72 hours in Yosemite with kids: planning a smooth and memorable visit
“No temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite. Every rock in its walls seems to glow with life…as if into this one mountain mansion Nature had gathered her choicest treasures”—John Muir.
The root ball of a giant sequoia in Mariposa Grove. Yosemite National Park. June 2023
Introduction to Yosemite
There are so many amazing National and State parks in the US that it is impossible to rank their beauty, but one park that undeniably deserves a spot near the top is Yosemite. When you first drive through the Wawona tunnel and see the towering granite walls surrounding the lush, green valley of the Merced river, it is spectacular. I always imagine what it must have felt like as a Native American or an early settler to crest the top of the valley walls and gaze into that mind blowing landscape. If you want to see some of the most spectacular natural beauty of the US, add Yosemite to your must-visit travel list. The one problem with Yosemite is that everyone wants to see it, resulting in large crowds and a lot of traffic. Below are my tips on how to plan a pleasurable experience for your family in Yosemite.
The crowded hike Mist Trail to Yarnall Falls
When to visit Yosemite:
June-September. Large portions of Yosemite are closed during three seasons of the year. While the summer is the busiest time to visit, it is the only time you can access the whole park. The shoulder months of June and September may be slightly less crowded, but you run the risk of dealing with some road closures. We visited the first week of June and Glacier point and Tioga pass were still closed.
Plan your trip during the week! If you don’t take any other advice from me, at least take this one tip. Due to daytrippers from the coast, the weekends are much busier than the weekdays. We stayed Tuesday-Friday and could see a noticeable difference in the crowds on Friday compared to other days.
How long should you stay? I would plan on 3 nights at a minimum, giving you two full days in the park. Depending on how much you want to spend and see, however, you could find things to do there for weeks.
Where to Stay in Yosemite:
Stay in Yosemite village! The drive into Yosemite is long and winding and there can be a lot of traffic. Unless you want to spend two hours of every day driving, reserve a place in the valley. Due to the limited availability, lodging in the valley is expensive and needs to be booked far in advance. In my opinion, it is worth the extra cost and effort. Within the valley, there are lodges, campgrounds, tent cabins, and cabins available for rent.
Book your lodging a year in advance! Reservations open 366 days in advance and that is when you should book your stay. You can always cancel for free if you need to.
The traditional canvas tents of Curry Village, the OG clamping.
Curry Village:
We rented a tent cabin in Curry Village for our stay and I highly recommend these as an economical option. The tent cabins sleep up to 5 people ( a big plus for us since we require two lodge rooms and couldn’t fit into one of the cabins that only sleep 4). They also offer a lot of advantages over tent camping: 1. They provide a little more security in bear country. 2. The beds are reasonably comfortable and bedding and towels are provided for your stay. 3. If you are flying to California, like us, you don’t have to pack all of your camping equipment. 4. You still feel like you are camping with the natural light and sounds of nature to wake you in the morning.
The village and vibe in Curry Village are both lovely. The food is surprisingly good and the common spaces have a nice community vibe. One thing to know in advance is that cooking and camp stoves are not allowed in Curry Village. We had planned to cook dinner on our campstove while there, but that wasn’t practical since it required us to drive to a designated picnic area outside of Curry Village. This is my one complaint about Curry Village. This rule exists to minimize issues with bears being attracted by food, however, it seems a bit extreme to me. I would have been ok with not cooking, but was not happy standing in line for 30 minutes to get coffee in the morning. We packed a lot of food for our stay there that we had to keep in the bear box and ended up not using half of it. Next time, I would just plan to eat in the village and would bring a few cold brew coffees for the mornings.
Getting around Yosemite Valley
You need to spend at least one day exploring the big sites in Yosemite Valley. Traveling within the valley is complicated and there are limited parking options, so it is essential to plan your day well. One option is to take the shuttle within the valley. I didn’t find the idea of waiting at shuttle stops and spending my time on a bus very appealing, so we opted to bike around the valley instead. There are designated bike trails throughout the valley and you can leave your bike at the various trail heads. This was a great decision and I highly recommend this strategy. We rented bikes at Curry Village Bike Rental, conveniently located only 100 yards from our tent cabin and used this as our jumping off point for exploring the valley.
Ready to explore Yosemite Valley on bikes
Bears in Yosemite:
Yosemite has a long history of black bear issues. Although things have improved over the last couple decades due to better awareness, it is extremely important to keep all food and anything that smells like food (lotions, shampoo, etc) locked in a bear box. Hanging your food is not enough as the Yosemite bears have outsmarted that method. Never leave food in your car or bring it into your tent!
Things to see and do in Yosemite
1. El Capitan:
Being a former climber, I find just gazing at El Cap entertaining. You can ride your bikes to the El Cap viewing area where you can sit and spot climbers on the massive wall. Bring along binoculars and marvel at the sheer size and daunting challenge of the most famous multi-pitch climb in the world. The El Cap picnic area is a nice spot to stop for a picnic lunch as well.
2. Bridalveil falls:
The short walk to Bridalveil falls is worth the effort and worth the mist in your face. Although Yosemite falls is larger, I actually enjoyed Bridalveil more. It is easier to appreciate its size due to the configuration of the falls and slightly less crowded than Yosemite Falls.
A view of Bridalveil Falls. Yosemite National Park June 2023
3. Mirror Lake:
Ride your bikes to the Mirror Lake trailhead and do the short hike (2 miles out and back) to the lake. As its name suggests, this flat and wide portion of the Merced river (not really a lake) provides a beautiful reflection of the granite formations in its clear waters. On a clear day, you’ll get a good view of Half Dome from below. There is a 5 mile loop hike around the lake. We did not do the full loop since we had several other hikes planned the same day. Instead, we hiked to the lake for some fishing and then headed back to our bikes.
