Yosemite Valley - yes it is what they say!

View from the dining room at the Ahwahnee.

We arrived via Tioga Pass, from the east, thru Tuolumne Meadows. This was our intro to Yosemite outside of the Sierra Nevada's on the way in, and it was spectacular. Being an Ansel Adams fan I could see why he spent so much time here-- and we hadn't even gotten to "the Valley" yet, which was where we were camping the first night. It did take us a couple of hours for the 55 mile drive but we found ourselves stopping in awe of the views. I already wished I had planned more than 3 days here. Originally I had us camping at Tuolumne Meadows and it would have been nice to spend more than a drive thru in this area, by adding a hike here. We did finally make it to our campsite in Upper Pines- right in the Valley.

CAUTION! Take the bear warnings seriously! We saw black bear on our way back to the campsite and heard the warning signals that the Park Rangers send out to scare the bears away from the campgrounds. If you heed the warnings and follow the storage for food and scented items chances are you will be left alone. We put any and all of our scented belongings into the bear lockers, including toothpaste and soap. We slept fine!

We splurged with Sunday Brunch at the Ahwahnee! We went early(9am) and were seated immediately. Its pricey but the menu is extensive and food was very good as well as the service!! Food on our trips is usually not priority so we really enjoyed the massive buffet. Imagining that this was the same place Roosevelt and others once stood and the impact they have had in The National Parks was enough to take pause about.

The camping in the valley was Perfect for El Capitan! WOW! Yosemite Falls (Lower) is an easy flat walk on a very well maintained trail to a beautiful view of the Falls. Be forewarned that it will probably be crowded because it is accessible to almost everyone.
I am told that the longer hike to Upper Yosemite is more strenuous, but you get away from the crowds.

We opted to hike to the top of Vernal Falls. This is a moderately strenuous hike even to the first bridge( i think its about 0.5miles) but nice view. We kept going and amazingly the crowd thinned out quickly, but they don't know what they missed! This is a tough hike. Lots of narrow stairs along the side of the falls, but on this hot day the cooling mist was a welcome relief. Making the hike to the top for a beautiful view of the valley! We did continue to the next bridge to view Nevada Falls. Even the kids thought the trek was worth the view!!

A side note, it really does get crowded so plan on using the shuttle service or walking.

The day goes by quickly. We had camping the next night in Hodgdon Meadow so headed out before dark so weren't setting up camp in the dark. Because we booked this trip about 2 weeks before we left ,we didn't have the luxury of getting multiple nights in Yosemite Valley- Book well in advance for multiple nights-- 2 nights would have been better.Vernal Falls