A must stop! Great view of the falls and the Merced River from the bridge. A nice place to…read morepicnic, but if the weather is good, you will have lots of company. At any rate, the view is fantastic from the bridge, and there is a walking trail where you can take gorgeous photos of the surrounding area. By the way, there is no "swing" in the Swinging Bridge. The original swinging bridge was replaced with a permanently fixed bridge after being damaged in the 1965 flood.

Came here mid November w/ old snow/ice on the grounds. Small parking lot. We got here probably…read moreafter 10a. We're able to get parking. The bridge doesn't swing anymore. Beautiful view of Yosemite falls in the background I believe. Was able to walk down to the water which was shallow and had some ice in it. The kids had fun playing around in the little beachy area. There are restrooms here but my husband said it's those port spotty styles with a hole in the ground. I didn't even want to attempt it. Luckily we drove maybe 5mins out to base camp eatery (Yosemite valley lodge) and use the rest rooms there.

Super fun hike to these little hot springs located along the mountainside.read more

Always beautiful since I've been going over here!! The water level this year is high so can only go…read morethrough the bridge path..

It would've been a better attraction if the vocals came from the bear vs a speaker behind it…read more The script was loaded with information but it did not keep my interest.

This is a nice stop to visit the information center and to hear a background on the California…read moreGrizzly Bear. It's more educational than entertaining, but low maintenance and easily found on the east side of Highway 41. I was hoping that the bear would move or provide some insight into the Yosemite Valley, but free is hard to beat!

One of the most beautiful views around. Everyone should try to make it here at some point their…read morelife. What an amazing viewpoint to take in some of God's most beautiful creations. Early spring or fall are the best times to visit, late spring & summer gets extremely crowded & parking can be a night with all the bus tours. I try to come at least a few times a year & I'm always blown away of the view at the end of the tunnel.

This place is just STUNNING. It's a spot right along the road to take pics so no hiking is involved…read more- you just park and take your pic! The first day I went the drive up to here (and the area itself) was covered in a thick fog so you couldn't see anything initially (a bit cleared right before I left so I got a partial view), but when I came back the second day there was no fog - just the perfect view of several mountains, the valley, and a waterfall. Really it's a spiritual thing to see it - really makes you feel small in an incredible creation. You MUST stop by here while in Yosemite!

Ever since we made our return reservations almost a year ago; I've been looking forward to this…read moreroad being open! Usually it's open from late May to October or November directly depending on the amount of snowfall. Once we turned onto the Glacier Point road it was roughly 16 miles until we reached the spectacular viewpoint area. There are numerous places to pull over. Some are viewpoints, other's are hiking trails. Plan on bringing your own food & water. Can't beat the views for a nice bag lunch! It has been many moons since I first laid eyes on the beautiful snow flower. Imagine my surprise and delight in spotting the snow flower (sarcodes sanguinea) along the edges of the roadway! For those of you unfamiliar these plants are located in montane areas of the California Floristic Province, above 5,000 feet. Since I don't live in elevations above 5,000 feet it's rare that I see them. A large parking lot, some port a potties, a gift shop plus numerous hiking trails await you at the viewpoint area.

Ice cream at the top! We hiked this from Yosemite Valley floor and was genuinely surprised that…read morethere was a convenience store at the top along with great views of Half Dome. Our group had ice cream at the top and I had two! We found that this is a drivable viewpoint and there were full amenities at the top. We came from Union Point and after hitting Glacier, we went up to Sentinal Dome, which is less than 2 miles, a bit steep but worth the picture opportunities! Our hike was amazing except for the bugs. Please come and create your own adventure.

If Elvis were an Imperial Stormtrooper, he would be the Elvis Trooper. I'm not sure there's…read moreanything more one could add to that, except: WORSHIP THE ELVIS TROOPER. Because it's inevitable. Many Bothans died to bring you this information. They didn't have to; I just don't like Bothans.

We toured the Fresno County Blossom Trail the last weekend in February 2026, and the flowers were…read moreout in full force, and the agriculture along the trail was absolutely impressive. I saw somewhere that the trail is about a 2-hour drive. That pace seems to me to be at race speed, and way too fast to enjoy the sights. We took about five hours to drive the trail, and that was a comfortable speed. Given how much business and pride the Blossom Trail could drive to Fresno County, the trail appears to be a bit neglected. First, the Google Map download from the Fresno County website is practically useless for navigation using the Android Google Maps app. The app continuously tries to optimize the point-to-point travel, which too often takes one off the preferred and official route roadways for seeing the maximum number of blooms. Occasionally, there are Blossom Trail signs marking the route and turns, but some are either hard to spot or missing: more signs are needed to enhance route navigation for visitors, most of whom are not familiar with the area. Lastly, the map downloaded and printed from the Fresno County website is at such a small scale that it is very difficult to read, and if enlarged, gets blurry and even harder to read. Clearly, Fresno County has done a "government" job at the simple task of marking a route. Lastly, I would highly encourage Fresno County or the Farm Bureau to work with the landowner to put up signs that identity the type of orchard, vineyard, or crop. There used to be blue signs along the fences on I-5 that identified crops, and those were appreciated. The landowners and farmers benefit because the signs instill knowledge in the public and a public that knows about agriculture will support agriculture. Overall, despite the navigation challenges, the Fresno County Blossom Trail provides for a beautiful roadtrip.

