There are as many ways to take on Yosemite as there are things to do there. Travel books and websites on Yosemite abound and are helpful when planning your trip. One of the many useful websites to check for history and general information is Yosemite’s own, via the National Park Service: nps.gov/yose.
Remember, even though the park makes you as comfortable as possible, you’re still in the wilderness. Don’t be surprised if a family of raccoons joins you for a picnic. Also, Yosemite is remote and mountainous – so don’t even think about getting good cellphone reception. Just relax and enjoy – you’re on vacation.
I’ve made the pilgrimage to Yosemite three times now, and I’d go again in a heartbeat. I’m surprised to say that it is more awesome every time.
When to go
Yosemite has a unique beauty you can experience throughout the year. Winter is gorgeous but rough and sometimes dangerous because of snow, landslides and icy roads. Spring can still look and feel a bit like winter because you’re in the mountains. The air is crisp and clean, and you will enjoy a fireplace. You’ll see wildflowers, but also snowcaps in the higher altitudes. Spring through autumn is fantastic, though summer is often crowded due to Yosemite’s worldwide popularity. No matter when you go, you should call or go online to check on weather and road conditions, and make your lodging reservations well ahead of time.
How to go
The closest major city to Yosemite is San Francisco, but the nearest airport is in Fresno. For maps and park directions, via every type of vehicle, go to: nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/directions. This site also provides road conditions. You can drive your car into and around Yosemite, but walk or take the convenient, free shuttle buses most everywhere else within the park. Or, if you prefer the guided adventure, you can join (or charter) a one- to five-day bus tour of Yosemite from your San Francisco hotel via, or call 1-866-231-3752 toll-free.
What to do
There are 800 miles of beautiful hiking trails. The park provides friendly nature guides and tons of free literature to tell you all about what you will see. Take your time and really see this place.
And stop once in a while and look at the faces of your fellow walkers – it’s a look of bliss. You can also fish, swim, raft and boat at Yosemite, but there are strict rules and regulations for all these things. The park website explains them in detail.
The park estimates that 300 to 500 bears make their homes in Yosemite. By 1922, humans had totally killed off the largest, most powerful carnivore, the California grizzly, but American black bears are abundant.
We didn’t see any, but I talked with a park ranger who had just heard about a sighting and was on her way to check it out.
Yosemite preaches how to avoid bears on its park website and in its literature. Your best bet is to use common sense: Bears need food – a lot of it. So unless you’re in the process of eating your food, stash it in one of the many lockers the park provides for rent, but not in your car.
Yosemite is home to about 90 other species of mammals, including two hooved mammals, the California mule deer and the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep. Chipmunks, squirrels and gophers are plentiful. So are mice.
Carnivores are perhaps the most widely recognized group of mammals in Yosemite. Besides the bears, there are also bobcats, mountain lions, raccoons, coyotes, foxes, weasels and skunks.
Legend says the name Yosemite derives from Yos.s.e’meti (Central Miwok), the Indian tribe that lived in Yosemite Valley. The Ahwahnee Hotel got its name from the area the Yosemite people originally referred to Awooni, meaning “gaping mouth,” for the appearance of the Yosemite Valley walls from the village of Ahwahnee. Ahwahnee was the largest and most powerful Indian village in the valley, but the word later came to mean the entire valley.
The Yosemite people called themselves Ah-wah-ne-chee, or “dwellers of Ahwahnee.
Christine Klinger is a writer and visual artist who lives in Dayton, Ohio. She can be reached at christineklinger@earthlink.net
