Excellent tour with Grant and worth the $! As Yosemite gets busier, this is really worth your time…read moreand $! You don't have to navigate traffic, you're driven by and given ample time off this small bus to see everything and take tons of photos, lunch and a fantastic history lesson. $220.00 per person. Pick up 7:05 am and dropped back off at 5:00 pm. Lunch is quite good. Sandwiches from Deli Delicious in Oakhurst. Lunch is taken in the middle of the park where you can sit and enjoy it, use the facilities, grab a Starbucks if needed and take a short walk over to one of the waterfalls. You're picked back up after an hour and 1/2 and this wonderful tour continues. You see loads of wildlife, more amazing waterfalls and this famous sites you've seen all over the place in pictures, movies, paintings, etc and if your lucky, so rock climbers on 1/2 Dome or El Capitan. Incredible scenery and so much to learn about this incredible place, the indigenous peoples and tribes that lived here and the incredible amount of history all in one day. Do yourself a favor and take the tour. Hopefully you'll get Grant. He's fun, is an excellent driver, has lots of bottled water and snacks, really takes care of his fares, knows an enormous amount of info from here and makes the tour really fun. There's so much to see and if you don't know where you're going, you can really get turned around and hung up in traffic.

Get your camera ready and bring your curiosity. PREPARE:…read moreThis is no time for fashionable garb; Dress warmly and wear comfortable clothing and footwear. SERVICE: Our guide, Jarret from Discover Yosemite was passionate, friendly, and knowledgeable about every nook and cranny. ORGANIZED AND INFORMATIVE: The tour was well organized and visually appealing even though several of the passes were closed. TIP: silence your phones and texts, Ready your camera. 360' visuals require your attention. ( You will thank us later.) IS IT STRENUOUS? It can be, depending on your health. In my case, I've been dealing with some medical issues but Jarret made sure to identify places where I could sit out the more physically demanding walks and hikes while taking in incredible views from comfortable benches carved from hundreds of year old logs. Jarret found unique ways to cater to all levels of interest and physical ability. NOTE: if two of the roads were open, you would expect significant walking on flat and uneven surfaces. This is a special way to fully engage and immerse in nature. THE FOOD: The sandwich provided in the included picnic lunch did not meet the standards of the your. Ample snacks and bottled beverages and water were available throughout the adventure. TIP:PACK SOME PROVISIONS OR EAT A HEARTY BREAKFAST. SHOPPING: Several stops to do tourist shopping ( We found some luscious sweets and surprised Jarrett with hand dipped chocolate- He seemed to appreciate it,) ADVICE; leave young children in the care of others so you can focus on the serenity of the environment and take in the majesty of 150-3,000 year old trees and million year landscapes. This is an activity for serious nature lovers. PLEASE REMEMBER TO TIP GENEROUSLY.

We had an excellent day with David. We booked a private tour for my wife and me. We are not so…read moreyoung so David tailored it to our pace and abilities (still made it to the top of Sentinel Dome- well worth the effort!). Literally went from the valley floor to the peak of sentinel dome. His knowledge of the park is outstanding. He picked us up at our lodge and dropped us there at the end of the day- even gave us the picnic we couldn't eat during the trip because clouds blocked the astrophotography portion. He even apologized for the clouds! An all day adventure; we were happily exhausted when we got back to Evergreen Lodge. Highly recommend.

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!!

We really enjoyed the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad train ride in Fish Camp, CA…read more Be sure to purchase your tickets in advance. The admission cost is $32 for adults and $19 for children ages (3-12). You'll enjoy a 45 minute scenic journey through the woods along the historic tracks once used by lumberjacks. You'll learn about the areas rich history by conductor Darrell who was great!! Give yourselves enough time to use restrooms or to purchase lunchbox for the ride. We ended up having lunch after the train ride in snack bar and ordered two chili dogs, a pretzel and IPA Lagunitas beer. The food was surprisingly good. We sat in their outdoor picnic tables. Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad, has a gift shop, snack bar and Gold Panning for kids to enjoy. Seating is first come, first serve. Check it out! Happy Yelping :)

Really cool train ride! It was very peaceful going through the woods in this train, and the…read moreconductor was extremely knowledgeable. It doesn't go super far, as the train moves fairly slowly, but it's a very immersive experience. If there's one thing I would have changed, it's that the conductor was very talkative; while it was great to have the information, it would have been nice to have a better balance of enjoying the calming ambiance and knowledge sharing.

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!

We stopped by Sierra Cider right at opening (12pm) as part of our day trip before heading into…read moreYosemite for my birthday, and it was such a fun and refreshing visit! The owner and staff were super welcoming and walked us through all their offerings, which made the experience even better. We kicked things off with a cider flight--our favorites were Early Harvest and Graveyard. Early Harvest was simple, crisp, and just sweet enough, while Graveyard reminded me of a Scottish smoky cider aged in whiskey barrels. I do wish there were a few more sweet options overall and possibly a current up to date list of what's on tap somewhere online, but everything was well-crafted and flavorful! To cool off, we grabbed a cider slushy (highly recommend!) and wandered the property. We visited the goats, strolled through the apple trees, and made friends with their big fluffy Pyrenees who was living his best life napping in the shade. I picked up a bottle of Early Harvest and a t-shirt to bring back to DFW. It was the perfect stop--relaxed, local, and a great way to start the afternoon before heading into Yosemite. After our tasting, we walked through some of the apple trees, visited the cutest goats, and made friends with their big, lazy Pyrenees dog who was living his best life soaking up attention. I picked up a bottle of Early Harvest and a t-shirt to bring back to DFW--both worth it! Such a charming little spot--relaxed, scenic, and just the right detour before Yosemite!

