When visited: July, 2005, June, 2014, January, 2026
Date Established: October 1, 1890
Park ranking: 2 out of 63
Highlight: Best waterfalls, amazing Yosemite Valley, unreal granite cliffs, Sequoia trees and alpine backcountry hiking
Why not to go: People, traffic and congestion in the valley– especially in the summer – winter not so
Poster’s note: Since we attended Yosemite this year this post is out or sequence — I apologize for its length but there is a lot to see and say!
Jan 8, 2026
We are on the plane from Pittsburgh to San Francisco as I write. Two days after my 60th birthday, we are travelling for a combined purpose of golf with two of our sons followed by our first winter visit to Yosemite for Missy and me. 10 days to celebrate 60 years – sounds right.
Our sons won’t be joining us in Yosemite due to work commitments, but I am excited for the return to one of the most spiritual valleys in the national park system, especially in quieter times. The weather looks ideal in the long-range forecast but we will need to find tire chains for our rental vehicle as they are required to be in the car when visiting the park in the winter. (Spoiler: we found our needed tire chains at Walmart (make sure they match the tires on your rental vehicle)… we never needed them and Walmart gladly let us return them. Thank you Walmart)
Yosemite Valley on a crisp, clear winter morning – El Capitan, Merced River and Bridal Viel Falls
Yesterday was a strange day, in that I spent an hour in an MRI machine getting pelvic scans for some abnormal blood tests. Many thoughts can go through your head when confined and unable to move. Mostly though, I focused on the positives using mental imagery to pass the time with my eyes closed. Images such walking on a golf course, hole by hole, or places of majestic beauty like Oxbow Bend in Grand Teton National Park or Yosemite Valley or even our family property in northeastern Pennsylvania. I had conversed with my cousin, Jack earlier in the week for his birthday and re-emphasized the importance of family and health – and on this trip I am able to celebrate both.
This Yosemite agenda is not overly aggressive – we plan to spend most of our time on the valley floor, maybe some cross-country skiing and certainly some visits to the beautiful places like Tunnel View, Bridal Viel Falls, Mirror Lake and Yosemite Falls. Missy and I are practicing something new for us which is letting the days “unfold” and to take what is there. We are staying at the Ahwahnee Hotel and have some dinner reservations but that is our only schedule. We are very excited to relive some memories and soak in the beauty. Some of this ability to unfold stems from not knowing exactly what roads and trails will be open!
Sunset on Half Dome
We have visited Yosemite three times – let’s review each visit staring with 2005.
Yosemite Falls in the winter, morning sun
2005
Our family visited Yosemite National Park first in the summer of 2005. We combined Yosemite with Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks for a very memorable stay in California. So memorable, that our son, Matthew, chose Yosemite as the centerpiece of his high school graduation trip in 2014. We combined that visit with Lassen Volcanic Park, Redwoods National Park, Crater Lake National Park and a visit to Eugune, Oregon where he could show his brothers the U of O where he spent the next four years.
In 2005, we were mesmerized by the beauty of the waterfalls, the majesty of the granite cliffs and the overall spirit of the valley. We our first stop in Yosemite was Bridal Viel Falls and then to the Visitor Center and saw the film, the “Spirit of Yosemite.” We spent time on the first day at the base of lower Yosemite Falls, climbing rocks, wading in the cold, mountain water and avoiding some of the crowd! We later headed to Glacier Point and enroute hiked 2.2 miles round trip to Sentinel Dome with great views of the valley highlights. We stayed at Glacier Point for sunset and took in the Ranger Program there.
The next day we hiked the Mist/Muir Trail which is 7.5 mile round trip with 1,900 feet of elevation gain and loss. The trail combines parts of the Mist Trail and the Muir Trail and passes both Vernal and Nevada Falls. The Mist Trail is steep and full of stairs but gets so close to Vernal Falls that you can almost touch it! During the hike, Missy snapped an iconic photograph of us from the Muir Trail near Clark’s Point with Vernal Falls in the background.
Iconic family photo from Clark’s Point near Vernal Falls
The next day we headed to the Tioga Road for the alpine area. We hiked a short but steep trail near the park exit to Lower Gaylor Lake which brought us to an elevation of 10,500 feet! At the lake we skipped rocks, played in the snow and did some “butt sliding”. We proceeded another mile to the Upper Gaylor Lake to an icy, snowy lake (similar to Iceburg Lake in Glacier National Park). We found solitude in Yosemite with no other people there!
After the hike, we drove to Tuolumne Meadows and got ice cream at the Visitor Center and later stopped to wade in Tenaya Lake. Near there, we saw a black bear trying to enter a car in a parking lot which probably had been left filled with food. That would be the only time in our experience we witnessed an animal attempting a break into a vehicle.
