Documenting Lovely Moments
Visiting Yosemite National Park in the Early Spring
Yosemite National Park is one of the most popular national parks in the US. After our recent visit, we can see how this park has attracted visitors from around the world. From its stunning waterfalls, ancient sequoia trees, to famous landmarks such as El Capitan and Half Dome. The park provides many opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, rock climbing, and wildlife watching. We spent three days exploring Yosemite National Park and had an amazing time.
Visiting Yosemite National Park In Early Spring
The downside of visiting Yosemite in early Spring was that some of the roads and trails were still closed due to snow or ice. When we were there, the Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road were inaccessible. The shuttle service at Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias were also not operating yet. However, it was nice to have fewer crowd in the spring compared to summer. The waterfalls were also at their best due to snowmelt. We also enjoyed hiking without the intense summer heat.
Wawona Tunnel
Entering Yosemite from Wawona Tunnel was an experience in itself. Wawona Tunnel is the longest highway tunnel in California at 4,233 feet (1,290 m). As soon as we exited the tunnel, we were greeted by an amazing view of Yosemite Valley.
Tunnel View
We parked our car at the parking lot near the tunnel exit. The view from Tunnel View was incredible. It showcased iconic landmarks such as El Capitan, the Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall.
Bridalveil Fall at Yosemite National Park
With only a short drive, we arrived at the Bridalveil Fall parking area. The hike from the trailhead to Bridalveil Fall was short and easy, just 0.5 miles round trip. Halfway through the trail, we started to see the waterfall and hear the water sound. At the end of the trail, we were able to get a closer view and feel the mist of the waterfall that was dropping 620 feet down the cliffs.
Yosemite Falls
Next, we drove to Yosemite Village and parked our car in the parking lot near Yosemite Lodge. This parking lot gave a convenient access to Yosemite Falls trailhead. The trail was well-paved, and it took us right up to the base of Lower Yosemite Fall. The entire loop was only about 1 mile round trip and gave us spectacular views of the waterfall. The Upper Yosemite Fall was visible from the trailhead. But as we got closer to the base of the lower waterfall, we could no longer see the upper section.
Hiking the Mist Trail at Yosemite National Park
The Mist Trail hike was moderately challenging, with some steep sections and uneven terrain. Especially since we were there in early April, there was still some ice on the ground that made the stairs more slippery. However, we felt that the hike was worth doing when we reached Vernal Fall at the end. The name “Mist Trail” definitely lived up to its name, with refreshing sprays from the waterfalls as we got closer to the top.
Vernal Fall
We kept going until we reached the top of the Vernal Fall. Looking down from the overlook to see the waterfall plunging into the rocky valley below was a unique experience. This memorable hike concluded our first day at Yosemite National Park.
Mirror Lake at Yosemite National Park
Our second day at Yosemite started with hiking the Mirror Lake trail. We took the complimentary shuttle from Yosemite Village parking lot to get to the trailhead. The hike to Mirror Lake in Yosemite was easy and beautiful. The trail was flat and surrounded by tall cliffs and forests. When we reached the lake, we saw stunning reflections of the mountains and trees in the calm water. It was one of our favorite spots in the park.
Curry Village
After the hike, we took a lunch break at Curry Village. The Thai Curry pizza we got from the Pizza Deck was actually pretty tasty. We spent some time walking around Curry Village after lunch. Also, we stopped by the gift shop at Yosemite Village to buy some souvenirs.
El Capitan Meadow
Before leaving the park, we made a final stop at El Capitan Meadow. It was a great spot to view the famous El Capitan, the world’s largest granite monoliths. This concluded our second day at Yosemite National Park.
Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
We spent our third and last day at Yosemite at the beautiful Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. For more details, please read our separate post about our experience at Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.
There were many parts of Yosemite National Park that we did not get to explore during this trip. We hope to go back someday and check out the rest of this beautiful park.
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About Us
I'm a happily-married mom of two. Our family enjoys an active lifestyle and spending quality time together. We love creating memories through travel, learning about different cultures around the world.
