Kiwis and Fairy Bread

27 June 2025

It took us thirty three years to get back here. There were several attempts that failed for various reasons. But now that we have been here, we are looking forward to returning. Yosemite really is all it is hyped to be.

I mean, where else can you see, from one spot, the likes of El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall, all accented with perfectly straight, tall green trees and granite in colors that change with the light? Nestled amongst all of those wonders are several wide waterfalls of impossible heights, rock formations such as The Royal Arches (another of my faves) and Cathedral Rock, and even a natural river with both lazy and roaring sections.

Now you can learn what we have learned. Here are our Do’s and Don’ts for Yosemite National Park

DO: plan early. A year in advance is ideal. I know it seems like a very long time ahead to make that decision. However, when we tried to book in January, every single hotel room, plus the majority of the camping spots and tents already were full. We were fortunate to even find the apartment in Yosemite West’s Scenic Wonders, and planned our entire Cross Country Trek around the dates that were available.

DO: plan those activities in advance as well. The Ansel Adams Photo Tour, Yosemite in the Dark, even the bus to Glacier Point were closed to more bookings by the time we arrived. We heard that rafting was first come first serve, as were the bike rentals, but if you really want to do something, do book it. On our next trip, we’d like to take an art class and plan a day on a river raft.

DO: be a confident driver or look into taking the YARTS Public bus. In order to get anywhere in Yosemite National Park one must drive many miles on twisting, turning, cliff hugging roads. There is no way around it. Mike is a brilliantly confident driver and although I hung on every moment, I felt perfectly safe with him. I could not have driven any of it. If you don’t feel you can drive , do look into the YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System). Although I saw the buses often, I could not make head or tails of their website, so I have no idea of the schedule or the cost. Still, it’s worth looking into if you don’t like to drive.

DO: visit in May or June. The weather is lovely and the waterfalls are all roaring. By mid July the snow of the Sierra Nevadas is all melted and every fall except Bridalveil dries up. The falls don’t run again until November. Yosemite is open year round, so if snow and cold are your thing, do go. You will certainly not be plagued by summer crowds.

DO start early! Again, in summer the parking lots are full by 10am.

DON’T Take the Yosemite shuttle buses between 2 and 4pm. Unless you don’t mind being crushed like a sardine in a can.

DO pack a lunch. We found the cafe food to be terrible. The reservations-only restaurants at the hotels looked good though. Again, plan ahead.

DON’T expect the trip to be inexpensive: If you have your own camping gear, you can get a campsite for about $50 per night. Furnished tents in Curry Village start at $140 per night. From there you can expect to pay $300 – $1200 for one night in a hotel room in the valley. We paid $340 per night, but were, as you have read, a thirty minute difficult drive from most of the action.

DO Take as much time as you can for your visit. Had we had three or four more days we could have explored so much more.

DO: breathe, look, listen, smile. Take it ALL in with all of your senses. Understand. Remember.