Bailey and Wendi on a rock in the middle of Mirror Lake
4. Yosemite falls:
The loop trail to Lower Yosemite falls is about 1 mile long and winds through a lovely forested area with several small streams that converge into the Merced river below. It’s hard to appreciate the full size of the two-tiered waterfall, but the lower falls alone are impressive. If you are looking for more of a challenge and a view of the valley below, you can also hike to Upper Yosemite falls. The hike to the upper falls involves quite a bit of elevation change at 1,000 feet and 2 miles out and back. We opted to do the Mist trail to Vernal falls instead.
Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls.
5. Tunnel View:
Usually, I am not a big fan of stopping at busy viewpoints, but this one is worth it. From the Tunnel View overlook, you can really take in the magnitude and beauty of the whole valley which is difficult to appreciate from down below. Stop for a minute and marvel at this one.
Breath taking views of the Valley from easily accessible Tunnel View.
6. Mariposa Grove:
This is one of the biggest remaining groves of old growth Giant Seqouias in the world. The largest and oldest tree in the grove, the Grizzly Giant, is truly impressive and around 3,000 years old. This tree was alive for 900 years before Julius Cesaer was born and it shows!
The Grizzly Giant, aka Big Griz, the oldest and largest Sequoia in Yosemite.
There has been some unintended mismanagement of the forest and now the park is trying to restore the grove to a more natural state. As a result, they are doing controlled burns throughout the grove. This gave the forest an eerie feeling and left the Giant Sequoias towering over a burnt landscape.
The charred landscape in Mariposa Grove due to controlled burns on non-Sequoias
Nonetheless they are worth the drive to marvel at their size and antiquity. Be aware that, unless you have a handicap sticker, you cannot drive to the trailhead. You will have to park at the Maripoas Grove visitor center and take the shuttle or walk to the trailhead. Unfortunately, the shuttle was not running on the day we arrived. (Despite reading about park closures everyday for weeks, I still missed this one). This meant we had to hike the 4 miles out and back to the trailhead. I had planned to do the full 7 mile loop out to Wawona point but decided it would be too much given the unexpected addition of 4 miles of walking on the road. As a result, we did the shorter loop. If I had it to do over, I would have pushed for the full loop as the forest further into the grove looked healthier and I have heard that Wawona point offers great views. We only saw a handful of other hikers on the loop beyond the Giant Grizzly resulting in an unusually serene afternoon in Yosemite. I highly recommend doing the full Mariposa grove loop trail. Just be sure to check on shuttle times before heading to Mariposa Grove.
7. Ride bikes through the valley.
In addition to being a good mode of transportation, the ride through the valley is a worthwhile event on its own. Follow the bike paths through the lush meadows and forests of the valley floor.
8. Plan a longer hike.
We visited Yosemite during a record-setting snow melt resulting in massive waterfall flows. As a result, I chose the Mist Trail to Vernal falls as our slightly longer hike. It was shockingly crowded but the waterfall was impressive. For other options see this blog post which I found helpful when planning the trip. https://www.oars.com/blog/best-yosemite-hikes-away-crowds/
A selfie with Yarnall Falls on the Mist Trail.
9. See Half Dome.
I have never done the full hike up Half Dome which involves a steel ladder and requires reservations in advance. If you are looking for a thrill, you could add this to your list. Other ways to see Half Dome include the following viewpoints: https://californiathroughmylens.com/half-dome-best-viewpoints/
10. Boulder around Camp 4 and watch the climbers.
Camp 4 is a famous mecca for the climbing community and where slacklining was created. If you are intrigued by the climbing culture or a climber yourself, wander around Camp 4 and try a few bouldering routes.
What to pack for Yosemite.
What you need to bring will depend on your accommodations. This list is tailored to people glamping at Curry Village like we did, but most items are applicable to all.
Layers. The weather changes rapidly and I went from wearing a tank top at noon to wearing a wool sweater, rain shell, and a hat by 9 PM.
Rain gear. Some parts of the year are historically dry but I never hike without a raincoat. You will also want your rain gear for up close views of the waterfalls.
Binoculars: bring these for spotting climbers on El Cap.
A map. I ordered these maps online before our trip and I was glad that I did. The maps available in the park were found at limited locations and were not very detailed. Additionally, be sure to download the area google map for offline use on your way to Yosemite because you will not be able to rely on your GPS.
A book. Cell service is spotty throughout Yosemite and you will need to resort to more conventional forms of entertainment during your down time.
Waterproof hiking shoes.
Reusable water bottles.
Day pack for hiking.
Caffeinated beverages, if you need them like I do!
Headlamps for night time bathroom trips.
Shower shoes and a dry bag for your clothes while taking a shower. There are no benches outside of the showers and I found it useful to bring my clothes in a waterproof bag while showering.
Laundry bag. When staying in tight accommodations with five active people, I always bring a mesh laundry bag that we can hang up to keep those dirty clothes off the floor.
Where to eat in Yosemite:
Yosemite Lodge Mountain room. This is a more upscale dining option. We loved the artichoke dip and the pork chop. Be sure to make your reservations at least a month in advance if you want to enjoy a nice meal in Yosemite.
Curry Village Pizza. The pizza is good quality, hot, and fresh. We loved the “El Cap”.
Pete’s coffee: The line can be a bit long but they offer yummy breakfast options and hot drinks for the morning. The bagel with lox was a great start to the day.
Yosemite is breathtaking and lots of people want to see it! In order to have an enjoyable visit there, advanced planning is essential. Share your favorite Yosemite experiences in the comments below!
