Our Family Road Trip to Yosemite National Park
One thing we absolutely love about living in California is that within a few hours of drive, you can go from beaches to forests and mountains, or from deserts to metropolitan cities. It is a perfect state for road trips, and Yosemite National Park must have been on the very top of CA road trip destination list for many - including us. Our family visited us in town earlier this year, and that gave us the perfect reason to act on the idea. And completing this trip with our family was way more than checking off an item from our bucket list and moving on to the next one, Yosemite is one of those places that will not only give you magnificent visual impacts but mental impacts too, and we were super glad to be able to spend some much needed quality family time here.
Day 1
Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
The drive to Yosemite took us about 6 hours from Orange County in California, we left early in order to arrive with enough time to explore Mariposa Grove. There are free shuttles from the main plaza that will take you to the Grizzly Giant, which is where we were heading to.
It was a very misty afternoon on the day of our visit, temperatures were on the low end with roads being partially covered by snow even at the end of May. The fog added a super mysterious atmosphere to the woods that usually has to be created with special effects in the movies, and we got to enjoy it as a real world experience. Downside though is that with these giant sequoia trees being so tall, it was impossible to see the top branches clearly. The Grizzly Giant, as pictured in the first photo, is one of the largest giant sequoias in the world, and has a volume of 34,005 cubic feet (962.9 m3).
Day 2
Tunnel View
This is probably the most famous scenic viewpoint in the park and the view is simply unbeatable. On top of the view itself, the experience of how this view was presented to us was also beyond amazing: driving through a long tunnel underneath a mountain, and once you get through all the darkness this grand view of Yosemite Valley is literally right in front of you!
Unfortunately with a viewpoint this popular, you simply can’t avoid constant crowds at the parking lot. But if you’re willing to hike a bit, Pohono Trail starts right from the viewpoint’s parking lot and it will lead you up high for an undisturbed view. We did it and yes it’s worth the climb!
Yosemite Valley
Our first stop of exploring the loop starts with Bridalveil Fall, a waterfall with a stunning name but even the name does not do it justice. It was a short and flat hike to reach the bottom of the fall, a bit misty along the way but super clean air, you can potentially get wet if you go closer to the fall during peak water season, but chances are you wouldn’t even mind at that point because you will be so drawn to its beauty.
A few steps away there is a chance to capture El Capitan from afar. Have you ever watched a documentary called “Free Solo”? Watching this Oscar winning documentary has given us another level of appreciation in El Capitan, and has definitely motivated us to keep challenging ourselves in many ways.
Ending our day with an easy and casual hike at Cook's Meadow Loop in the heart of Yosemite Valley, it doesn’t get better with a 360 degree surrounding view of all epic scenes.
Day 3
Washburn Point
The Glacier Point Road was closed even the day before our visit due to heavy snow, and we were super lucky to be able to make it as soon as the road was cleared. Washburn Point was a great viewpoint as it demonstrates the sharp clean cut of the Half Dome, and beautifully features the 2 levels of Yosemite Falls.
Glacier Point
At an elevation of 7214 feet, you will have the chance to overlook the entire Yosemite Valley from this viewpoint and soak up the magnificence of the place. Basically feeling lack of words to describe what we saw here, check out the photo!
Sentinel Dome
Debating on whether we should do this hike due to the amount of snow covering the trail during our visit, we simply couldn’t pass the opportunity to experience it in the end. And frankly the snow didn’t make it an easy hike for us especially when traveling with the entire family, but we took our time and everyone made it to the top eventually. Despite the exhaustion and coldness, the satisfaction of conquering the hike made the already impressive view more memorable than ever.
Living in a different country from our parents make it difficult to travel together often, when it comes to family though, we may be in distance, but never apart at heart.
Click and read about our road trip to Joshua Tree National Park.
To view all California road trip destinations, click here.
