Picture this: An expansive valley magnificently carpeted with lush greenery bordered by colossal mountains of granite interrupting a soft cerulean skyline. No, this is not a dream. No, this is not an illusion. This is Yosemite National Park, and it is far more magical than any configuration of decorative words can illustrate. From the moment Highway 395 connected to CA State Route 120 (Tioga Pass), I knew my adventure soul sister, Courtnee, and I were in for something extraordinary. Registering over 17 miles of hiking with 4,000 feet of elevation gain in about 9 hours... we got this!
When to Visit
Yosemite Valley averages in the 80 - 90 °F range during summer days and in the 50 - 60 °F range during summer nights. Precipitation during this time of year is rare, making summer a great time to explore the mountains, valleys, and everything in between. Unfortunately, due to its near perfect weather, summer is also the most crowded time to visit Yosemite. Don’t let that stop you though, there are plenty of lookouts, secluded spots, and trails less traveled to ensure some quality bonding time with nature.
Where to Stay
Yosemite offers 13 different campgrounds throughout the park, seven of which can be reserved in advance while the other six are on a first-come, first-served basis. Some campgrounds are open year-round while others are only open for a few months. The National Park Service website provides very clear, detailed information about the various campgrounds as well as the best chance to reserve one for the date that you are looking for. Reservations open up five months in advance, and during high season, campsites fill up extremely fast. Set your alarm, and be ready to jump on the computer as soon as it rings. Those who have attempted to acquire Havasupai permits or even Comic-Con tickets, you know what I’m talking about.
We ended up snagging a permit for Upper Pines Campground, located in Yosemite Valley and the second largest campground in the park with 238 campsites. Despite its large size, I never felt crowded; though, to be fair, our campsite time was minimal on account of the numerous things to do and places to see in the park. We did enjoy a good amount of privacy in the evening while also chumming around with our temporary nature neighbors.
Each campsite within the grounds contained a food/scented items storage locker to help keep critters out and, most importantly, bears. The campground also contained several well-kept restrooms complete with drinking water and flushing toilets. Most handy of all, an incredibly short walk led to the Half Dome Village Store (formerly Curry Village Store). Had we known about this place beforehand, we would not have packed as much food as originally brought. The store has practically everything you could need, from snacks and drinks to souvenirs, a cafe, an ATM as well as the Half Dome Village showers next door (if you’re feeling a bit dirty and that classic camping baby wipe wash down just isn’t doing it for you). Even though the store does get crowded, it was certainly a nice little convenience.
TIP: We ended up getting our permit on a whim, looking on the calendar about a month in advance. Reservations do get cancelled because, well, life happens; so, if you didn’t end up getting the date you wanted, or any date at all for that matter, keep checking the calendar. Spots can open up! Being flexible with dates also drastically increases your chances of spending a night or two in this stunning place.
How to Get Around
We didn’t arrive to our campsite until the evening. Our plan was to head out early morning and drive from our home base in Bishop straight to a central parking lot within the valley where we could park, hop out, explore on foot, and take the convenient Yosemite Valley Shuttle System as needed. This shuttle system is 100% free and easy to follow. Pop-up information tents around the valley lots offer free maps, making navigating the shuttle system very simple. Hours of operation, shuttle stop details, and more can be found on the National Park Service website (they really do have everything you could need). Thanks, NPS!
The Day's Plan
This maps displays our day's trek through Yosemite and reveals a perfect loop to see the best of Yosemite in just 24 hours. The map, courtesy of Yosemitehikes.com with my edits, highlights:
The Panorama Trail in red, which contains stops at three of Yosemite's most beautiful waterfalls (Illilouette, Nevada, and Vernal) and converges with the popular Mist Trail near Nevada Falls.
Alternate routes via the John Muir Trail in yellow, which we did not take during this trip.
The Four Mile Trail in black, which I added to the map to show where we started the entire journey from. The black "x" marks the Four Mile trailhead.
The two hiker graphics in green represent trailheads (the right indicating the Yosemite Valley trailhead, where our trip ended at, and the left representing the Glacier Point trailhead, where we hiked to from our start at Four Mile - details below).
Four Mile Trail
Our adventure began around 10:30 AM with the shuttle dropping us off at the Four Mile trailhead standing at 4,000 feet. Let me start out by saying this trail is not four miles; it is actually 4.6 miles, and that is one way ascending to Glacier Point. From the moment the trail started, it was up, up, up with over 3,000 feet of elevation gain. My glutes and calves were definitely feeling the burn, but I would gladly sacrifice my legs and buns for the incredible views that this trailhead’s elevation gain bestowed upon us.
Shortly into the trek, the lengthy majesty of Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls revealed itself in the distance, and the vastness of the valley floor came into full view. Continuous strands of mossy trees sprinkled with other diverse vegetation lined the pathway, and El Capitan stood powerfully adjacent to us. I suddenly felt very, very small. If I could’ve turned the moment into a comic, my face would have resembled one of those dramatic cartoon creatures, standing bug-eyed with an exaggerated jaw-drop because I genuinely could not believe where I was and what I was seeing. The entire trek, including its many switchbacks, was a pure wonder from start to finish.
Glacier Point
After two and a half hours scaling the Four Mile trail, we finally arrived at Glacier Point at about 1:15 PM. Standing at just over 7,200 feet, Glacier Point offers park visitors one of the most spectacular views available in Yosemite. A wide-open horizon unfolded before us filled with the most impressive display of the natural world; the infamous Half Dome boldly stood out amidst the many milder granite mounds surrounding it, multiple waterfalls of varying sizes flowed so powerfully we could hear the rush of water from miles away, and patches of tree crowns artistically peppered the hillsides.
