" while passing through town. Granted, the old jail is probably scarier than the new, but still a good place to get the kids "scared straight." The old jail is a small building which houses a few dank cells and one small wide open shower. The kids thought it was fun, adults found it mildly interesting from a historic perspective. Worth a look if you are nearby, but don't make a special trip to see it. 3 stars.

When you spend enough time in Mammoth, a ski town, you or someone you know is bound to end up in at…read morethe good ole Mono County Jail aka Bridgeport B & B. In the words of the great Mike Ness: "It's on the outskirts of town, by the railroad tracks Where the country moon shines." Yeah, it's in BFE so when you get the call to pick someone up after an especially egregious skiing out of bounds issue, a DIP or a DUI, it's close to an hour long haul up to the county seat to drag their sorry asses back home. On the bright side, the deputies have so little to do they will shoot the shit with you and even tell tales of what your friend did during the arrest/while in the tank. I've heard that they let the women stay up late to watch SNL. But the food, well...meh. But there is a special dietetic menu for those inmates who are watching their carbs. More from Mr. Ness: "Well it's cold and it's clammy Man, it's colder than a pimp's heart But I've gotta do my time There's a lesson to be learned here but what a price to pay. You know, I may never learn" Also - this is where Sean Penn stayed when he went to jail for punching a paparazzi when married to Madonna. He paid extra to have the privilege to do time here rather than in LA County. If only Paris Hilton did the same thing - she could have talked to the lady who got busted for trying to smoke a tea bag by sticking it into a light socket.

Evidence ignored in traffic appeal at Mono County Superior Court Appellate Division (Mammoth Lakes…read moreCourthouse) I appealed a speeding ticket (Vehicle Code 22349(b)) all the way to the Appellate Division. I submitted clear, specific evidence straight from the official CHP Radar Operator's Manual showing serious foundational problems with the radar used by Officer Nyland: - The unit had not been professionally calibrated for over a year. - It was operated on an incline with interference from trees, rocks, and a raging river. - The officer turned off the Doppler/audio sound, which violates standard procedures. On February 25, 2026, Judge Mark Magit affirmed the conviction anyway. The decision only mentioned the officer's testimony that he checked the unit at the start and end of his shift and completely failed to address or analyze the CHP manual evidence I provided. I completed the online traffic school and paid the reduced fine after showing I am disabled and unemployed. The process felt completely one-sided. Mind you, I've never had a speeding ticket in my 43 years of driving. If you're fighting a radar-based ticket in Mono County, document everything. I am also filing a formal complaint with the California Commission on Judicial Performance (CJP) so others know this option exists when key evidence appears to be ignored. On top of the appeal issues, I've had ongoing problems with court communications. Most clerks acted like they were doing me a favor, with constant clerical mistakes, poor attitudes, and delays. One major issue early on: I requested an extension for a court date, but it sat on the DA's desk past the deadline, resulting in a failure-to-appear finding until I complained directly to Court Executive Officer Lester Perpall. This experience left a very bad taste. Drivers dealing with Mono County traffic court -- especially radar cases -- should be prepared. Justice isn't always served.

**DO NOT MISS THE JAIL! If you walk behind the courthouse, you will find the old jail. It's right…read morenext to the police department. The doors are open and you can explore the cells. It's amazingly eerie. The dirty mattresses are still there. If you pay attention to the walls, you can read notes from past inmates. The courthouse (built in 1880) is gorgeous and photographs very well. I absolutely recommend finding the time to walk around the grounds - it's a quick stop. There is a coffee shop a block away so I grabbed some cold brew and took a morning stroll. Very thankful that I did since I might never return to Bridgeport again.

This 'Post Office' is part of the store at Tuolumne Meadows. There is only a walk-up window on the…read moreoutside of the building. You can buy supplies, eat a burger, and mail postcards all at one location. Many people use this post office to have resupplies sent for backpacking trips along the JMT and in YNP. This location provides many of the same services found in a full location. Normally I would give one more star for the convenience factor except for Michael. Michael works in the post office handling packages and providing customer service. Whatever you do, do not make him angry, or he will refuse to help even at the urging of a National Park Ranger. He definitely has a serious control issue. Based on my July 18th encounter, and his red face, I believe the USPS should be concerned about this employee 'going postal'. The sad thing is that I even submitted a complaint to USPS which they completely ignored.

We came through while backpacking a month ago ish and needed to pick up our resupply. There was…read moreunfortunately a pretty serious issue in that someone had covid (or likely symptoms) so they closed the Store AND the burger place - big problem for backpackers counting on those things for their 200+ mile hike!!! Michael was an angel to all as far as I could tell. He made sure that folks got their resupply boxes and that those who NEEDED food could get it from hiker box supplies. He made sure folks were informed about the unexpected closures, and how to get to Mammoth for supplies if needed and so on - and he was pretty much on his own for handling everything he could around there. I appreciated his help, his good attitude and ability to make things work and help everyone. Thanks Michael as I told you and wrote above, you're like an angel to the PCT/ JMT backpacking community! :-)

This library is located inside of Yosemite National park in the Wawona area. We had absolutely no…read morecell signal in Wawona, so we came over to use the free wifi. The library opens Mon-Friday from 1-6 PM, and from 10-3 on Sat. Closed on Sunday. Check their website in case hours may have changed http://www.mariposalibrary.org/branches.html The staff was very friendly, there are also LOTS of books for sale for .50 and 1 dollar, so stock up while you are here, especially because there is no cell signal anywhere in the Wawona area of the park (unless you are a Verizon customer-we were told, but cannot verify this because we had NO signal at all in the Wawona area and we have ATT and Cricket Wireless. Reading a good book by relaxing in your campsite is a great experience. The library has very good air conditioning, which provided a great respite from the 90+ F heat of the summer, it was a great place to cool off. There are computers for free use and also free wifi. If you are outside of business hours, it is possible to stand outside of the library and still access the free wifi. It may take a few minutes to load, so be patient. You may need to turn on and off your wifi in your phone to reset it so it can detect the network.

The Yosemite Library is small, but yes, it's a real library in the middle of the valley!…read more The library is located on the outskirts of Yosemite Village, behind the Ranger Club house. It is closed during the off season, and is open for very limited hours during the busy season. Books in the library focus primarily on topics that are somehow related to nature or Yosemite. The librarian is super friendly. If you ask her, she'll give you the wifi password, plus some other great tips on how to find wifi around the valley. There are a few computers and chairs, and a few places where one could plug in some small electronics to charge. This is one of the smallest, but also one of the cutest libraries I've ever visited.

Lovely little library. I always try to bring some like new children's books to donate for their…read morefriends of the library sale. When I've gone I've seen very few children's books.