Yosemite National Park

• Total size of Yosemite is 1,187 square miles. 94% of which is “designated wilderness”. This is not quite ⅔ of the original size of the Park, land was removed from the Park dimensions early in the 1900s for various reasons, almost always commercial in nature.
• Yosemite contains 800 miles of trails and/or bicycle paths and 214 miles of paved roads.
• Various Indian tribes lived in Yosemite Valley for thousands of years; the Paiutes and the Miwok tribes were the most recent. There is a considerable amount of evidence that Indians lived in this area for the previous 3,000 years.
• The first European/American visitors to Yosemite were a group of trappers led by the famous Jedebiah Smith in 1827. Even though Spain and subsequently Mexico had explored extensive areas of California, there is no recorded information about any exploration of the Sierra Nevada Mountains until Americans began visiting in the early 1800s. Even though Father Junipero Serra explored all of California from Mexico all the way to the Santa Rosa area, he and his exploration group never went inland towards the Sierra Nevada mountains.
• In 1833 a group of trappers led by Joseph Walker appear to have entered Yosemite via the Merced Grove area. Unfortunately the journals created by that group were lost in a fire in a Philadelphia print shop while waiting to be printed. If this is accurate, these men were the first to see the Giant Sequoia trees.
• California drove the Indian Tribes out of Yosemite Valley during the "Mariposa War" in 1851. The Army group that was sent to push the Indians out (the Mariposa Battalion) spent quite a bit of time in the Valley and the Doctor that came with them (Dr. Lafayette Bunnell) named many of the geographic features they came across in the Valley. The Army group found that the Indians already called the Valley “Yosemite” so they retained that name.
• John Muir arrived in California in 1868 and took a job at a sheep ranch in Yosemite Valley. As he became familiar with the area, he began to realize that it needed to be protected from visitors who were slowly destroying the land, cutting down the giant trees and John Muir began a long campaign to have Yosemite protected by Federal laws. On 10/1/1890 Yosemite became a National Park and Muir turned his attention to other areas of California, and in 1892 he became one of the founding members of the Sierra Club.
• Yosemite has been receiving over four million visitors annually, that number was 2.36 million in 2020 and 3.43 million in 2021. The National Park Service required reservations in 2021 & 2022, which may be anr impact on annual visitation.

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A book such as the "Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon" by Ann Marie Brown and published by Moon (click here to search Amazon for Yosemite media) is a useful tool for getting familiar with the parks and what there is to see and do. Since cell service is spotty in the park and frequently non existent doing things the old fashioned way and keeping a book with you in your pack is recommended.

We recommend also reading the newspaper (the "Yosemite Guide") with current information when you receive it at the park entrance so that you are aware of anything that will affect you while you are visiting and you can plan around it.

Usually there are buses that help move people around the park but due to COVID the buses were NOT running when we were there and that created some logistical challenges. The park is huge and there can be a lot of driving time. Reservations were required for the park when we visited but currently that restriction has been lifted. Head to the official Yosemite parks page for current information here.

If you aren’t staying in the park, getting there as early as possible is crucial to finding a parking space at the site that you are most interested in. We have a family joke and it seems to apply to wherever we travel & it goes like this; "Everyone arrives by 10:00 AM". This applies to boating on a lake, going to the beach, and clearly national parks as well. If you can get there much earlier than everyone else then you have a much better chance at finding a spot and having less crowds and lines.

It’s always easier to know what to do once you’ve been somewhere. We found the information about Yosemite a bit overwhelming and it was hard to come up with our plan. We thought we’d share some information to make it easier for first time visitors to get the lay of the land by providing a suggested three day itinerary. Note that this can be for people who are active or those who have some physical limitations. Much of the suggested itinerary involves driving to viewing areas. If you want more exercise add more hikes to your day.

NOTE: Scroll down to see our images and descriptions of our 3 day adventure in Yosemite.

• We flew into San Francisco and drove to I-5, south to the Modesto area and then east on Route 120 - and this route was predicated on the fact that we were going to stay at the Rush Creek Lodge (click here to read our Rush Creek Lodge Page).
• The closest airport is the Fresno Yosemite International Airport, so you would still need to either rent a vehicle or arrange for transportation to get to the park or your accommodations. Once at the Fresno Airport, you would drive straight north on Route 41 into the park.
• There are bus charter companies from what Google says, we did not research those methods.
• The best time to visit Yosemite? Most people say May or September, note that many roads in Yosemite are closed in winter due to snow.
• You need to remember that Yosemite requires reservations to enter right now. Click here to go to the National Park Service Page to make reservations.

