Great Western Road Trip: Tips for Enjoying Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park in central California has some of the most serene and magnificent sights in the world. But its reputation may have gone on for too long because it is also very crowded. These are the pro's and con's of Yosemite National Park.

I recommend entering Yosemite National Park from the east on Highway 120. This will first take you through the higher altitude regions of the park and Tuolumne Meadows. These first sights are breath-taking and spectacular. But, if you come in from the west, by Highway 140, you drive through a nice "Arch Rock" entrance that your kids will likely enjoy.

In this first area of Yosemite National Park, coming from the east, there are expansive meadows, evergreen trees, majestic snow-capped mountains, bubbling creeks, ponds and lakes, all in what seems to be the absolute best of proportions. It seems like the perfect idyllic scene, made just to relax and refresh. It's also not too crowded considering its spectacular beauty, so I recommend taking it in for all it's worth.

The big attraction of Yosemite National Park is the Yosemite Valley. This also means it's the part of the park that is incredibly crowded. Parking throughout the valley is very limited and the park's shuttle system (required for access to some portions of the valley) is slow and often too full even when it passes you by.

Unfortunately, this is also the only National Park we visited where any of the Park's Rangers were rude at all. But even worse is that this rudeness by the Rangers seems to be the norm here. Only one or two of the rangers we came into contact with (out of about 10) demonstrated the usual cheery and helpful disposition that we've come to appreciate at the National Parks.

It's disappointing that we've found these negative aspects in the midst of such incredible beauty. Because that is exactly what makes Yosemite Valley so incredible.

The valley is surrounded by towering white granite mountains, rubbed smooth by eons of glacial activity. There is no shortage of waterways in Yosemite National Park and Yosemite Valley is where they all collide, in rivers, waterfalls, creeks and ponds everywhere you look. Forests cover the edges of the valley and work halfway up the mountains, leaving their other halves exposed. There are large expanses of meadow in the very center of the valley floor.

Even these sights are incredibly idyllic and have been the inspiration for some of America's most famous landscape painters and photographers for more than a century now. The only problem is that it's just really hard to ignore the noise of hundreds of cars and too many obnoxious tourists that fill every corner of both sides of Yosemite Valley (thanks to the road that runs the length of the narrow valley)

One of Yosemite's most famous sights is the Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls, which is in the top 10 list for World's tallest waterfalls. A short and very easy trail will take you through a nice (but not exactly quiet) forest and straight to the base of the falls. When you get there, you'll see the thin water spraying all the way down from a mountain at the side of the valley.

You'll also see the largest single group of people in the park, hundreds of them crowding the bridge and hundreds more clambering over rocks to get to the base of the falls... kids screaming, people shouting. Not so idyllic. And since it's not nearly the best or most beautiful waterfall we've seen on our trip, I'm not sure it's at all worth the time or effort.

There are a couple of other waterfalls (also thin but tall) along the valley that can be seen from the road or can be hiked out to by much longer trails. And there are several walkways cutting across the central meadow connecting both roads. These are far less crowded than most other things in Yosemite Valley and so they do provide some opportunity to enjoy Yosemite's nature with diminished crowd and noise.

One other place in the valley can provide a similar experience and on a larger scale: Happy Isles. It can only be reached by shuttle (or a several mile walk along the road) and since the shuttle system is as poorly managed as I described, you may want to avoid it. But if you can stand the shuttle system, this is a fairly rewarding experience.

Happy Isles is just a criss-crossed series of paths going from one forested and boulder-dotted island to another in the midst of the Merced River, with a nice view of Half Dome in the background. This area is much less crowded, provides for easy access to the river and, as the name suggests, can easily make you happy. It was a very nice relief from the rest of the over-crowded Yosemite Valley.

Yosemite National Park has the usual array of lodging options and campground opportunities. For camping, I particularly recommend the Yosemite Creek campground. It's not too far from the Tuolumne meadows, but it's also on the way to every other major point in the park. It's a small campground with about 20 to 30 campsites available and it's also less expensive than most of the park's other campgrounds.

One thing about the Yosemite Creek campground is that after taking the turnoff from the main road, you have to drive several more miles on a narrow and windy road that is full of potholes and other obstacles. Once you get there, however, the isolation from Yosemite's large crowds is fully worth it. It's located in a nice patch of forest with Yosemite Creek snaking through the various campsites and makes for a very enjoyable camping experience. We even a couple of deer visit our campsite two nights in a row.

On the way out of Yosemite Park, by 41 South towards Fresno, there are several nice lookouts for a more panoramic view of Yosemite Valley. There's also a turnout for "Glacier Point Road" which supposedly provides the absolute best views to be found of Yosemite Valley and its surrounding mountains.

In the end, I have to say that Yosemite's sights are incredibly beautiful and well worth their reputation. It's just a shame that throughout the valley there is very little peace to be had because of the tremendous crowds that flock here every summer. If you want an extended and relaxing stay in a place where you can enjoy Yosemite's peaceful beauty, your best bet is near the Tuolumne Meadows. But if you don't mind the crowds or you're willing to endure slow-moving over-packed roads and parking lots for a few quick snapshots, you can find something in Yosemite Valley as well.