Best Way to Spend One Day in Yosemite?

Regretfully, I%26#39;ll be whizzing through from Fresno on Friday, May 26th. Will get an early start, and need help planning one day in Yosemite on my way to Sacramento that night. I%26#39;ve read about Glacier Point, will it likely be open the Friday before Memorial Day weekend? Family of 5, no strenuous hiking, basic is okay. Thanks for helping me make the most of my limited time.

Best Way to Spend One Day in Yosemite?

With such a short visit, I%26#39;d recommend skipping Glacier Point even if it is open. As you head into the park on 41, make your first stop the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. If you can manage it, take the tram tour. It%26#39;s about an hour but well worth it, as you will see far more trees and can learn something about their unique life cycle in the process. Then if you want, you can pick up some snacks at the little store in Wawona near the Wawona Hotel and head into the valley.

As you approach the valley, you%26#39;ll head through a tunnel. On the other side of that tunnel, be prepared to pull over to the right into a parking lot and unload your kids for a spectacular view. With such a great overview, you won%26#39;t miss the Glacier Point road as much!

Once you%26#39;re done there, head down into the valley. You%26#39;ll soon come upon the Bridal VEil Falls parking lot. Park again and get out and walk the short paved trail to it%26#39;s base. You are in prime waterfall season and you%26#39;ll be awe inspired. If you%26#39;ve brought some picnic supplies, you could stop there for a bit. Just don%26#39;t do as one of my friends did on their first visit. They were so enamored of the falls that they spent most of their day there and missed the majority of the valley- there%26#39;s still much to see!

A short walk along the road from the Bridal Veil parking lot will bring you to a wonderful vista of El Capitan. Once you%26#39;ve gotten a load of that, head back to your car and continue further into the valley. Your ultimate destination will be the Day Use Parking Lot at Yosemite Village, a left turn about 2/3 of the way into the valley floor. However, you %26#39;ll see plenty from your car along the way (no bottle necking, now!)

If you are so inclined, and can get there before two and make reservations in advance, you can take the valley floor tram tour. Its the easiest way to see all of the valley and learn something in the process. You would get to the tour by hopping on one of the free valley shuttles to the Yosemite Lodge, where the tour starts. Otherwise, you should still take the shuttle and head over to Yosemite Falls. After taking in that wonder, you could rent bikes, or walk a bit along the flat bike trail over the Merced River for some amazing views. Or you could take the shuttle to Mirror Lake and walk that very short trail to see history in the making, as a lake is slowly turning into a meadow (the entire valley floor was once a lake.)

So there%26#39;s plenty to do and see! When you%26#39;re ready to leave, you can take either 140 or 120 out of the park (I like 120 but it is more mountainous.)

Best Way to Spend One Day in Yosemite?

Hi Macjack. That was a very useful answer and I think we will use it as a guideline when we visit Yosemite in August for three days. Is there anything specific you would add for a visit longer than just a day? Or should we just take our time with the things you have suggested? Sharon

macjack ~ this is exactly what I needed. I%26#39;m going to print your comments and take them with me to be sure. Thanks for your help!

I think the above information is a good way to start a visit to the park. Note that I was giving instructions to someone coming from the south and heading north; if you were arriving from 120 or 140, your first stop would be the valley itself.

With more time, you can hike up to Vernal Falls, you could do the drive up to Glacier Point, and by later this summer, enjoy the high country in Tuolumne Meadows as well. Also later in the summer, when the river is calmer, a relaxing raft trip down the Merced River is also a fun excursion, as is a picnic and swim by the river (but bring bug spray!)

As much as we offer advice here, the truth is, the park is very ';self-explanatory';. With the information provided by the ';Yosemite Today'; newspaper that you receive when you enter the park, and the very centralized nature of the valley itself, you should be able to find all the major sites worth visiting for short stay once you%26#39;re there (in case you forget to bring your TA printout!)

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