Day 1: Exploring Yosemite Valley

Finding a Campsite

When we arrived in Yosemite early on Saturday morning, our first goal was to get a camp site. Since all the reserved campgrounds had been booked for months, we had to take our chances at one of the first-come-first-serve campsites. After consulting our trusty 'Lonely Planet' guide, we decided to go straight to Bridalveil Campground since it had 110 sites (making it one of the larger campgrounds in the park) and was close to the park entrance we were using. We got there around 10 in the morning and had no problems finding a spacious, quiet campsite that was surrounded by trees. Both Art and I loved the clean, fresh mountain air scented with pine.


We had no problems finding a spacious campsite surrounded by trees in Bridalveil campground.

Exploring the Park

After securing a place to sleep that night, we were able to relax and drive down to 'Yosemite Valley', one of the biggest tourist attractions in the park. This is the place that made Yosemite Park famous and has breathtaking view after breathtaking view.


View from 'Inspiration Point' with views of several famous Yosemite sites: El Capitan, Half Dome, and a waterfall.

Nice Day for a Swim

The Merced River winds its way through the valley.



In places, the Merced River moves quickly over rocks and stones, creating whirlpools and fast currents.

Here I am perched on a log over top of some rapids. I look happy but I was actually kind of scared- those wet logs are slippery.

Even though the current was swift and strong, I couldn't resist jumping into the water for a swim. I felt like I was in a jacuzzi and the water nearly carried me away a few times so I had to keep my balance and hold onto some rocks!

Another view of the Merced River with mountains towering in the background.

Bridalveil Fall

Since this was our first day in the park, we wanted to take it easy. Our first 'hike' was actually a short walk from a parking lot to Bridalveil Fall.



Here is my travel companion, Art Miller, just before we walked to Bridalveil Fall.




At the foot of Bridalveil Fall. The trail ended far away from the falls but we continued to the very bottom of the waterfall by scrambling over rocks. My sandal fell in the swift rapids and I almost lost it, but was able to grab it at the last minute.



I was happy just to get to the bottom of the waterfall, but that wasn't enough for Art. Can you see him in the mist as he climbs up the wet, slippery rocks next to the waterfall?

As Art tried getting to the top of the waterfall, I cooled my feet down in one of the many water pools.


After leaving the waterfall, we caught this nice view from a distance. I don't know if it looks more beautiful up close or from a distance.

Sunset at Glacier Point

After driving through the valley some more and seeing some spectacular views, we decided to watch sunset at Glacier Point. This is a viewpoint at the top of a mountain that looks down into the valley.



Here is Art taking a picture of some mountains at Glacier Point at sunset.


Sunset at Glacier Point.

That night, we returned to our campsite for a well-deserved sleep. When the sun goes down, the temperature sure drops quickly! Art was very comfortable in his thermal sleeping bag, but I had to put on 4 shirts and 2 pairs of pants on and I was still freezing cold. Next time, I will definitely bring a sleeping bag with some sort of temperature rating.

It was only our first day in the park and we had seen so much. The following day we were planning to do a day-hike in the northwest portion of the park.

Day 2: Hiking through the High Country

Driving to Tuolomne

Yosemite Park is over 1000 square miles, which is around the size of Rhode Island! Our campground is in the south of the park and our hike today is towards the north, so we'll have a good opporunity to drive and enjoy the scenery.


A small lake on the way to our hike.


The forests often open up into natural meadows full of lush grass and wildflowers.


Art walks on a fallen log in the meadow.

Valley Views


Here's a rainbow we caught on the side of the road.




Another deep valley with a river running through it.

Tuolomne Meadows


Tuolomne Meadows towards the north of the park.

Cathedral Lakes Hike

Yesterday we conserved our energy so that today we could do a moderately difficult hike called 'Cathedral Lakes'. The guidebook says it will take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours and is mainly uphill.




A great view along the Cathedral Lakes trail.

Art and I are in good shape but the high altitude made the air thin and our legs started burning early into our hike. We had to stop and rest every 15 or 20 minutes to catch our breath.


Several of the mountains along the way had snow on them, even though it was a warm and pleasant day!


Art and I played in the snow like kids, throwing snowballs at each other and sliding around on our feet and butts.


As we approached Cathedral Lake, the forest opened up into this meadow with a stream running through it. It looked like a magical place from out of a movie.


After an arduous hike that took several hours, we finally got our reward: Cathedral Lake. The water was cold and clear and the lake was surrounded by mountains.


The shore of Cathedral Lake was the perfect place to relax and lose my self in the gentle sounds of nature: the water, the breeze, the birds. I drifted in and out of sleep and was grateful to be alive.

Natural Spring


On our way back from the hike, Art and I found the source of a natural spring bubbling up from the ground. We filled our bottles and the water was the best I've ever had: cold, crisp, clear and totally refreshing.

My legs were sore that night and I slept like a baby. This time, I put on 5 t-shirts and 3 pairs of pants and I still got cold! If you ever plan to camp in Yosemite, make sure you bring a thermal sleeping bag or some really warm clothing.

I was amazed at how much of the park we saw that day. We probably drove around 100 miles round trip from our campground to the hike. All along the way, we saw dozens and dozens of lakes, valleys, meadows, mountains and other interesting things to see. You could easily spend a month in this park and not see all of it. There are over 800 miles of hiking trails here and we just did 5 of them today!

Tomorrow, we're planning to see the giant sequoias in Mariposa Grove before leaving the park and getting back to the hustle and bustle of modern civilization.

Day 3: Giant Sequoia Trees

Mariposa Grove

The Mariposa Grove contains some of the largest living things on earth- the Giant Sequoia trees. I've heard the really big ones are in Sequoia National Park south of here, but these trees were impressive nonetheless.


These trees are called 'Bachelor and Three Graces'


Here I am standing in front of a tree that had a tunnel cut through it a long time ago. Thank god the damage didn't kill the tree.


On our way up to the grove, we saw this young deer close to the walking trail.


Just before leaving the park, we stopped off at Wawona Lodge for our last meal. They had a beautiful pond with lotus flowers.


Here's a pink lotus surrounded by lily pads.

Even though we spent just 2 and a half days in Yosemite National Park, our memories will last a lifetime. The fresh air, pine forests, granite mountains, waterfalls, and spectacular vistas made quite an impression on us. As Art said quite simply during our hike to Cathedral Lake: "I love this place."