Yosemite on the cheap

Description:

Camp 4 Campground offers five campsites, toilets, fishing in season. Supplies may be obtained in Piedra. No drinking water and no RV parking.

Our Local Expert Says:

A genuinely superb way to avoid parking hassles and to spare the air.

Description:

Yosemite's popularity means there's potential for traffic problems and the air pollution that goes with it.  The park service and concessioner have arranged an easy solution in the Valley's shuttle system.  Leave your car in the Day Use Parking at Yosemite Village or Curry Village, and take a shuttle to 90% of the places you want to go: campgrounds, stores, restaurants, shops, trailheads, lodges, etc.  The shuttles are free.  They're hybrid fueled so produce few emissions.  In summer they run every 10 minutes.  Seasonally, there are even special buses that go direct to the Visitor Center from the Yosemite Village day use lot and one that'll take you all the way down-Valley to El Capitan Meadow.  You'll find a map and schedule in the park's newspaper, the Yosemite Guide.  Great deal!

Our Local Expert Says:

A great education can be had between exhibits, the bookstore, the film and talking with rangers.

Description:

The Yosemite Valley Visitor Center is the heart of Yosemite Village and is open daily, with hours varying with the season. The visitor center is immediately west of the main post office in the park at shuttle bus stops #6 and #9. You'll find information, maps, books, a series of great natural and cultural history exhibits, and helpful rangers to get you oriented to visiting the park.  Every half hour the park's award-winning film is shown in the Theater out back.  The Indian Museum and Indian Village are adjacent. 

Description:

Degnan's is a social hub for Yosemite Village and it's overflowing at lunchtime.  There's a lot to chose from, but their sandwich selection (all named for park landmarks) is great and the soups are just the thing on a chilly mountain day.  Lots of beverage fridges, ice cream novelties, chips and candy can round out a meal for a picnic table outside or will fill your daypack for a hike to Mirror Lake or up Yosemite Falls.  Open year-round. 

Description:

This trail begins from the Happy Isles area of the Yosemite Valley. In winter, when the shuttle bus isn't working, hikers can begin from the Curry Village Day-Use Parking Area and walk eastward to Happy Isles. This will add two miles to your trip. Nevada Falls can be accessed from the Mist Trail above Vernal Falls or the John Muir Trail--begin with the Mist Trail, then return to the trailhead via the John Muir Trail.

Description:

After hiking around the valley all day, this is a good place to sit down, relax, and learn about Yosemite and its inhabitants (plant, animal or human). Park rangers conduct the programs here, usually nature talks, and also act as commentators for the films they show. One of the favorites has been a film depicting Ansel Adams and his famous photographs of the park. Other programs have included a discussion on animals idigenous to the park and how they survive—as well as what to do if you see one of them in the wild. Program subjects and times vary; however, most start at 8:30p daily.

Description:

This trail runs between May Lake, west of Tuolumne Meadows, and Mirror Lake, in Yosemite Valley. The total mileage of this trip is ten and a half miles with an elevation change of approximately 4,700 feet. For most of the route the trail roughly follows Snow Creek to Tenaya Creek.  Get a permit for an overnight trip, or have a driver drop you off and pick you up on the far side.  Astounding views of the face of Half Dome. 

Description:

The Yosemite Valley has long been recognized as one of nature's true wonders. Its beauty has drawn artists from all over the world for well over 100 years. This museum displays a collection of works by such artists, all selected by a jury. The works include a variety of styles and range from old to contemporary. In addition to the paintings, the gallery features historical exhibits, which change from time to time. The museum as a whole gives a good visual sense of Yosemite through the ages.

Description:

You'll find breakfast, lunch, and dinner at this busy restaurant (serving about 2,000 meals each day), which is a vast improvement over the traditional cafeteria. It's set up with a series of food stations, where you pick up your choices before heading to the centralized cashier and then to a table either inside or at the outside seating area, which features tables with umbrellas and good views of Yosemite Falls. Food stations specialize in pasta (with a choice of sauces), pizza, deli sandwiches and salads, a grill (offering burgers, hot dogs, and hot sandwiches), meat-based and vegetarian entrees, desserts and baked goods, and beverages. There's also a hot breakfast food station offering traditional American breakfast items and coffee.

Description:

Camp 4 Campground offers five campsites, toilets, fishing in season. Supplies may be obtained in Piedra. No drinking water and no RV parking.

Description:

This trail begins from the Camp Four Campground or the Yosemite Lodge parking area via the north side Valley Floor Trail. It is steep with more than 125 switchbacks to reach the Upper Yosemite Falls overlook. The falls flow best during the spring and early summer months. You'll find signs that direct you toward the trailhead, which is a half-mile west of the much busier Lower Yosemite Falls area.  The trail ascends immediately with dozens of short switchbacks leading up the northern valley wall. The first mile ends at Columbia Rock, which provides sweeping views of the Yosemite Valley, that include Half Dome and Sentinel Rock. There's a short traverse along a cliff bench, then you continue up. The view of the falls improves as the trail climbs and transits an exposed gully prone to rock falls. A trail junction at the rim separates the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail from the Eagle Peak Trail. Follow the signs, going right to reach the hairy falls overlook. Whew!  Save some gas for the long trek back down the trail. 
Some people do the round-trip in 3 hours; others will want to make a day of it.  Bring plenty of water, food, sun protection and sturdy shoes for this rocky, bony, stony trail. 

Description:

This route is part of the little-used but very worthy bridle trail that loops the edges of the whole Valley floor.  The least used west end is described elsewhere.  It gains little elevation as it leads through the central chamber of Yosemite Valley. This trail can be accessed from Camp Four Campground, Sentinel Beach Picnic Area, El Capitan Bridge, Cathedral Picnic Area, Four Mile Trail or Yosemite Lodge.  One way to do this is to begin the hike by following the trail that leads west out of the Yosemite Lodge/Yosemite Falls area. A half mile from the Lower Yosemite Falls area the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail heads up the wall to the right. The center Valley loop leads westward from Camp Four, where a new Indian Cultural Center is being built, then crosses Northside Drive.  The trail follows the Merced River through Leidig Meadow to El Capitan Bridge. This stretch of trail provides sweeping views of the Merced River and the Valley's cliffs. Cross the El Cap Bridge and head east on the trail there. The trail crosses Southside Drive then continues eastward through the forest toward Sentinel Rock. The crossing of Sentinel Creek can be tricky in May. Shortly beyond it is the junction with Four-mile Trail. East of this junction the trail either crosses Southside Drive to the Swinging Bridge picnic area and back to Yosemite Lodge, or continues east in deep woods to emerge behind the Yosemite Chapel.  No bikes or pets are allowed on this route.