Yosemite – just the name conjures images of the iconic glacially carved valley lined by cascading waterfalls. It also can conjure visions of crowds of tourists, full parking lots, and high prices. At over 5 million annual visitors, Yosemite ranks 3rd in most popular US National Park. Only the Grand Canyon and Smoky Mountains eclipse John Muir’s happy place.
When John Muir first explored the high Sierra, he could not have imagined how popular this area would become. It was the latter part of the 19th Century and California was still very much the wild west. Separated from the tony east coast culture and burgeoning cities, California was the land of mystery where gold rushers made it big, where the sun shone bright on the green countryside, and where the hopes and dreams of many an east coaster lived.
Muir began exploring and writing about the majestic mountains and towering trees of the High Sierra. His stories appeared in eastern publications sparking interest in the western expanses.
Today, visitors to Yosemite run the gamut from the serious backpackers to the day visitors. There are people who camp in the park for days. There are people who backpacks for weeks through the rugged Sierra Mountains. The Pacific Crest Trail (or PCT for those in the know) skirts the edge of the park. And then there are the rock climbers. Yosemite is the holy grail for climbers. They come from all over the world to scale the 3,00 foot sheer cliff of El Capitan. That’s like scaling the Empire State Building 2.5 times. Or the Eiffel Tower 3 times. Knock your socks off!
On the other end of the Yosemite scale are the day visitors. People come from around the world to stare at the beauty of the valley, take some selfies, enjoy the waterfall trails, and just want to breathe the clear air. I’m all for people seeking outdoor beauty of Earth’s most incredible sights.
Somewhere in between the adrenaline junkies and the IG selfie group are the myriad artists, photographers, birders, day hikers, and people who just love the environment. Yosemite is a place for everyone to explore.
Even though I’d lived in California for most of my life, I had never been to Yosemite. The world is a big place. My parents’ idea of roughing it was suffering through a rainy day in France’s Loire Valley. I had talked my parents into going once when I was in school. Then a forest fire closed the park access and we cancelled. So in 2022 I made a pact with my son to head out to Yosemite in March 2023. We made reservations. We had a plan. Then the winter of 2022-2023 slammed into the Sierra Nevada mountains. In February 2023, photos of the visitor covered in snow (not just the path, the entire visitor center!) made it clear we had to cancel. Again.
Finally in 2024 I made it. It was sketchy for a while. A late winter storm closed the roads temporarily. So I bought chains for my son’s car and off we went anyways. Turns out the roads were open. And while there were people around the park, snow on many of the hiking trails and the cold temperatures kept most of the locals away. We met people from Asia, Colorado, Utah, and New York. There were more New Yorkers than I’d ever met in a western National Park. But there were almost no Californians even though it was spring break for many of the schools.
We are not distance hikers, but we like getting off the beaten path. So we spent one days exploring the Yosemite Valley floor. We hiked to several waterfalls and went to the main visitor center area and explored the museums. One day we drove up to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. There we took an easy hike several miles from the dam to a waterfall. It was a fantastic hike along the edge of the reservoir on a cold, misty day. The last day we did some more exploring around the valley floor and capped off our time with dinner at the legendary Ahwahnee Hotel.
But it was that first view of the Yosemite Valley that struck me. I’d seen a million photos from “the tunnel view” lookout. Photos in the snow. Photos in the midday summer sun. Photos with people and without. There was nothing that prepared me for the stunning beauty of that lookout.
Yosemite is absolutely worth the hype. Plan a few days. And just go and enjoy. You don’t need to hike the PCT or free climb El Capitan to enjoy the park. Go in the spring and enjoy the cool air and cascading waterfalls. Head out in the summer and camp under the stars. Breathe in the crisp air of fall. Or try and head out when the snow covers the trails and the air is laced with snow.
All the information needed to plan a trip to the park can be found on the National Park Service page. https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm
John Muir loved Yosemite so much, he devoted his life to the preservation of the valley and surrounding area. He toured President Roosevelt through the area in 1903, leading to the eventual return of the area to federal land in 1906. Learn more about John Muir and his conservation efforts at Yosemite and throughout the west. Many books, documentary films, and scientific papers have been written on the subject.
Today Yosemite is preserved as one of America’s most iconic National Parks. While its popularity has led to overcrowding and reservation requirements to enter the gates during high seasons, Yosemite is still a place of beauty and legend, awaiting your visit.