The trail is all across Fresno. You'd have to have a car and find one of the "landmarks" on the map…read morethen pay close attention to the streets to know where to turn. The map is confusing and took a lot of time to comprehend. Throughout the trail, you may find orange blossoms, cherry blossoms, almond blossoms, and pear blossoms, however it really varies based on the season for its full blossom. The website recommended Mid February to Mid March. Additionally, some areas may look better than others. If you look at my photo, it looks fairly empty. BUT we did see some pretty full ones in other areas... a lot of them are fenced off. If you're able to find some that aren't blocked, you can easily pull over and take photos. So be prepared to do some searching.

Pulled into the RV park late one night, exhausted. Office was closed. Slept for awhile, then hit…read morethe road at sunrise. Cute little town

Love the town of Lee Vining. After driving thru Yosemite on Tioga Road 120 , continue on hwy 395…read morethen BOOM!!! , the town appears. About 10 miles after passing thru the East Gate ( of Yosemite). Cute little resort town , love the fact that there are no chain restaurants/ coffee shops in the whole entire town. No McDonald's or Starbucks in sight. We stopped at this cute little old school diner called Nicely's for BLT sandwich and fries ... and a huge Mono Lake size ice cream sundae:) All delicious and friendly service. After our tummies are full , we drove to see Mono Lake. To me , this lake is just okay. Not spectacularly pretty because no trees or vegetation around the lake , looking dried. Not much water in the lake. However , wait till night time. We went to see the Tufas in the dark . OMG!!!!!!!!!!! We could see the Milky Way and gazillion stars in the dark sky. I had NEVER seen that many stars in my life. Simply AMAZING!!!!!! No words can describe. Well worth the 10 hour ( round trip ) drive. Next morning we drive up to Convict Lake, Virginia Lake and June Lake. Snow capped mountains towering over the crystal clear lakes ... the changing colors of the leaves , cool crisp autumn air ... breathtakingly beautiful.

Just the ride up to and through Mammoth Lakes is amazing. If you want hiking boating fishing…read moreswimming and just a beautiful day sitting by the water Kama then this is the place for us. Around every corner it's an astounding picturesque view and with the nice strong winds that are blowing today it just gives you that nice breath of fresh air while hiking. Get a cabin and just relax. It's a good getaway from the big city. You won't regret it. You get to see all the wild animals. Some even come down to your cabin. Just have your camera or cell phone ready to take pictures. Watch out that some of the animals don't use you as food. I wonder if there's Bears out here??? Definitely a place I would come back to

+ Vons is a convenient grocery stop on your way between NP's and the ski resort here…read more - Though everything here is a lil pricier than back home. . Popular, crowded ambience. + Still, lot of cultural variety dining. + Pleasant town to walk around with your folks, especially at Mountain Center at Mammoth, whether on or off ski season.

Columbia CA is a find in and of itself, and this gold panning activity is just one of the reasons I…read moresay that so confidently. The attractions here are super affordable and, in some cases, free, and they're truly captivating. For about $20 you get a bag of dirt to pan with guaranteed gold in it, a panning lesson, and access to the panning area for the whole day. That's right. This isn't one and done. It's for the entire day. The lesson is fast and furious, but you get the idea by the end. If you don't, just wait for someone else to get theirs and listen in for a refresher. The speed of the lesson and the fact there's no one there to ask questions after is the only reason I'm taking a star off. That said, you can go inside and ask for help, but that takes you away. The man who taught us was kind and gentle with the lesson, and he made sure the kids found their gold. The look on their faces was priceless! I truly thought they'd be done after that one pan but they were so captivated by the idea of finding treasure that I'm sure we spent at least an hour sifting through the sand for gems. This was money well spent, and if you're vacationing in the area, I would highly recommend this be in your plans.

A good time for all. Grab a pan and start panning. Left with garnets and citrine gemstones (panned…read morereally hard for them). Kid friendly activity, there is a park nearby, a small old town to walk through and plenty of public restrooms and parking available.