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

Visited Yosemite National Park for the first time in a while on Easter weekend! Definitely…read morerecommend coming on a weekday/non-holiday time or arriving early as the park gets pretty crowded - we waited about 30 minutes to get through the entrance on Saturday. Park is well maintained and very prompt on trail closures. There's something for everyone here from straightforward and short paved walks to more intense ones like Half Dome. We hiked the Vernal Falls & Nevada Falls trail on Friday, and part of the John Muir trail was closed due to snow so we had to do it out and back instead of a loop. Views were stunning and there was a lot of water in the falls this time of year! Took us a little over 4 hours to complete. Only downside was that this is a very popular trail so we were having to move slowly and wait behind people on some narrow portions. We stopped by Lower Yosemite Falls on Saturday and it is a simple, easy stroll with a great view, but super super packed. We weren't able to find parking so one person had to keep circling the lot until. Gift shops were nice and I picked up a couple of magnets as souvenirs. Overall, I would definitely return, and will plan my next visit around the crowds. Pro tip: find accommodation inside the park if possible. The roads leading into the park are very windy and going back and forth made me a bit car sick. All the lodges were already completely booked, so next time I will plan well in advance.

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.

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.

I remember my mom taking me through the Indian Village of Ahwahnee here in Yosemite National Park…read moreas a kid. Now I take my family here and pass down the legacy. This is a nice walk through area located in back of the visitor center. There was a deer just hanging out here while we were visiting...go figure. Exact location is as follows: Latitude: 37.750111 Longitude: -119.587606

i hiked from badger pass ski area to glacier point on 3/28 and posted a vlog on yoütübe including…read moretips and info so you can be prepared! search "Nikko Gandia Travels." wilderness permit issued at badger pass ranger station (200 ft. to the right of main ski lodge) or a-frame. self registration on porch when open. make sure to keep up with the road closure/construction updates! fresh powder so the snowshoes were needed. camped near ostrander rocks.

This is the road to some of the most popular attractions in Yosemite Park, but only open half the…read moreyear, closed in the winter due to snow. We were driving from the Bay Area to Yosemite, 4 hours including a potty break in Mariposa, to Yosemite Valley, and then another hour going by dried up Bridalveil falls, and then the tunnel view, to Glacier Point. Glacier Point Road is some 22 miles long, and intersects Highway 41 between Yosemite Valley and Wawona, on the way to Fresno. It's not only a winding mountain road, but takes you from the 4500 foot elevation of the Yosemite Valley, to 7700 foot Glacier Point. As we go up the road, we pass a sign saying 'road closed 7pm', on Sunday November 1, 2015. No overnight parking allowed after October 15. The first part of the road is relatively straight roadway with 35 mph speed limits, through dense forests on both sides of the road, going up the mountain. Last April when the road opened, we saw a heavy duty construction grader, with chains on all four giant tires, each taller than a man, towing snow removal equipment. Badger Pass skiing resort is here, and once the road is covered with snow, cross country skiers will be able to ski on the road. There are very short turn outs on the sides of the road, for pulling over for faster cars to pass. Inevitably if I drive at the 35 mph speed limit, some guy in a hurry comes on my tail. This time its somebody in a pickup, probably local, as he is the only occupant. I speed up to 50 mph, but he clings right up to me, even when I slow down for a car in front of me. Long distances of solid double lines -no passing. The recently paved smooth asphalt road going uphill reaches a peak, and degrades into cracked surface with potholes and jagged edges. At the 16 mile mark, I pull over to the small parking lot at Sentinel Dome, the tallest location on the road, where we do both the Sentinel Dome and Taft Point hikes in 3 hours. At 4:30 pm we drive down the remaining 6 miles to Glacier Point, to enjoy the sunset. Speed limit drops to 15mph as we go down through some hairpin loops in a darkened forest, when all of a sudden, Half Dome rises on the horizon, prior to Glacier Point. We leave at 5:15 for the 1 hour trip back to Yosemite Valley. This part of the Glacier Point road has a 15mph speed limit, with hairpin 180 degree turns, and steep cross traverse roadways in a deep forest. One guy going way too fast approaches us, going way over the center line on the hairpin turn. We were going real slow, and just missed a head on collision. The road becomes dark, and there is nothing like driving on a dark winding mountain road. Amazingly enough cars are still driving up the road to Glacier Point in the darkness! Full moon at Glacier Point? I'm going the speed limit, when some joker comes up right behind me, lights in my rear view mirror, saying go faster. I'm not about to go 50 mph in a 35 mph zone in the dark. Last April I saw a coyote on the road, and the last thing I want to do is hit a bear or deer at dusk, and damage my car. I pull over at the Sentinel dome parking lot, to let the speedster past. Inevitably another car comes onto my tail, and actually passes me on the road in one of the few straight aways, only to pull over at the next turn out to enjoy the setting sun on the horizon, emitting a purple glow. About half way down the road, another car comes onto my tail,.I find a turnout, and let him pass, and then comes a whole series of cars, all going 10-15 mph over the 35 mph speed limit, like it is the Indianapolis 500! Dusk becomes complete darkness. Fortunately the road has a newly painted center line, and two bike lane solid white lines on the edges of the road. Another car comes onto my tail. but this time, I can't utilize the turn outs, as it is too dark, and I have no way to estimate the length of the turnouts. And there are snow poles on the side of the road, to delineate the roadway when covered with snow. The guy follows me at the speed limit for what seems like half an hour, down to the end of Glacier point road, past the tunnel view, onto the Valley loop, where the road becomes two lanes in one direction. At least he never blew his horn. It's 6:15 pm, on this first day of standard time, and is completely dark, when we arrive at Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, after the hour drive from Glacier Point. The following day, it rains hard the entire day. Glacier Point is closed with snow and ice, at least temporarily, and perhaps for the season, until next April, or June if El Nino materializes.

