Best sight to see here just make sure you go early and find the right time for the waterfall which…read moreis in spring which is when the snow caps are melting. Hikes can range with difficulties but there are simple trails for kids

I never expected to love Yosemite. I've been fortunate enough to travel to different places and…read morehave seen some truly breathtaking natural wonders. And so when I stepped off the Yosemite Close Up Tours van as Ken (our guide and the tour owner) parked it beside a few rocks to test our climbing/walking ability, I wasn't expecting much. But it's pretty appropriate that this tour group has this name, because Ken gave us a close up and intimate glimpse into the beauty of Yosemite. They say mountaineering is a lonely experience and so it is a very close/tight-knit community. They also say that there is something about Yosemite that brings people together. We were fortunate enough to have Ken bring both these things to us, as he shared his decades of experience scaling Yosemite's mountains and hiking its trails; imparted his knowledge about the delicacy and power of the nature around us; and allowed us to experience his lifelong love story with this national park. In our one day tour on a bright spring day, Ken taught us: - Balance: He started the tour by asking our group of 10 to walk up and down a few rocks, just so he could see what level we were each at. The 5 year olds in our group loved this 'playtime' while the 60+ year olds in our group loved this proactive calibration of how much (or little) help was needed throughout the day. - To look up, out and inward: While Ken was great at picking spots for photo opportunities, I loved it most when he picked spots that were set-ups for stories. He would ask us to look up at specific sections on the mountains and talk about how climbers would tackle this crevice or that ridge. So as we looked up at El Capitan or the Half Dome, we not only saw the beautiful shots seen in pictures and screensavers, but also the solitary suffering and the exhilarating exhaustion of challenging oneself, of being one with that challenge, and of finally and triumphantly scaling the top (and getting down afterwards). - Respect for the danger/risk: Ken lightly but seriously talked about this book he had that detailed different ways people had died in Yosemite (e.g., there's a whole chapter on rivers). It wasn't meant to be morbid or macabre, but matter-of-fact. And it made us aware and respectful about what was around us. - Conservationism without the hard sell: In between the more tour guide-y stories, Ken made sure to drop some geological/biological knowledge on us. For example, he explained what meadows were and how they came to be (which was his thesis if I remember correctly) and talked about the regular volunteer work that climbers do to clean up the park. - The evolution of climbing: Mid-tour, Ken brought out his different hooks and clamps to show us how climbing gear has changed and become more sophisticated over the years. And this may sound like a boring history lesson but it actually helped us appreciate Yosemite's mountains - and the people who dream/do climb them - even more. - Picnics are the best: I'm not sure whether it was because we had been walking a lot, or because Ken's tour provides locally sourced food, but that picnic lunch of sandwich+chips+cookie+apple absolutely hit the spot. Ken ended our tour with a funny/folksy song about 2 climbers at Yosemite. And in a way, I thought that was a kinda perfect way to end the day. Because it was only later on when, through good ol' Google, that we found out Ken was a sort of mountaineering legend, with many initial ascents (i.e., first time anyone ever scales a mountain) credited to him. But at that moment, as he was singing his folksy song to bid us goodbye, he wasn't Ken Bouche, a known mountaineer. He was just another guy who was completely in love, and wanted to playfully share that love with the people he was entrusted with that day. 5 stars. Highly recommended.

This is the second time we have enjoyed the train, both times have been very good, and excellent…read morecustomer service. we will recommend this experience to singles and families as well. the conductor shares some facts that are interesting. Thank You and we will see you again.

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.

We did a family fishing tour with Rick (the owner) who met us in Yosemite. Rick was great and right…read moreoff the bat asked if we're ok driving a little longer, but he said it would be worth it because of the weather, but more importantly so we could have a better chance at actually catching fish. We went north to just outside Yosemite to a nice calm and quiet river where we spent the next 4 hours learning to fly fish. We were a family of 4, with two girls ages 13 and 10 and none of us had fly-fished before, but after about 45 minutes of Rick we were experts and having a blast. I had told the family to not get hopes up before we went out and didn't think we'd even see a fish, forget about actually catching one. Well...i was wrong! 3 of us all caught fish and we caught 4 total! Amazing! Rick is super knowledgeable, friendly and very patient. He helped us with everything and we ended up even running later than we were supposed to as he was trying to make sure each of us caught a fish. Really recommend Rick, it's worth the $$$ and we're already looking forward to being able to go back out again.

I booked an all day trip with David Gregory. The booking process was easy, and he called a couple…read moretimes to get a feel of what we wanted. Out of all the guides I've used, David did the best job of teaching fly fishing. He showed us some great parts of Yosemite.

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.

Did the 3 hour excursion. Owner/Operator Paul was very informative, helpful, & patient. We drove 4…read morehours & will definitely do it again! We'll definitely make it an overnight trip as to enjoy the beautiful scenery longer. There are nearby campgrounds that are 1st come 1st serve.

Paul and John gave the family a great gold panning experience today! We meet at a beautiful spot on…read morethe Merced River. They had equipment for us to shovel dirt into a sifter topped bucket. We had our Mom at the sluice box at edge of the river using the sifted dirt. The rest of the family got to pan the dirt in the river looking for the gold at bottom of our pans. Then each of us also took turns at the sluice box. The 2hr adventure was perfect amount of time.

Right around the corner from where I live, Sierra cider is surrounded by the apple orchards, they…read moreused to make their sliders. A wide variety of sliders. You can have a flight of five and she's your favorite. There are lots of special events there. And they have an animal farm with goats and chickens and a potbelly pig and a beautiful white dog named Bella.

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!

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!

We took a scenic flight with Cullen. What an experience! He was so knowledgeable and if the flight…read moreisn't on your bucket list you better add it! From beautiful views of El Capitan to Half Dome to everything in between, the flight was so amazing and would rate more stars if I could. And make sure you ask for Cullen! Thank you Airborrn for the great and safe experience and can't wait to see you again in the future.

First Tony met me with a smile an a firm handshake and said are you ready to see Yosemite birdseye?…read more5 minutes later I saw wonders , left in me in awe and amazement of Gods creation. Half dome seemed at my fingertips El Capitan was waiting on my left and five waterfalls were foaming and rolling thousands of gallons upon gallons hundreds of feet down to the valley floor . Then you could see bumper-to-bumper traffic that was i was not in beside the beautiful Merced river. Tony knew every named mountain named waterfall peak and answered every question I had for him. I suggest this trip for anyone I'm 6 foot one weigh 225 pounds had a little trouble getting in his aircraft comfortable. Tony is so knowledgeable of the area. I would definitely advise you to contact airborne aviation services. This is a A+ guide service and charter. I would definitely use this business for my next charter flight. Thank you so much Tony For this day. I'll never forget Ronald Prather Purdy Tennessee.38375