After covering Yellowstone Park with kids last week, I’m fixated on National Parks right now and visiting them requires planning. Yosemite Park is astounding any time of year but particularly in the spring when the falls are at their peak. Given all the rain we’ve had in California this season, 2010 will undoubtedly be an incredible year to visit Yosemite.
Mist Trail in Yosemite
Tips for visiting Yosemite
I guess you could call it travel guilt. It kicked in big time last year, when a number of friends were planning trips to Yosemite National Park. At some point, someone asked me what my kids liked to do in Yosemite. I started to talk about the Mist Trail then realized, though I love Yosemite, I’ve never taken my kids. We live in Northern California. Yosemite is practically our backyard. I got out the calendar and picked a weekend. It was still winter, I had months before I needed to get organized … or so I thought.
Planning the adventure
Organizing our five nights in Yosemite was trickier than I expected.If you want to stay in the park, (which I highly recommend) your options are a bit limited. There are only a few hotels to choose from, so reservations can be pricey and tough to come by during peak times. That leaves camping. Though incredibly affordable, the competition is more than fierce.
Yosemite has 13 phenomenally popular campgrounds. From May through September, seven of the campgrounds are first-come, first-served and often fill by noon. The remaining campgrounds are by reservation.
Getting reservations
Is not easy. And that’s an understatement. Campground reservations open in blocks of one month at a time, up to five months in advance, on the 15th of each month. For example, if you want to camp July 15th through August 14th, reservations open March 15th at 7am Pacific time. You can make reservations online or by calling a toll-free number.
Get up early
Reservations for the months of May through September fill within minutes of becoming available. When we made our reservations, my husband and I were up by 6:15a (not fun on a Sunday morning) and had four computers up and running and the toll-free number programmed into the phone. Just five minutes after seven, there were no campgrounds left. Everything was booked. We got a site, not the one we hoped for, but we got one! (Just a note, I wouldn’t waste time trying to call in. All I’ve ever gotten is a busy signal.)
Hiking in Yosemite with kids
Endless options are waiting. You have to be realistic. What you can do, enjoyably, really depends on the ages of your kids. Hiking with a 3-year-old can be back-breaking. Hiking with a 9-year-old can be exhilarating. Know your kids and their limits.
Lower Yosemite Falls is an easy, must-do hike with kids of all ages.The one-mile loop is a short walk with a huge payoff – fabulous views of Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. It was scorching hot when I did this hike with my girls last year summer. The base of the falls just might be the best pool ever. Be sure your kids are wearing good walking shoes that are okay to get wet!
Rafting in Yosemite
Rafting Yosemite
Rafting on the scenic Merced River is a fabulous way to spend a hot day, and one of the best ways to see the Valley’s amazing scenery. Floating is easy, it doesn’t matter how old you are! Pack a picnic lunch and rent a raft at the Curry Village Recreation Center. You’ll get life jackets and paddles, but the river does most of the work. Take your time and beach whenever the mood strikes you. There’s plenty of sandy stretches to get out and swim or set up your picnic. Families abound, so don’t be surprised if your kids make some new friends. When you reach the end of the three-mile-stretch down the river, folks are standing by to take your raft and shuttle you back to Curry Village.
Mirror Lake
Yosemite Guide
The peak of summer brings hundreds of thing to do in Yosemite. Along with the obvious perks Mother Nature offers up to visitors, the National Park Service does a fabulous job offering lots of what I like to call “extras.” Read the Yosemite guide online or pick up a copy when you arrive at the park. It lists everything happening in the park, and there’s a ton to choose from. Family scavenger hunts, ranger walks, and photography classes, just to name a few of the offerings. My family of four took Sharpie art classes after dinner two nights in a row, and learned about the Yosemite’s Ahwahneechee Indians. And yes, both of my girls learned how to start a fire rubbing stick together.
Bike riding in Yosemite
Bike Yosemite
Long days of playing make for tired legs. Leave the car parked and use your bike to get around the Valley Floor. Traffic is one of Yosemite’s biggest headaches. And though there are popular and crowded shuttles running pretty constantly, jumping on and off bikes is a breeze. There’s no waiting. In many cases, you’ll move faster than cars headed in the same direction. There’s the bonus of being able to stop when there’s a deer on the sidewalk or bear scampering across the meadow. And there’s always the possibility of a late night stop for ice cream at Curry Village.
Relevant Links:
Yosemite Park lodging tips and avoiding crowds
Evergreen Lodge review
Yellowstone Park with kids
toddler road trip tips
camping with kids
Topics: Blogsherpa, Camping, Destinations, National Parks, Tips, USA, Yosemite