Yosemite was amazing [photos]. We ended up not hiking the Inspiration Trail but hiked the first part of the Mist Trail (to Vernal Falls) and the Cathedral Lakes Trail (the 8 mile loop to the lower of the lakes and back). I enjoyed the eastern part of the park far more since it was much less crowded than Yosemite Valley. I can’t wait to go back. Next time, I’ll probably plan on staying longer (at least 4 days) and bring my own hike lunches since food in the park was limited and pretty gross/unhealthy. I really liked our hotel in Mammoth and wouldn’t mind staying there again, although it is pretty far from Yosemite Valley but ideal if you’re visiting the eastern part of the park.
I was starting to get overwhelmed trying to make sense of Yosemite information online so I picked up a Yosemite Lonely Planet guide book the other night (print is better for this task). I’m not one to thoroughly plan my weekends or vacations, as I believe schedules should be left at work. But given that Yosemite is huge and we have a limited amount of time, I decided to put together a tentative itinerary for the weekend:
Saturday:
- leave Mountain View around 8 a.m., arrive at Yosemite Valley around 12 p.m.
- grab lunch at some point – either along the way or in Yosemite Valley
- drive through Yosemite Valley
- stop at Inspiration Point and hike there (this one should be a short easy hike)
- hike the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls (this one is a bit longer with more elevation change)
- leave for our hotel in Mammoth around 5 or 6 p.m.
- dinner/pool/hot tub relax tiemz in Mammoth
Sunday:
- pool/hot tub breakfast/brunch relax tiemz in Mammoth
- leave hotel around 10 or 11 a.m.
- do Cathedral Lakes hike (about 4 – 5 hours, moderate level, near the Eastern edge of the park)
- grab late lunch – not sure what food options will be in that area, may need to pack a picnic
- leave for Mountain View around 4 or 5 p.m.
Just a quick update (in case you didn’t catch this in my Twitter stream) – Sarah McLachlan has released a new single today (listen here). It is supposed to be available on iTunes but I couldn’t find it this morning. I really hated it at first listen but it seems to be growing on me. I’m not a fan of the txtspeak though – U Want Me 2.
I’m heading to Yosemite with my friend Erin this coming weekend. Having grown up in Southern Illinois, neither one of us has ever been there and I’m a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out what we must visit while we’re there. We’ll only be there for 2 days/one night so we won’t have time to see everything. If you’ve been there, what would you recommend that we see/do/hike during this first visit? Also, I’d love any suggestions for restaurants in the area, guide books, and places to see along the way (from Mountain View).