Our last day in Yosemite was a relaxing day of sitting below the waterfalls and we jumped off Swinging Bridge and swam in the river. We were enticed by others jumping off the Swinging Bridge (– NOTE – IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO JUMP OFF THE BRIDGE TODAY due to the floods that have occurred and moved major rocks under the bridge). This is one of their most consistent memories of the park.
Daredevil Matt, leading the way
Other stops/activities on our visit included Inspiration Point, Mirror Lake, Curry Village and seeing a rockslide down the mountain near Happy Isles. Our family loved Yosemite and all that excitement and beauty that it offered. Of course, they also loved the hotel pool at Yosemite Falls Lodge!
2014
2005 left such a positive mark, that Matt chose to return for his high school graduation trip to do some of the more aggressive hikes that we didn’t do in 2005. For our 2014 trip, Matt outlined the itinerary.
| June 9 -12 | Yosemite – stay at Yose. Falls Lodge | June 9 – Sentinal Dome June 10 – Yosemite Falls, June 11 — Hetch Hetchy June 12 — Half Dome |
| June 13-14 | Yosemite at Ahwahnee | June 13 – Alpine, June 14 – Glacier Point 4 Mile Trail |
After spending a day in San Francisco, we did the 4.5ish hour drive to Yosemite Valley for a 6 day stay. We decided to splurge and spend the last two nights in the Ahwahnee but couldn’t swing the cost of 6 nights there. We were able to secure the important permits to scale Half Dome on June 12th so we planned the rest of the itinerary around that. Matt is a lover of climbing and waterfalls, so we were active the whole time!
On our first day we hiked Sentinel Dome and made our way to Glacier Point and Inspiration Point to reset our mental imagery of the valley. We also stopped at the waterfalls on the valley floor and of course the National Park Visitors Center.
On the next day we began our 3,000 feet of vertical ascent to the top of Yosemite Falls. We got an early start to avoid the heat and relatively quickly made it to the top of Lower Falls where we paused for a break. Unfortunately, we were near the side of the mountain and TJ kicked his water bottle which fell the thousand feet to the valley floor below – never to be found – fortunately it was not near any hiking trail, so no one was injured.
It’s easy to miss what I call middle falls in Yosemite Falls as the attention is on Upper and Lower – this hike allows you to experience the middle falls better than from the valley floor. The hike is hot and without much shade so get an early start and make sure you bring enough water. Poles can be helpful to ease the stress on the knees on the long descent.
Yosemite Falls in summer, much drier and less water
After the aggressive hike to the top of the falls and a more aggressive hike scheduled for the next day we took a down day and did a 5 mile walk along the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. Hetch Hetchy is about a 1.5-hour ride from the valley floor so it is less visited than other parts of the park. The drive takes you past the start of the Tioga Road and briefly outside of the park into the national forest. The hike was mainly flat, and we grimly wondered what the most beautiful valley in Yosemite really looked like. John Muir fought to save the Hetch Hetchy valley from becoming a reservoir because he felt the valley challenged Yosemite Valley for its beauty. The reservoir was beautiful in its own way, with its granite cliffs and blue water.
Half dome from Glacier Point
Finally, the main event occurred – the hike to Half Dome. We awoke at 3 am with our head lamps and made our way to the start of the Mist/Muir Trail. The same trail we did when the kids were much smaller and this time the hike was a first leg of the main event. We were not alone on the trail as many trekkers started earlier than us to reach the top of Half Dome at sunrise – we had no such goal – we did want to reach the top of the waterfalls by sunrise. We used our headlamps to make sure of our footing and be on the lookout for unwanted travel companions such as skunks. The Mist Trail before Vernal Falls consists of a major vertical ascent on stone steps – it is important to rest and have solid footing on your ascent (and a great headlamp).
We made it to the top of Nevada Falls (another 1.6 miles past Vernal Falls) for a spectacular sunrise over the valley and then proceeded on the next relatively flat section (Little Yosemite Valley) of our hike around Half Dome to begin the ascent on the subdome from the back side. En route we passed a couple in their 70s with large packs planning to hike the entire Muir Trail to Mt. Whitney (200+ miles) – that made climbing Half Dome seem that more doable.
We relatively easily made it through Little Yosemite Valley and reached a ranger checkpoint asking for our permits. Others were already on their way down after sunrise and unfortunately some did not have a permit and were receiving fines.
After the ranger checkpoint, we began our ascent on the rocky trail of the sub-dome – it was more of a rock scramble than a hike – we made our way up the first part – some time on our hands and knees. We reached the false summit with amazing views of the valley and reached the area of my greatest consternation – the chains.
