Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is arguably one of the most amazing National Parks in the country. It’s massive granite walls and almost heavenly atmosphere make for a truly majestic experience. The downsides to be prepared for are the lack of restaurants in a feasible distance. Be prepared to bring a lot of food with you or purchase food down in the valley with the handful of places to eat there. Secondly, during Covid times, camping is limited to Camp 4 using a lottery system. This means unless you plan far out in advance, don’t plan on camping in Yosemite. Again, this is based on Summer 2021 Covid times however. The hotels and lodges also fill up very fast. Moral of the story, Yosemite is must have experience, but one that needs to be planned in advance. But, guessing you are like me, you did not plan it in advance and are already on your way there as you are reading this. You can attempt to get a Camp 4 site, but it will prove challenging. We decided to simply sleep in the car just outside the park for the few nights we were there. Where it certainly isn’t the most comfortable arrangement, it worked well and we didn’t have any issues. In fact, since we were shooting the sunrise and sunset each day, it helped expedite the process of getting to and from locations. It also kept us from having to drive an hour each way to the next closest campsite.
Since restaurants are fairly limited in and around the National Park, I am not going to specify where we ate for each meal. I will simply state that if you are here for 3 or more days, you will have the opportunity to try most of the food in the area should you choose. I will also say, the Yosemite Lodge boasted the best breakfast and facilities in my opinion as well.
Be warned! Black Bears seem to be fairly heavily populated in the Park. No reason to be afraid but do use caution and simply don’t approach or feed them if you do encounter one. Let them have their space. I had an encounter of one stealing my photography bag with all my gear in it while I was shooting sunset one evening! I was able to get it back, but my bag took a beating. All the gear perfectly okay though! Shoutout to Peak Design’s Everyday bag for being so incredibly tough! For black bear safety check out this information.
Day 1:
Arrival
Try and arrive in the morning to maximize the day. Yosemite is a top tier National Park. You will want to spend as much time as possible here.
Coming from Death Valley National Park (about a 6 hour drive), we were unable to get there before lunch time. If this is the case, stop for lunch before starting the drive up into the mountains as restaurants begin to get scarce. It is also a good idea to fill up on gas at this point too regardless of where your tank is at.
Also a great spot to get water, snacks, beer, and whatever else you may want.
What to do now?
Yosemite is frankly just as beautiful to drive around in as it is to hike. I recommend driving around some of the lesser known parts of the park (pretty much everything outside the Valley). Head down into the Valley after you have seen what you want, and grab an early dinner.
Head to Glacier Point for the Sunset. You will have amazing views of the Nose which will catch the light from the sunset perfectly. It is one of the most amazing sunsets you will witness! It is a popular spot so be prepared for crowds. This will be a common theme pretty much anywhere you go in Yosemite however. So best to simply accept this reality and just enjoy being in the Park. The drive up to Glacier Point is beautiful as well and something to savor in itself.
Head to your sleeping arrangements and get your gear ready for an early morning sunrise shoot. Enjoy the night sky, crack open a beer, and light a fire if able and simply relax!
Day 2:
Wake up super early and head to Tunnel View to watch the sunrise! This is a magnificent sunrise watching the sun creeping up in the valley with El Capitan and The Nose glaring back at you! This is also an extremely popular spot in the Park. So when I say be there early, BE THERE EARLY! It is more so important if you are trying to take pictures so you can secure the spot you want, but the crowds do build up so its a good tip regardless.
Go grab breakfast in the Valley
Check out the shops in the Valley. There are some neat stores to get some Yosemite swag or even a neat climbing shop in Curry Village.
Head out and hike one of the numerous trails! We chose to hike lower Yosemite Falls and had a blast. At the top of this section is a fun pool where the falls collect into that is popular for swimming in. It is a great place to take a load off and relax if doing the entire Yosemite Falls trail. It also makes for a fun place to bring the kids as they will have a blast playing in the water and climbing around on the rocks!
At this point, a huge storm rolled in and we were forced to find shelter. We decided to grab a pizza and beer down in Curry Village and hide under an umbrella to escape the rain. There is also a good coffee shop located here as well and some nice restrooms. After a long break and just chatting, we decided to head over to Yosemite Valley View to take some pictures of the valley.
Before heading out to the next location and hike, stop and pick up a sandwich to eat for dinner and watch the sunset. Head to Taft Point for the sunset. This is a nice drive up the mountain to the trail head. It is about a 1 mile hike to Taft Point from the parking lot. The hike is short and easy but it is absolutely beautiful. It will make you feel like you have transported to Endor (a planet in Star Wars for those not into the movie). It tends to be very windy up there. Bring a jacket or blanket of some sort to keep warm. Relax and enjoy the absolutely incredible view!
Day 3:
Wake up and shoot the sunrise. We shot it from the Sentinel Bridge shooting the nose. You are immediately next to some of the different places to grab breakfast as well making this a great convenient place to be.
After eating, head out for another hike. We chose to hike Mist Trail to see Vernal Falls. This waterfall is absolutely epic! The trail name definitely lives up to its title. There is lots of mist from the power of the waterfall! The hike isn’t terribly difficult but it is fairly steep in some spots and when near the waterfall, the rocks can be slick from all the water. I would consider this a must do hike while you are visiting. The trail continues on beyond the waterfall, and I believe it would be worth doing, however I did not continue up. A fantastic hike to do in a few hours with amazing scenery.
After the hike, go grab lunch somewhere. We decided to grab a coffee as well and check out the Ansel Adams Gallery. Ansel Adams is famous for his black and white images of the natural world and an outspoken conservationists. The shop is very neat and definitely a must see for any photographer.
At this point, me and my buddy spent a while figuring out where we wanted to shoot sunset and then spent another chunk of time trying to figure out how we were going to do it. We decided on shooting the Three Brothers. The trick was figuring out how to shoot it since it didn’t seem quite as popular location to shoot. If this isn’t your thing, there are so many hiking trails to check it instead. Take a look here for trails.
Grab dinner somewhere
Get your gear ready to leave in the morning.
Head out with some beer and blankets and enjoy the night sky in the Park.
Day 4:
Departure
If you are road tripping and heading to the next destination, then I recommend waking up early to catch the sunrise, grab breakfast in the valley, and hit the road. In my case, we were driving all the way back to Crested Butte Colorado which was a fairly long drive and we wanted to be able to shoot sunset and grab dinner there.
Happy Migrations Everyone!
