This summer we spent a few days in Yosemite Valley. It was our second trip to the park, but the first in the middle of summer. This year the park did away with the reservation system instituted for COVID, which made park mornings resemble the 1889 Oklahoma Land Rush except instead of claiming homesteads people were claiming parking spots. When we visited in late June, Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road were closed, further concentrating everyone in the Valley.
Despite the crowds, we managed to have a great time. The sights of the Valley are worth it, even though at times it may feel like you are at Disney World. Here are my Yosemite Valley middle of summer tips for families.
- Get a place to stay in the Valley. The best option here is the Ahwahnee, but for those with lots of kids and finite money, you will want a campsite. We ended up getting a great spot in North Pines campground through the early season lottery. All of the sites in the Valley are reservable on recreation.gov. Apparently there are apps that scrape the website for bookings. The small cost of those apps may be worth it. If you are driving in for the day in July, you should enter the park by 6 am to get a parking spot. Personally, I don’t think I would visit without a place to stay in the Valley.
- The only way to tour the Valley as a family is on a bike. Once you park your car, you are not going to move it unless you want to spend hours looking for another spot. To get around the Valley you need to either (a) walk, (b) take the free shuttle, or (c) bike on the paved bike-paths. Walking is feasible for adults and kids who can handle 6-10 miles with no problem, but not realistic for many little kids. The shuttles work well in the off-season. In the summer, they are a shit show with people waiting hours. Which leaves biking as the only reasonable option. Even if you can walk, the bikes are way more fun! Bikes are available for rent at Curry Village and Yosemite Village. We got ours at about 10 am, and got the last few. The bikes are beach cruisers, and the trails are flat. They have lots of adult and kid bikes, and a smaller number of tag-alongs. A whole day rental lets you keep the bike until 7 pm. I had heard stories of people stealing the rental bikes and riding them around, so I brought some paracord to make taking our 6 bikes for a ride a pain. Riding around and exploring the classic Valley sights like Lower Yosemite Fall, the Merced River, the Visitor Centers, and Mirror Lake make for a nice first day.
- Hike the Mist Trail all the way to the top. Yes, this is one of the most popular trails in the National Park System. Yes, it’s got some climbing. Yes, if the snowmelt is going, you will get completely soaked and the kids will have a blast. Don’t stop at Vernal Falls, as the extra hike up to the top of Nevada Falls is worth it and probably 75% of the crowd stops at Vernal. Pack a lunch, get an early start, and descend the JMT in the afternoon to avoid the crowds. Our 6 year old was able to handle the hike, so kids can manage it as long as you take your time.
- Hike Half Dome if you hit the lottery. Climbing the Half Dome chains is by lottery only. Unfortunately, we never got lucky. But had we won, I would have taken my oldest kids on this classic hike. Instead, Sam and I made a valiant effort to cut cross country a few miles above Nevada Falls to reach the Half Dome Diving Board. You don’t need a permit to reach this ledge where Ansel Adams took his famous photo of Half Dome. The route is very roughly marked with cairns, but we ended up losing the path through a field of large talus and thorny bush.
After some uncomfortably steep backtracks and a close encounter with a rattlesnake, we decided to head back down. Next time…
- Don’t spend too much of your time in the Valley. The Sierras are fantastic. There are tremendous front-country and back-country activities in other parts of Yosemite and in nearby Sequoia-Kings Canyon. Two or three days in the Valley is plenty.
Vamonos Baby! 