Missy ascending the Half Dome chains
Our sons proceeded up the chains like goats with no concerns at all — except for Scott who had a fear of falling and our other sons sandwiched him between them to help ease his fears on the way up. Missy and I were not so fortunate. We started up and I quickly realized I had on the wrong shoes – or at least shoes with not enough traction. Probably some of it was fear, some of was the shoes, but I never made it up the chains – it is a regret that I have. Missy was brave and made it up to join the boys and I waited. Eventually, they returned and offered to go back up with me but I didn’t take my sons’ offer to go back up with them. Either it was anger, pride or fear but I didn’t do it. One of my biggest regrets and failures of our national park journeys. I doubt the opportunity will ever come again as permits are harder to get and 17 miles is a long day hike as I am into my 60s. The other 4 members of our family made it to the top and back down the chains and we began the long descent to the beginning of the trail head. We were back down before 12 and had lunch at Curry Village Pizza and took naps in our hotel room. An amazing hiking experience without summiting and even more so if you did!
Views from the Tioga Road
On our next to last day we did the alpine area of the park off of Tioga Road – we didn’t want to hike much so we drove out the Tioga Road and enjoyed the views and made it to Tenaya Lake and Mono Lake outside of the eastern side of the park. Mono Lake is an ancient saline lake famous for its tufa towers, which are calcium-carbonite spires. We walked for a while along the shoreline and studied the rock formations.
Matt and Scott in Tenaya Lake
The last day was a drive to Glacier Point to take in the valley one last time – to see Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, El Cap etc. The boys and I decided to hike down the 4-mile hike from Glacier Point to the valley floor near Swinging Bridge but Missy chose rest and agreed to bring the vehicle to the bottom and pick us up when we reached.
It’s hard not to feel the spirts on that hike – we didn’t struggle as it was all downhill which allowed ample time for reflection – on the beauty, on the accomplishments and on the failures. Matt left fulfilled and vowing to return to climb – so we accomplished continually trying to help him find his love of nature and adventure.
Glacier Point views
2026
I am writing this now after our 2026 visit.
Our amazing Yosemite experiences in 2005 and 2014 were nearly perfect (except for the top of Half Dome for me). So here we are in 2026, visiting the Valley Floor in winter with snow in the meadows and ice on some trails. In the beginning it didn’t feel welcoming – it didn’t feel right without the kids, it felt like we were out of place. We arrived to beautiful weather – not a cloud in the sky, which also didn’t feel right as we were expecting a winter wonderland.
There were some slick spots on the roads from refreeze overnight but no chains required – reaching 60 degrees in the valley on each day. Tioga Road was closed and Glacier Point Road was closed past Badger Pass ski center.
Upon entering the valley floor, I was again awestruck by the beauty of the sunlight highlighting the granite face of El Cap. We quickly arrived at the stop for a gushing Bridalveil Falls which is about ¼ mile off the road. There were cars on the road in the valley but nothing like it would be at noon during a summer day. We didn’t stop but planned to return.
We made our way to the Ahwanee Hotel, checked in early, grabbed an ok lunch at the main dining room and headed on a walk to the visitor center – there was no line! No people! Amazing!
The center helped us get a lay of the land about what was open – downhill skiing was not available but cross-country and snowshoeing were at Badger Pass. (The downhill center was opening for the season the coming weekend.)
The Sequoia Grove was accessible via a 4 mile hike after the drive to it. The Mist Trail was very icy but open – the Muir Trail was a better option. The Yosemite Falls Trail and Mirror Lake Trail were both open as well.
We gathered our information and started on a walk to the Swinging Bridge and then to Lower Yosemite Falls – we had the bridge and the base of Lower Falls to ourselves and enjoyed the spray from the falls dancing in the sunlight through the trees. You could feel the wind from the spray and actually see the sparkling mist in the sunlight rays.
We walked back to the hotel and decided a swim in the 85-degree outdoor pool seemed like a treat – the key is to find the jets where the hot water comes in – much like a giant hot tub. We soaked for about 10 minutes and exited the pool, quickly showered and headed to our dinner reservation at 6:30 in the dining room and rested for a full day tomorrow. We watched a coyote do the hunt dance in the valley looking for mice or voles.
On our second day (first full day) we started with a drive and short walk to Bridalveil Falls which was flowing nicely. Quite a powerful fall which never seems to be in direct sunlight. During our entire time at the falls we saw 6 people! We marveled about how hundreds of people would be camped out in the rocks below the falls in the summer time.
Bridal Viel Falls in January
After Bridalveil Falls, we headed to Curry Village and checked out the small ice skating rink which was empty. Only two stores appeared open for the season, the mountaineering store and the general store. All the restaurants appeared closed. We shopped a little and then headed toward the Mirror Lake trailhead to catch Half Dome in the reflection pools. This trail had more people than Bridal Viel Falls.
