Weekend Trip - Yosemite National Park
Like San Francisco, Yosemite National Park is another of those places that is a victim of my "its so close we can go any time" syndrome. One of my favorite scenic places, I haven't been there for more than 8 years I think. Finally made it back there last weekend and it was just as beautiful as I remembered.
On Saturday, we drove directly to Mono Lake, an alkaline and hypersaline lake east of Yosemite National Park. There is a vista point on 395 South that provides a view of the full lake and from there it is a short drive down to the lake itself. We initially drove down Highway 167, which took us by the rim of the lake but was completely deserted since it didn't have lake access. But once we turned back and continued south on 395, there were a couple of turnoffs that provided lake access. The first one had a wooden trail right down to the lake itself for a closeup look at the unique flora and fauna there. The visitor center, a few blocks away on 395, also had a great view of the lake and the different shades of blue on the lake's surface made for a beautiful sight.
We then took 120 to the Tioga Pass entrance into Yosemite National Park. We took 120 all the way through the park. This route took us by some beautiful lakes(Lake Tenaya is probably the biggest and most beautiful of them) and huge granit rock outcroppings, a characteristic of Yosemite. We drove on to Merced, where we stayed the night.
It was back to the park yesterday morning. We entered the park through 140 - the Arch Rock entrance - this time. Our first stop was Bridal Veil Falls. Since it was almost end of July, there was not much water but rockhopping to get close to the falls was, as always, a fun affair. We then drove to Glacier point, which provided great views of Half Dome and Yosemite Valley itself. It was really hot though and the little time we spent walking to and from Glacier point tired out most the folks in our little group and so we headed back home from there.
Here are some photos from the trip.
PS: Came back yesterday evening to find Harry Potter 7 waiting in the mailbox. Was pleasantly surprised since I thought the book would only be shipped on Saturday. Guess it was delivered on the release date. So if there are no new posts the next couple of days, you know why :-)
On Saturday, we drove directly to Mono Lake, an alkaline and hypersaline lake east of Yosemite National Park. There is a vista point on 395 South that provides a view of the full lake and from there it is a short drive down to the lake itself. We initially drove down Highway 167, which took us by the rim of the lake but was completely deserted since it didn't have lake access. But once we turned back and continued south on 395, there were a couple of turnoffs that provided lake access. The first one had a wooden trail right down to the lake itself for a closeup look at the unique flora and fauna there. The visitor center, a few blocks away on 395, also had a great view of the lake and the different shades of blue on the lake's surface made for a beautiful sight.
We then took 120 to the Tioga Pass entrance into Yosemite National Park. We took 120 all the way through the park. This route took us by some beautiful lakes(Lake Tenaya is probably the biggest and most beautiful of them) and huge granit rock outcroppings, a characteristic of Yosemite. We drove on to Merced, where we stayed the night.
It was back to the park yesterday morning. We entered the park through 140 - the Arch Rock entrance - this time. Our first stop was Bridal Veil Falls. Since it was almost end of July, there was not much water but rockhopping to get close to the falls was, as always, a fun affair. We then drove to Glacier point, which provided great views of Half Dome and Yosemite Valley itself. It was really hot though and the little time we spent walking to and from Glacier point tired out most the folks in our little group and so we headed back home from there.
Here are some photos from the trip.
PS: Came back yesterday evening to find Harry Potter 7 waiting in the mailbox. Was pleasantly surprised since I thought the book would only be shipped on Saturday. Guess it was delivered on the release date. So if there are no new posts the next couple of days, you know why :-)
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5 Comments:
BB,
I heard this place is really huge and one would probably need the full weekend to cover most of Yosemite National Park, is it true?.
Hi BB,
HP3 costco la kuvinju kadundhudhu...I didnt expect that atall...well, last time itself I bought the book on the day of release at costco. This time thuogh I thought since this is the last book, it wont be available but looks like I was proved wrong.
Nice writeup. Now that you say 8 years, I think it is almost 5 years since we visited yosemite...your writeup makes me want to go there rightaway...
DS
Balaji, I think you might have answered this question before, but still for an out-of-state visitor, is 1 day enough to do the main attractions in the park and click a few fotos(thus eliminating the need to stay there)? Also, the photos are pretty good but it looks like there are not too many junta around. I hope the trails/attractions are'nt too deserted, as I like to have some human company besides whoever Iam going with :-)
srivatsan, yes. and thats just hitting the main spots without any of the hikes, etc.
DS, guess u mean HP7?
vijay, as i mentioned in the post, there r 2 roads thro yosemite. 120 goes through the park while 140 leads to the main waterfalls and yosemite valley. there is also a separate road leading to glacier point. 140+glacier point is the most popular itinerary and that u can do in 1 day as long as u leave a bit early :)
I just saw him, but Karthik has grown some more since then.
Nice pics.
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