The beauty of Glacier Point definitely draws a crowd, especially since the overlook can be accessed by vehicles via Glacier Point Road (open only from May to October). Though the rush of tourists during high season may seem daunting, Glacier Point is actually fairly spacious. We were able to savor a few moments of solitude after working our way over and down some small boulders away from the crowd, at which point we mindlessly snacked on sour gummies and sipped on orange juice courtesy of the small shop just behind the assortment of lookout points.
Driving to Glacier Point may seem like the easier option, but in my opinion, nothing compares to the intimate experience of climbing up Four Mile trail and absorbing the park on foot. The journey highlights some of the park’s best features, which, quite frankly, are easily missed within the confines of an automobile.
Panorama Trail
Not only is the Glacier Point view sensational, but the lookout also provides easy access to the next segment of our journey, the Panorama Trail. The Panorama Trail certainly lives up to its name, featuring a wide assortment of Yosemite’s most divine treasures. The trail is a little over eight miles one-way from Glacier Point to the Yosemite Valley Floor, concluding from Vernal Falls via the popular Mist Trail. The gain we had just climbed from Four Mile is now what we will descend throughout this breathtaking route to finish out the day. Although the word "descent" makes the trek sound easy, an additional eight miles added on to an already long and hot day proved to be a challenge, but definitely not one we intended to let defeat us and disrupt our plans.
Illilouette Falls
After spending 40 minutes soaking in the Glacier Point scenery, we set off on the Panorama Trail, rapidly descending for two miles from Glacier Point. The previously uninterrupted span of Yosemite slowly disappeared from view as sporadic trees towering around the trail interfered with the sight.
Illilouette Falls stands at 370 feet and can be seen in its entirety along the Panorama Trail.
However, the trail does not let out at the base of the falls. Instead, we were led to the Illilouette Creek, a tributary of the Merced River, where water poured over slabs of rock wedged into the ground and groups of delighted tourists splashed around in their summer garb. This was a perfect resting spot for us to take off our sweaty hiker shoes and socks, soak our feet in refreshingly cold water, and make delightful conversation with park visitors from other parts of the world.
Of the three falls we stopped at on the Panorama Trail, Illilouette Falls was the only one where we were actually able to safely and easily take a dip in the water. This made up for the fact that the Illilouette Falls themselves were no match, in my humble opinion, for the other two waterfalls we would soon lay our eyes upon.
The Mist Trail
Nevada Falls
From Illilouette Falls, Nevada Falls is an additional 3-mile trek along the Panorama Trail, soon to diverge with the famed Mist Trail. Far more powerful and commanding than Illilouette, Nevada Falls stands at nearly 600 feet tall and flows with water of the Merced River. We arrived here around 5:30 PM, a perfect time for the intense glare of the setting sun to beautifully illuminate the park’s landscape.
There are several rewarding vantage points allowing visitors to experience the magnificent force of this waterfall. A short wooden footbridge leading across the crest of the waterfall allowed us to hover above the rushing water soon to disappear over the steep drop-off point ahead. Sleek granite boulders outlining the water’s pathway protruded outwards, offering an opportunity for us to view the face of the falls, its plunge pool, and the continuing frothy white river cutting through the forest below. Though looking straight down to the base of the falls was unbelievable, it did cause my heart to sink just a little bit. Such a view is definitely not for those with a fear of heights.
In all, we devoted 20 minutes to Nevada Falls since sunset was nearing, and we still had three more miles to hike and one more waterfall to see, my personal favorite, Vernal Falls.
Vernal Falls
There is nothing quite as magical as the Vernal Falls hiking experience at dusk. From Nevada Falls, Vernal Falls is just under a two-mile hike via the Mist Trail. This last leg was my favorite of the entire day because of the sheer adventure factor embedded within it.
We followed this often rocky segment down one of the steepest stretches of trail in the park. The initial descent to Vernal Falls began with a set of narrow steps carved into the mountainside with nothing but a semi-flimsy metal bar between us and the ledge. The fall’s powerful presence could be heard in the distance, and as we continued on down, the most magical scene began to unfold.
The sun’s setting rays perfectly grazed the edges of the mountains surrounding the waterfall, lighting up the scene as if spotlighting the lead performer in a theater production. Yosemite was certainly putting on a show, with the seemingly ubiquitous mist dancing around wildly in the light beams, adopting the roles of supporting cast members. The Mist Trail certainly lived up to its name. The entire scene radiated a level of energy I had never felt before, and all I wanted to do was absorb as much of it as possible.
Not only was the view at this time sensational, but visiting at dusk meant that we practically had the whole place to ourselves. This trail is one of the most popular in the park and, as a result, can get extremely crowded. Thankfully, that was not the case in our experience. We didn’t even plan to arrive at the falls at sundown, but what a happy accident it was.
Friends Who Adventure Together, Stay Together
If there is one thing that this trip has taught me, it's that nature inspires the truest friendships. Nature elicits courage, provokes honesty, and triggers tranquility. Spending hours with nothing but trees and rocks between one another allows the raw essence of conversation to flourish and the real you to shine. No judgement, no fear, just real talk. We savored hours of unfiltered communication, catching up on lost time, releasing our stresses, and concocting future adventure plans. There is never a dull moment between us, perhaps because the majority of our moments are spent outdoors under these conditions. I am beyond appreciative for the way in which this beautiful planet has the power to embolden spirits, and I am beyond thankful for the friendships it has helped me to build like this one right here with my adventure soul sister, Courtnee. I am forever grateful.
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