Great cider, great vibes, great place for the family…read more The cider they have is very good. The tasting flight I got was primarily focused on the drier varieties and they did a great job of making well balanced, delicious ciders that let the quality of the apples shine through. The grounds are very cute. They have a petting zoo and "ghost town" area that are perfect for small children or photo ops. All of the animals were very well behaved and friendly. You can also pick apples or flowers for a very reasonable fee. They have an area of food trucks and today Yosemite Pizza was there. The pizza was great and went well with the cider. The staff was kind and helpful. If you are in the area and want a cold cider, or a place to let the little one explore a bit this is an excellent choice.

This is our 4th time coming here. It's so pretty and the guides are super friendly. We felt safe…read moreand watched over and they always would comment if someone was sitting funny on their horse. Yes, you are sore, but totally expected u less you ride all the time.

This was the BEST experience and I highly recommend! We could tell the horses are well taken care…read moreof, respected and trained. Chloe took us on our ride and she was so friendly and knowledgeable. She made our ride so fun hopefully when we go again, we would want Chloe on our ride!

This was our first visit to Yosemite and we needed an experienced guided tour to give us an…read moreoverview of the park so we could do some exploring later on our own. We booked a tour with Crossroads through Viator and it was a great choice. Our guide Mike was perfect. Low key, patience of a saint( people drive like yahoos even in Yosemite) knowledgeable with lots of history and current news of the park. Mike made sure to show us where the trailheads were for hikes we were thinking of taking at a later date. Our family of 6 took up most of the van and we were lucky to have another couple who were wonderful,to share the experience with us. You will get an early start with this tour but it is well worth it. We saw EVERYTHING! Thank goodness for Mike, he really was the perfect guide for us. I bobbled the booking and they were still happy to accommodate us. Do them a favor and contact them 72 hours in advance of your tour date-even if it is the weekendWe got a nice bagged lunch from Bee's Bakery and Cafe and good quality T-Shirts with the tour. We were tired but very happy that we booked a tour with Crossroads and Mike was our guide by the time we were dropped off at our car in the late afternoon. Traveling all day in a van with people who match your energy is priceless. Thanks for a really great experience Mike!!

Tour 1/15/23 Ramji went out of his way to book a very last minute tour for us. We were a party of 6…read moreadults and 1 child. The weather was unpredictable the day of our tour so I felt more comfortable going in with a guide that could drive in snowy conditions. Laura was our guide. She was very knowledgeable and catered the tour around what we wanted which was sightseeing but also lots of snow play for our 6 year old. She engaged with our son many times during the car ride to keep him interested in the tour. She also offered to take pictures of us. She was very comfortable driving the van and we didn't feel unsafe at anytime. We got to see more than we thought we would see. She made stops along the way when we needed bathroom breaks. Lunch was good - sandwich, cookie, chips, and water. We were missing 1 sandwich. I would check at pick up to ensure all lunches are there. We would use this company again. Thank you Ramji + Laura for making my son's birthday wonderful.

Lisa and Phil are wonderful hosts. They had great advice about activities and dining. They are…read morevery accommodating and friendly. Helpful but create space for a relaxing time on their oasis of a property. Lush, well kept gardens and clean, comfortable - just what you need accommodations. Highly recommend their options! Was a great base camp for exploring Bass Lake, southern Yosemite and area surrounding Oakhurst. We stayed in the Garden Suite but they also have an airstream and garden cottage.

One of the best vacation rental experiences my family has had. The beautiful Yosemite Dreams…read moreGarden Suite felt like home with its thoughtfully stocked library, beautiful patio, landscaped grounds and the perfect on-site hosts to make sure we saw everything we wanted to see and had the scoop on the best restaurants and hikes. Tip that off with a truly rejuvenating yoga experience and you have the perfect getaway. We will definitely be back next year!

If you're visiting Sequoia, book the Big Trees Telescope Tour with Scott. It was one of the…read morehighlights of our trip. Scott is a former park ranger, and his knowledge is incredible. He shared fascinating stories and facts about the park (including black bears!), and you can tell he genuinely loves what he does. He's kind, patient, and made the whole experience feel personal and special. The telescope tour was amazing -- seeing the planets under Sequoia's dark skies was unforgettable. He explained everything in a way that was engaging and easy to understand. His company may be new, but it won't stay a hidden gem for long. Highly recommend.

Dont hesitate to take advantage of this tour experience with Scott. Worth evey dollar spent…read more.. You will be rewarded with great photo stops overlooked by most , fact and stories that will deepen your appreciation of Park and Tree highlights. Thank you Scott for bringing our attention to the lesser known contributors to this beautiful National Park... Al and Dee, Chicago