Most hobbyists have their mecca – the venue for their hobby that they want to visit. For golfers it is Augusta National Golf Club. For theater folks it would be Broadway. For hikers or outdoor enthusiasts, Yosemite National Park is generally near the top of the list and it certainly was for me. So when we were planning a family visit to a national park for this summer, Yosemite was a starting point. Its proximity to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks sealed the deal.

It seems all the national park guide books feature a “One Day In Yosemite” recommendation for what to do if you only have time for a single day visit. For that reason I will discuss what we experienced on our one day in Yosemite this June.

Driving from our vacation rental in Reedley, California, near Fresno, we entered Yosemite via Highway 41, the recommended South Entrance, after a 90 minute drive. The route in, through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, was beautiful with rolling terrain of parched dormant grasses blowing in the breeze and interspersed mid-sized oaks with somewhat contorted architecture.

Research had told me that one of the keys to visiting Yosemite was to start early as a vehicle queue forms at the entry. When we pulled up at 9 AM a small roadside sign told us that we were a 13 minute vehicle crawl from entering. We had seen signs previously that said 60 and 30 minutes. We counted our blessings.

Almost immediately inside the entrance is the road to Mariposa Grove, which hosts a great collection of majestic Sequoias, the largest tree species by volume in the world. The Mariposa Grove was where noted naturalist John Muir would take people when he wanted to convince them that the Yosemite Valley and the surrounding forest needed protecting. He took both Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and William McKinley there as part of his lobbying. To visit the Mariposa grove you park at the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza and take a shuttle to the trail.

With our day planned out and times allocated we started on the 0.3 mile Big Trees Loop, getting our first look at the overwhelmingly impressive trees. It is stunning from the start. The crowds made photography a bit of a challenge. But to be fair, about half the people in the photo below were our troop.

It is an impressive introduction when you look up into your first Sequoia. The sheer mass of them is striking. Their branches are the size of big trees of other species.

The first part of the trail is a boardwalk that takes you across a bit of a wetland with a gurgling stream to one side, and massive Sequoias to the other.

A short distance further on we saw our first Sequoia carcass. The signage emphasized that no one knows how old it was when it died or how long it has laid there, but it is documented that it was there in the 1850s when the first settlers of European ancestry visited the Yosemite region, and the indigenous tribes’ oral histories have noted their encounters with it as a fallen tree.

My presence in this photo gives size perspective for the base of the fallen monarch.

Soon we reached a fork in the trail – to the left headed back to the shuttle, to the right, the 2.0 mile Grizzly Giant Loop. The seven of us immediately opted for the latter. My well planned Yosemite itinerary was already off schedule and it was only 9:30 AM. But our decision was immediately reaffirmed. The trail had transitioned to bare dirt and crushed stone. Again most of the people in this photo is our group.

Soon the crowds thinned out and we were in a more natural setting, enjoying our first Sierra Nevada wildflowers.

But we couldn’t look past the Sequoias. One after another massive specimen presented themselves. Sometimes in groups of three or four. The Sequoia groves experience fire every 5 to 20 years on average and you can see evidence of it in this photo. The Sequoias have evolutionarily adapted to fire, having a protective bark that is up to 2 feet thick. In fact, fire gives the Sequoias a competitive advantage by killing other trees and by clearing the forest floor, giving Sequoia seeds ideal conditions for germination. In the absence of natural fires, forest managers will utilize prescribed burns.

The goal was to get to “The Grizzly”, a 3,000 year old Sequoia that was famously visited by President Teddy Roosevelt. Even from a distance it was striking. Like many mature Sequoias it had lost its crown and displays what is called a “snag top”. They frequently are the result of damage to the sapwood of the bark, which carries water and nutrients to the top of the tree. Fire is the leading cause of damage to the sapwood, but a Sequoia can live for centuries in this state, and continue to add girth.

It appears that this photo of Teddy Roosevelt at the Grizzly was taken from the side to the right, which is also the direction of the sun in the morning.

After visiting the Grizzly we were left with another decision – retrace our path, which would have been 0.6 miles back to the shuttle, or take the broader route through a new section of the landscape, for 1.4 miles – we chose the longer route. We were repaid handsomely with more first time exposure to the Sierra botanicals and some classic Sierra Nevada landscapes. The forest floor is littered with tree carcasses as conifer trees contain tannins which slow down decomposition.

A little further along on the trail we encountered the California Tunnel Tree. Carved in 1895, it was one of two tunnel trees in Yosemite, and the lone survivor. They were used to promote tourism and famously people drove through the trees. Notice how healthy the tree is despite the damage caused by creating the tunnel.

By the gouge above the passage, you can tell that this is the same tree seen in the photo below, about a hundred years later. The resilience of these Sequoias is amazing.

One surprise that we had on this more remote trail was seeing a team of scientists working in the canopy studying how the native Bark Beetle was affecting the health of mature Sequoias in the grove. Recently it was felt that the beetles played a role in the death of dozens of trees that were weakened by drought and fire. It is hoped that this research will lead to a better understanding of the ecological processes that underlie the threat to the Sequoias and hopefully outline some conservation strategies for the Sequoia groves. Keep in mind that this tree is easily over a thousand years old.

After the Mariposa Grove we opted to head to the Yosemite Valley, the picturesque Merced River basin that hosts many of the iconic features of Yosemite. Driving the Wawona Road we passed through a tunnel, and just beyond the tunnel was “Tunnel View”, a viewpoint that arguably has one of the best views of Yosemite, where you can see El Capitan, Bridalveil Falls, and Half Dome, as seen in the title photo and below.

The scene is so perfect that in some photos it appears to be a backdrop for a stage. It is a great introduction to the Yosemite Valley and stopping here is a must.

