just got back from 3 days in Yosemite... wow. I'm used to playing around in the High Sierra, and have been in Tuolumne Meadows, but never the valley proper. Although fairly low in elevation (4,000 ft at the floor), the sheer magnitude and size of the granite walls surrounding the valley is truly awesome, and gives it a high-altitude feel.
Originally Posted by
AristoNYC
I'm going next year. Update me on what you recommend to check out or to avoid. Have fun!
I go to Yellowstone next month. 1 national park a year.
I highly recommend the Half Dome hike. From the Happy Isles TH in the valley, it's a grueling 16 mi round trip with 4,800' of elevation, a real tough hike. Plus the cables up the final Dome are a little spooky, esp. if you're afraid of heights. Still, I strongly recommend it.
We also checked out Glacier Point, which is a must from a viewpoint perspective. It's kind of a long drive for not much walking, but you can do the nearby Sentinel Dome to make the drive up and over the valley a little more worth it. The Point is where John Muir showed Yosemite to Teddy Roosevelt, so that's got to be worth something.
As a last note, make sure that you spend some time exploring random bends and meanders of the Merced River. It's fairly easy to park somewhere in the valley, walk through a meadow and find a secluded beach with some nice deep pools for swimming.
I don't really have any recommendations of things to avoid
. The villages can be a bit busy and tourist-y (as to be expected), but we found the convenience of pizza and beer totally worth it after Half Dome. Plus, we didn't have to cook or do dishes
.
Enjoy Yellowstone, and report back as well! It's still a bucket list trip for me.