We drove into Yosemite in the morning, a little farther than I thought it would be but still very close to our campground.
The first sights we saw were postcard-worthy. There were waterfalls everywhere with towering mountains that shot up into the sky above the pine trees. We parked and got some information before hiking up to the waterfall viewing area and then continued on our trail.
The trail was pretty long but not strenuous for the most part. We stopped at Mirror Lake, which wasn't quite living up to its reputation when we got there. I later learned that the lake is slowly becoming less filled over time, which accounts for the disappointment. From some viewpoints it was still really nice and reflected the blue sky and mountains. I only wish I could have seen it when it was full of calm water that reflected a bigger picture.
We continued our hike in another area that took us up a very steep incline and was lined with rocks like this at times. The sky was beautifully blue all day.
The paved trail soon became a rocky uphill climb along roaring rapids. Once we got close to the top we had a great view of Vernal Fall as well as a feel for it. We were soaked.
After spending some time near the top, we turned back and headed down the slippery rock trail. It would have been a good time to bring the poncho. It wasn't that warm to begin with and being wet made it pretty cold.
We walked around some of the trails we had done earlier to get photos before we left. These tall trees are great to walk through. It makes the forest seem old and powerful. It just served as a reminder that we weren't near home.
We caught a few more great views on the way to an overlook that ended up being closed because of road repair. The drive was nice but the construction was annoying. We began a long drive out of the park which ended up being even longer because another road that was supposed to be open is closed. That road would have taken us east through the park where we needed to go.
Instead we had to travel back out the way we came and make a large loop around the park to go east. The drive took quite a bit longer and we drove through National Forests until I was too tired to drive.
I found a nice campground right on the road we were driving on and pulled off to set up our tent. The camp was very small but we didn't need much.
Total distance: 214.5 miles. And I bet most of those were spent driving in circles in Yosemite.
We drove into Yosemite in the morning, a little farther than I thought it would be but still very close to our campground.
The first sights we saw were postcard-worthy. There were waterfalls everywhere with towering mountains that shot up into the sky above the pine trees. We parked and got some information before hiking up to the waterfall viewing area and then continued on our trail.
The trail was pretty long but not strenuous for the most part. We stopped at Mirror Lake, which wasn't quite living up to its reputation when we got there. I later learned that the lake is slowly becoming less filled over time, which accounts for the disappointment. From some viewpoints it was still really nice and reflected the blue sky and mountains. I only wish I could have seen it when it was full of calm water that reflected a bigger picture.
We continued our hike in another area that took us up a very steep incline and was lined with rocks like this at times. The sky was beautifully blue all day.
The paved trail soon became a rocky uphill climb along roaring rapids. Once we got close to the top we had a great view of Vernal Fall as well as a feel for it. We were soaked.
After spending some time near the top, we turned back and headed down the slippery rock trail. It would have been a good time to bring the poncho. It wasn't that warm to begin with and being wet made it pretty cold.
We walked around some of the trails we had done earlier to get photos before we left. These tall trees are great to walk through. It makes the forest seem old and powerful. It just served as a reminder that we weren't near home.
We caught a few more great views on the way to an overlook that ended up being closed because of road repair. The drive was nice but the construction was annoying. We began a long drive out of the park which ended up being even longer because another road that was supposed to be open is closed. That road would have taken us east through the park where we needed to go.
Instead we had to travel back out the way we came and make a large loop around the park to go east. The drive took quite a bit longer and we drove through National Forests until I was too tired to drive.
I found a nice campground right on the road we were driving on and pulled off to set up our tent. The camp was very small but we didn't need much.
Total distance: 214.5 miles. And I bet most of those were spent driving in circles in Yosemite.
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