Visiting Yosemite can be challenging. The roads (all of them are two lanes) into the park can be curvy and steep and it’s a little slow going. The park is so big that there can be a lot of driving to see the different sites and planning is important. We stayed at Rush Creek Lodge which is just outside of the park on Route 120 because there wasn’t any availability within the parks when we booked. Rush Creek lodge exceeded our expectations with a bit of rustic luxury during our visit and we can’t recommend it enough. However, if you want to reduce the amount of drive time required and challenges with parking consider trying to book in advance within the park itself close to the area that you want to see the most. The Travel Yosemite site has a list of properties from the luxurious Ahwahnee resort, to the Yosemite lodge to tent cabins and campgrounds, etc.

As you can see in this map, Rush Creek Lodge is approximately 25 miles from Curry Village, and the road twists & turns as it descends into Yosemite Valley - and joins Route 140. There are only 3 roads into the park from the western side; routes 120 & 140 and 41 and all 3 join together on the way to the village.

As shown in this map, Rush Creek Lodge is approximately 26 miles from Glacier Point, and the road twists & turns as it descends into Yosemite Valley - so you will need to realize that there is no quick way to drive there! The views along the road to Glacier Point are non-stop fascinating, so the ride is long but enjoyable. There are a number of "picture opportunity pull-outs" along the way, take advantage of them!

For our day 3, we chose to visit Merced Grove due to its proximity to our hotel and the fact that it was an easy hike down to see the Sequoia trees. After the previous two days we needed some relaxation and decided to spend the rest of day three hanging out at the Rush Creek Lodge and enjoying the amenities.

The trail was not excessively steep, but it was certainly a continuously downhill grade with very few flat spots. The grove was impressive with about 20 large trees spread out over the last .4 km of the trail. There is a cabin that marks the end of the grove. Once you get to the cabin you know you've seen the bulk of the trees. You can sit and take a rest there before returning back. Bring water and snacks as there aren't any amenities on this trail.

• Consider staying inside the park to reduce driving time.
• If you want to hike, get into shape before your visit - unless you are used to hiking above 7,000 feet you are going to feel the altitude in Yosemite!
• The spring offers the best views of the waterfalls, many of them dry up later in the summer are not flowing then. There are only a few that flow all year.
• Layer clothing so you can remove clothes as it warms up during the day.
• Read the Yosemite paper they give you when you arrive so that you are aware of closures, construction, activities and anything else going on in the parks.
• Bring a refillable water bottle with you wherever you go. Water and bathrooms can be found on some of the most popular hikes but don’t assume it will be there.
• Pack snacks for eating during your hikes (bring more than you think you will need).
• Make sure your cameras have enough battery power for an entire day adventure. Bring extra power to ensure your camera or phone doesn’t die on you.
• Avoid crowds by going early - seriously - go early or you won’t get parking which is even more important during COVID restrictions. The buses are not operating in 2021.
• Rest during the heat of the day.
• Click here to search Amazon for books about Yosemite

• Just Traveling Thru Travel Planning Tips
• Yosemite National Park page on the "National Park Service" site
• Yosemite National Park accommodations inside the park on the "National Park Service" site
• Lodging in Yosemite and Mariposa County on the "Yosemite" site
• Yosemite National Park on the "Visit California" site
• Google Search Results list for "restaurants near Yosemite National Park"
• Google Search Results list for "accommodations near Yosemite National Park"
• Amazon Search Results for "Yosemite National Park"
• Youtube Search Results for "Yosemite National Park"
• Yosemite National Park Full Day Tour from "Get Your Guide"
• Best hikes in Yosemite National Park on the "All Trails" site

• National Park Service Curry Village page
• Visit our Youtube Channel
• Our Image Gallery for Yosemite National Park
• Wikipedia Article for Yosemite National Park
• Google Image Gallery for Yosemite National Park

As you can see in this static map, we had a number of destinations (as well as a number of side trips) that would require a considerable amount of driving. Each of the itinerary stops is linked to our content (or page) to allow you to view our content.

Locations / Start & End points are both San Francisco International Airport

1. San Francisco Hilton Financial District.
2. Bonita Point Lighthouse and Fort Baker area.
3. Sausalito, CA.
4. Santa Rosa, CA in the heart of the Sonoma County Wine District.
5. Salida, CA - overnight rest stop along the way to Yosemite.
6. Yosemite National Park, CA where we stayed at the Rush Creek Lodge.
7. Frontieres Underground Garden Fresno, CA - this was an entertainment side stop, as we had read about this place and also wanted to get lunch.
8. Santa Barbara, CA
9. Morro Bay, CA.
10. Monterey Bay, CA to explore the Monterey Bay and Carmel by the Sea areas.