When you enter into Yosemite be prepared because it's a really huge national park. To get to…read moreSentinel Dome and Taft point it takes about 40 minutes once you get inside the park however, Yosemite in general, especially this hike is worth the drive. This has to be one of the most scenic hikes that I've been on. You have full view of the Yosemite Valley, and all the peaks that come with it the hike itself is medium in terms of challenging. There is some uphill which will push you but worth it when you get to the top if you feel like cheating, you can actually park in the parking lot hike about a mile and you're already at Sentinel Dome. If you go the back way, which I did the whole trip is just under 6 miles.

This was such a nice and beautiful hike. The views at Taft Point was unbelievable. Very peaceful.read more

I've done a couple trips with OARS now: two on the South Fork of the American River and a 2 day…read moretrip on the Tuolumne. OARS does not disappoint! From incredibly attentive and knowledgeable guides to luxurious camping accommodations, they take care of you. All you have to do is show up and paddle. Maybe you don't even have to paddle if you're sitting in the gear boat. The American River trips are an easy day trip from Sacramento or the Bay Area. If you're looking for a little more adventure, a multi-day guided whitewater trip is so fun, with lots of downtime to swim, look at the stars, play games, and eat yummy food. There's no freeze dried camp meals here. Everything is boated in and prepped on the beach for you. So good. All around, so good.

We spent the 3 days, Fourth of July holiday 2025 in Auburn at The Foothills Motel. For fun we…read moredecided to go white water rafting on The American River. My wife and I had an amazing day (6 hrs) in the river with Oars. The crew was friendly, respectful and fun. Our guide was Alex. She was very knowledgeable of rafting and the river. Not only did she provide a safe and exciting adventure but she was also a great conversationalist with extensive knowledge of all flora and fauna along the river. Plus she shared relevant historical stories from the mining times of the area. We can't wait to book another trip. Thx to Alex for a great time.

Awesome trail! It was one hell of a hike going up and zig zagging but the views are absolutely…read morebreathtaking views! Worth every step! If you keep going you will head towards Upper Yosemite Falls. I believe that is what we were told. Which we will be doing next month lol fun times! You cannot beat the views on this trail. The views are spectacular--everything Yosemite is about. You shouldn't be too afraid of heights either. We made it in time to experience the Firefall phenomenon! EPIC!

We were looking for a short, moderately strenuous, and view rewarding hike…read more Found at this Columbia Rock viewpoint via Upper Yosemite Falls trail. Distance is about 2 miles round trip, all switchbacks, and about 1,000 ft elevation. Our entire hike took about 2 hours, including a long break at the famous viewpoint,180 degrees views of Yosemite Valley with Half Dome. 32 oz water required for Winter and Spring, 64 oz wafer required for Summer and Fall. We started the trail from Camp 4, bathrooms avail there. Saw lots of climbers practicing their sport. I also saw a plaque listing Camp 4 as a National Register of Historic Places for the growth and development of rock climbing. Later, I read that Camp 4 is one of 3 most famous climbing base camps on earth, along with Everest Basecamp, and Chamonix by Mont Blanc. Look for Midnight Lightning, a chalk lightning bolt drawn on a super difficult concave shaped boulder.