As we entered the valley things changed – it was crazy crowded, even on a Monday. Parking was hard to find. Our group’s two vehicles circled the valley loop struggling to find parking for a suitable picnic location. Eventually we settled into the Cathedral Beach Picnic Area that overlooks the Merced River. The decision was primarily driven by parking availability.

The lack of parking opportunities reinforced the practicality of using the park’s shuttle system. It is a “hop on – hop off” system that is free to use and extremely efficient. It is as crowded as a New York subway, where you can be shoulder to shoulder with your compatriots, but it gives you an opportunity to see more of the park with its wide windows on to the greenspaces.

Our next stop was to hike to Yosemite Falls. It is an asphalt loop trail with bridges crossing the stream, totaling 1.2 miles, although there is a shorter “all persons” trail for those with less mobility or endurance. If possible, I would encourage the longer route as it takes you away from the crowds for a little while.

Our first view of both Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls was outstanding.

As we got to the base of the falls it was quite crowded and had a bit of an amusement park feel. But the falls themselves were spectacular.

The volume of water is best appreciated with video.

A word of note – we were visiting during the peak waterfall season as the snow melt was in full effect, filling the streams and the waterfalls. The seasonal waterfall volume for Yosemite Falls was depicted in this trailside plaque.

After returning to the shuttle stop we enjoyed this outstanding view of Half Dome. Yes, that is the view from a shuttle station.

Our final stop of the day in Yosemite was at the El Capitan Meadow. Here we had the chance to enjoy close up visuals on the famous face of El Capitan, and the risk inclined souls climbing it that day.

A climber can be seen below the green equipment on the face of El Capitan.

While viewing El Capitan, we had a lovely stroll through the meadow that was beside the peaceful Merced River. Merced is Spanish for “mercy” or “grace”. Grace indeed.

We had the meadow hike to ourselves which was welcomed, and also had a great view onto the granite wall that opposed El Capitan in the valley. This is a highly recommended walk.

Spending time in your vehicle as you traverse the limited Yosemite roadways has its own rewards as the scenery is beautiful.

In preparation for our trip to Yosemite, and the other national parks of the Sierra Nevada, I read three books that really helped me understand the history of the region: Guardians of the Valley, John Muir and the Friendship That Saved Yosemite; Natural Rivals, John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, and the Creation of America’s Public Lands; and Ansel Adams, an Autobiography. The first two explained the political and public battles that took place in trying to protect the Yosemite region. The three national parks and the neighboring national forests were not designated in a single act, but were rather added in piecemeal fashion, and in fact, the wonderful Yosemite Valley, was the last part to be fully protected. Interestingly, President Lincoln saw the need to protect Yosemite Valley, and in 1864, during the Civil War, deeded the valley to the State of California because the federal government had no mechanism to own or manage public lands. Later, after the federal government had started developing national parks, it was felt that California had not demonstrated a commitment to protect Yosemite Valley, so the federal government, with John Muir’s lobbying, pressured California to return Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley, which occurred in 1906. In addition, the books told the story of how Hetch Hetchy, a valley within Yosemite National Park that Muir considered superior to Yosemite Valley, was damned following the earthquake and fire of 1906 that destroyed much of San Francisco. Below is a 1906 photo, by Isaiah West Taber, of the Hetch Hetchy Valley before the dam. Notice the Tuolumne River winding across the floor of the valley, and the two waterfalls.

It was felt that much of the destruction in San Francisco was due to lack of a reliable water supply and the city saw a reservoir in Hetch Hetchy as an answer to their problem. After considerable debate and lobbying, Congress approved the damming of the Hetch Hetchy Valley in 1913, but the dam did not become operational until 1923. John Muir passed away in 1914 and therefore did not see the destruction of the valley he loved. Finally, the Ansel Adams book allowed me to understand his love for the Sierra Nevada region, and Yosemite in particular. His photographic career, which began in 1920 and extended to the early 1980s, helped raise support and awareness for Yosemite, and other public greenspaces. I would highly recommend all three, but if you only have time for one, read Guardians of the Valley. Below is an Ansel Adams photo from Yosemite.

In summary, our one day in Yosemite was memorable. The beauty and grandeur of the place is undeniable. Despite the warnings that I had read, I was not mentally prepared for the crowds, especially in Yosemite Valley itself. I would recommend that when you enter the valley you park in the first site you find that is near a shuttle stop and avoid looking for one near the Yosemite Valley Welcome Center. You can get there via the shuttle. It will save you valuable time. Something to keep in mind is that due to infrastructure limitations it is hard to cover all the ground that you want to in one day. If you are driving into the park I would strongly recommend that you stop at the Tunnel Viewpoint, as well as Bridalveil Falls, as neither of them appear to be on a shuttle route and are worth the time commitment. Perhaps if I had to do it over again I would schedule two days in Yosemite, one to cover the Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley, and one to explore the northern part of the park that includes the Tioga Road and Hetch Hetchy areas that we missed this visit. I do not see how you can do everything in one day.

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Photo credits to Peggy Juengling Burns, Patrick Burns, Caroline Burns, James Grizzle, Ellen Burns, Marie Burns Dawson, and Joe Dawson. Video by Ellen Burns.

Overview:

Location – the south entrance is in Mariposa, California, 62 miles from Fresno.

Parking – many paved and gravel lots.

Facilities – restrooms at the Welcome Centers and at the picnic areas in the park.

Trail Conditions – asphalt, bare dirt, pine needles, and native rock/gravel.

Print Trail Map Link – you are given a park map that includes the hiking trails at entry.

Benches – throughout the park and on every trail that we hiked.

Picnic Tables – in the formal picnic areas.

Kids – four and over should do well.

Dogs – are prohibited on most trails. Please see website for more information.

Links:

https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm