For 4th of July weekend, my family went glamping with our friends and their families at the Yosemite Lakes RV Resort, which is about 5.5 miles from the west entrance of California’s beautiful Yosemite National Park. Have you heard of glamping? It’s a new style of camping (glamorous camping) where it includes all the amenities of hotel set in a natural environment. We stayed in the yurt, which is round tent-like looking structure. It had the view of the South Fork of the Tuolumne River.
The yurt was fully loaded with a queen futon, a bunk bed, private bathroom with shower, gas stove heat, two-burner stove top, microwave, toaster, coffee pot and a refrigerator. Utensils, dishes and pots and pans, bedding and linens were also included. We brought groceries and took turn to make dinner. It was nice to go hiking and sightseeing during the day and coming back to the yurt for a hot shower, home made dinner and comfortable bed in the evening.
Yosemite National Park is the land of giants where there are massive cliffs and domes, groves of the world’s largest sequoia trees. We spent 2.5 days exploring Yosemite focusing on must see and things to do in the park. We wanted to do easy hikes for the kids since we had a total of 6 kids ranging from 5 to 11 years old. All the kids did great with hiking and sightseeing including the youngest one.
There was very little or no cell service inside the park so we downloaded Google offline map for Yosemite before our trip to get around the park. We also downloaded Gypsy Guide for Yosemite app on our phone. As we drove from place to place in Yosemite, Gypsy Guide automatically shared stories about Yosemite and interesting place that we might be interested to stop and visit. I highly recommend using Gypsy Guide for Yosemite trip.
Day 1
We arrived at the south entrance of Yosemite around 1:30 P.M. It took us approximately 6 hours to get there from Orange County. After paying $35 for a seven days pass to the park, we headed to the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza to take the free shuttle to the Mariposa Grove as this was the primary way to get to there.
Mariposa Grove
The giant sequoias are the biggest trees in the world and the largest and best collection of sequoias can be found at Mariposa Grove. We hiked the Grizzly Giant Loop Trail and spent 2 hours enjoying the notable trees such as the Bachelor and Three Graces, the Grizzly Giant, and California Tunnel Tree.
Bass Lake
The 4th of July would not be the same without BBQ and fireworks so we bought the 4th of July BBQ Buffet with Fireworks Show tickets in advance to celebrate Independence Day at Bass Lake. After visiting the Mariposa Grove, we drove to The Pines Resort to attend the event, which included live entertainment, buffet dinner, family games, party favors and a spectacular fireworks show. We had a great view of Bass Lake fireworks from our seating. Overall, we had a great time celebrating Independence Day at Bass Lake.
Day 2
We headed to the Yosemite Valley early this morning to visit some of the most famous park features. We stopped along the way to take pictures before heading to the Yosemite Visitor Center where we had lunch at Base Camp Eatery (formerly food court). After lunch, we took the free Yosemite Valley shuttle system to the Vernal Fall and Mirror Lake. It can be very busy in the Yosemite Valley and taking the free shuttle bus is encouraged to get from place to place as parking can be a nightmare.
El Capitan
A granite monolith vertical rock formation that is 3,000 feet tall. There are 100 or so established routes to climb El Capitan. Most climbers will take multiple days to climb to the top.
Bridalveil Fall
One of the most famous waterfalls in Yosemite that flows year round and known for its drenching mist.
Yosemite Falls
The highest waterfall in Yosemite dropping a total of 2,425 feet from the top of the upper fall to the base of the lower fall.
Mirror Lake
A small, seasonal lake located on Tenaya Creek.
Vernal Fall
This waterfall is considered one of the most powerful waterfalls in Yosemite. While the kids hiked to the Mirror Lake, a couple of the adults hiked to the Vernal Fall. The trail is considered as moderate to strenuous with over 600 steps of steep granite stairway. The view on top of the Vernal Fall is beautiful and worth the hike.
Day 3
We left our yurt at 5:30 A.M. this morning and got to Glacier Point approximately 2 hours later. Near the parking lot, we saw a few deer hanging around such as the one shown below.
Oh deer!
Glacier Point
Breathtaking views of Yosemite Valley, including Half Dome and three waterfalls.
Tunnel View
Provides one of the most famous views of Yosemite Valley. You can see El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall rising from Yosemite Valley with Half Dome in the background.
Tuolumne Meadows
Large, open meadow surrounded by majestic peaks and domes.
Olmsted Point
Beautiful view into the Tenaya Canyon where the northern side of Half Dome can be seen.
Tenaya Lake
The lake is named after Chief Tenaya and the surface has an elevation of 8,150 feet. The lake basin was formed by glacial action.
Mono Lake
We drove to the end of the Tioga Road and visited the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, which is 13 miles east of Yosemite National Park. Mono Lake is a saline soda lake formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in an endorheic basin. Isn’t it beautiful?
Tips Before You Go:
- Bring insect repellent, sunblock, hat, antibacteria wipes, hand sanitizer.
- Fuel up before arriving to the park.
- Bring food and water.
- Some roads are closed during the winter and spring. Check the NPS website for the latest details.
Yosemite National Park is a place everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. Have you been there before?
You really know how to enjoy life.
Thank you =)