If you wish to capture Half Dome in the pools be sure to take the road to Mirror Lake and not the trail that goes right at the bridge – there is no way to cross the river from the Half Dome side once you reach Mirror Lake. We enjoyed the beauty of the Tenaya Canyon valley and continued to walk past Mirror Lake to the junction with the Snow Creek Trail that begins a climb out of the valley and in 20 miles you reach Tuolumne Meadows or in 10 miles Tenaya Lake. We didn’t have the time, equipment or water for that so we turned around and headed to our car. The Mirror Lake trail and the Bridal Viel Falls trails were icy in a few spots beyond Mirror Lake so use caution. I inquired about traction devices in the engineering store but unsurprisingly they were sold out. We didn’t know what to expect when we were planning and surprisingly more trails were open than I expected. And there was less snow in the valley.
Mirror Lake with Half Dome in site in January
We headed back to the Ahwahnee for afternoon tea and to watch the sun set on the face of Half Dome. The tea was simple but listening to the piano and enjoying the view was a nice relaxation moment. The sun sets around 5 so we headed back to the room and grab a shower and head to dinner at the Ahwahnee bar.
On our final full day, we started back at Yosemite Falls to catch both upper and lower falls in direct sunlight. We drove out to Tunnel View to capture what is one of the most famous, iconic views in the national park system – and again it didn’t disappoint. We left tunnel view and drove back to Curry Village to see what part of the Mist /Muir trail we could hike without ice traction. We walked from Curry Village to Happy Isles Nature Center (we could have shuttled and saved a mile of walking which we did on our return trip). We left Happy Isles and made it pretty quickly (it is all uphill though) to the Vernal Falls footbridge. The walk is always in view of the churning Merced River. We laughed at the young folks walking the clear asphalt path in their yak traks – a part of us was jealous we didn’t have them but they certainly weren’t needed on the clear asphalt path.
January – Vernal Falls from the Mist Trail
We began our walk to Vernal Falls and the steep climb on the stone steps after learning that they were free of ice. We were pleasantly surprised that we could get that far on the Mist Trail – we reached the top of Vernal and were faced with a decision – hike onward to Nevada, hike the .6 connector open in winter for connecting Muir and Mist Trails or head back to the footbridge down the stairs. We decided to try the .6 mile connector to Muir and knew we could turn around if needed. Long story short we made it – but it was probably not wise – the trail was icy and we were often walking on the stone barriers of the trail as they were free from ice. At one point I butt slid a trail section that was too icy.
Vernal Falls from above
We made it in good shape and paused to peer down on Vernal Falls and the glance back at Nevada Falls from Clarks Point (the site of our epic photo in 2005)– we headed back to the valley via the Muir Trail and talked about what big hikes we still had in us. Yosemite again inspiring us to get back into nature and get off the beaten path. We left inspired, thankful and recharged, albeit a little melancholy to be there without our kids who loved previous visits there together.
Mist/Muir connection trail in January — very steep – very icy — bring your traction or sled
Summary
If you are planning a visit, ask yourself what you like and plan the season accordingly. The waterfalls are world class but may not be running in late summer or fall. Yosemite, Bridal Viel, Nevada, Vernal and Horsetail Falls are outstanding. Being there after Glacier Point Road and Tioga Road open, allows access to areas of the park not available in the winter – Tuolumne Meadows, Tenaya Lake, Glacier Point, Taft’s Point, and Sentinel Dome. Hetch Hetchy is open year-round and also receives far fewer visitors. Winter brings more quiet, fewer people and for us fewer animals.
My top things to suggest for Yosemite are:
- Half Dome if you can get a permit and you can hike 17 miles with significant elevation change
- Mist / Muir Trail and hike into Little Yosemite Valley even if you cannot get the Half Dome permit
- Yosemite Falls Hike
- Four Mile Trail down from Glacier Point
- Tunnel View
- Mirror Lake Trail beyond Mirror Lake into Tenaya Canyon
- Spending time to feel the power of Yosemite Falls and Bridal Viel Falls
- Getting to Glacier Point and the views from Sentinel Dome and Taft’s Point
- Getting to Hetch Hetchy and doing the reservoir hike
- Sequoias in the Merced Grove
- Spending quiet time in the meadows reflecting on the huge granite walls that surround you. Find time to be alone.
The Ahwahnee is a wonderful hotel but it is expensive and in need of some maintenance upkeep – but it is worth a visit to see the Grand Hall and dining room – and it is the best lodging in the valley and probably the only accommodation in the winter season.
Missy and I discuss doing Clouds Rest and perhaps the full Muir Trail like that 70+ year old couple we met 12 years ago on our Half Dome hike. Not sure that will happen, but….
Maybe we have one final Yosemite adventure left to do.
We Visited All 63 U.S. National Parks 
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