Spring is an ideal time to be in Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. The waterfalls are flowing, dogwoods are in bloom and the river is rushing. Get an early start! This is a full day’s worth of activities.
Note: As of May 21st Yosemite has implemented a temporary Day Use Reservation system through September 30, 2021. Click HERE for more details on how to visit this summer.
From the Visit Yosemite | Madera County visitors center in Oakhurst: Go northbound 14 miles on Hwy 41 to the Yosemite Park south entrance. Stay on Hwy 41 (Wawona Road) all the way to Yosemite Valley. (Park entry fee is $35 per car, good for 7 days; if you are 62 or older and a US citizen or permanent resident, you can obtain a Senior Pass for $80, good for life for all National Parks).
A walk through the giants...
This area may open in late spring if there is heavy snowfall in the winter. Stroll or hike among our Gentle Giants, the largest living things on earth. The giant sequoias of Mariposa Grove approach 2,000 years old and provided the impetus for the creation of Yosemite National Park. The Native Americans stepped here first, followed by adventurers such as Galen Clark, John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt.
Park in the welcome area and take the free shuttle up to the arrivals area. (Please Note: All Yosemite National Park Shuttles will not operate in 2021. A two-mile walk or bike ride is necessary to access the grove. Vehicles with handicapped placards will be accommodated - click HERE for current details. )
Walking/hiking is required to see most of the trees in the grove. Go prepared with a hat, good hiking shoes, and plenty of water. Take refillable water bottles since no disposable water bottles are sold in the Welcome Area gift shop. There are drinking fountains to fill your bottles at the Welcome Center and at the Arrival Station stroll to the Fallen Monarch, an easy trail, about .3 mile loop - EASY
Hike to the Grizzly Giant, the largest tree accessible to the public, two miles round trip - MODERATE Journey to the Upper Grove cabin and Wawona Point, seven miles round trip – STRENUOUS (check to make sure this trail is open – may be closed due to snow) For those with a handicap placard, you can drive to the parking area near the Grizzly Giant to enjoy a short, accessible walk to the Griz. Seven handicap spaces are available in that lot, along with restrooms.
The historic Wawona Hotel at dusk
Things to do and see:
Take Glacier Point Road out 16 miles to the point; return the way you came (seasonal road). Special note: It may be closed due to weather. The Park Service tries to have Glacier Point Road open by Memorial Day weekend.
Stunning views of Half Dome from Glacier Point
Travel to next Point of Interest: From Glacier Point, turn right on Wawona Road; continue down to Yosemite Valley. You will go through a mile-long tunnel.
Continue along the road to the Yosemite Chapel which is the oldest building still in use in Yosemite Valley, dating from 1879, and spectacular view of Yosemite Falls from outside chapel.
From Yosemite Chapel continue to Sentinel Bridge. Turn left over Sentinel Bridge and park at Shuttle Stop 11. Walk back to middle of bridge. This is one of the best-known photo locations in Yosemite - Half Dome over the Merced River.
A perfect place for a picnic with a view
If you have time and the road is open, don't miss the opportunity to view the Yosemite high country up-close-and-personal by traversing the Tioga Road, which goes across the park to the east side of the Sierra Nevada. For some of us, this is the most beautiful, most spectacular part of the park.
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