Yosemite Point Trail, via Yosemite Falls: Spring Snow and Snow Melt
Hands down, the weather during this late April hike up the Yosemite Falls trail is the best weather for hiking in Yosemite Valley… and I consider myself a connoisseur of day hikes in Yosemite. Here are my tips: Pick a cool morning (Starting temp: 48°F) Start hiking early (Starting Time: 8:15 AM) Wait until temps peak before hiking back down (75°F on this trip). Trust me – The blowing mist…
Secret Yosemite: Sierra Point
Alright, I will admit Sierra Point is apparently not a secret. We saw a dozen other people while on the “Trail” this Sunday… way more then I ever see hiking to Mt Watkins (one of my favorite off trail hikes in the park). My theory: because of the dry winter people are taking to many valley hikes that when they would otherwise be skiing if there was snow, or hiking…
Yosemite During the Dry Winter & Hiking the 4 Mile Trail
The news for the last month has been inundated with tales of polar vortexes, snow closing down highways in Atlanta, and snow days for kids and adults alike… on the east coast. Here on the west coast we are in the middle of in the middle of a critically dry winter, meaning an alarming low amount of snow pack in the high country, lowering reservoirs, and (from my point of…
The Yosemite Hiker Bus & a hiking Olmsted Point down to Mirror Lake
Yesterday I drove through the park to get home from Southern Yosemite & the Sierra National Forest (FYI: New backpacking blogs to come!), and was both surprised to see that Hwy 120 through the park is now open for passage! No stopping on the active fire perimeter, but one can get from the valley to Tuolumne Meadows! In honor of this exciting news I am going to post a day…
Upper Yosemite Falls Hike! & a Lesson in Trail Construction?
It is May in Yosemite and you know what that means – Waterfalls! The snow in the high country is melting and recently (well, last week at least) we have been receiving some hot summer type weather. Springtime is the best time for waterfalls every year, but less with the than average amounts of rain/snowfall this winter the waterfalls might dry out sooner rather than latter this year. :( This is Curtis…
Yosemite Firefall 2013 & How to enjoy the Yosemite Sunset
This weekend I got to check an item off of my Yosemite Bucket List: seeing the Yosemite firefall! Curtis and I spent two evenings (Saturday and Sunday, February 23rd and 24th) among a flock of fancy cameras & photographers waiting for the sun to set in just the perfect way on Horsetail Falls. Except calling it “Horsetail Falls” is a bit of a stretch – perhaps we should temporarily label…
Bike Paths, Cold Rivers, and Trail Markers
Curtis and I had planned to bike around wine country this weekend, but, as we should have expected, it was your traditional end of September scorcher of a day. Instead we decided to take the opportunity to swim in Yosemite, and bike around the valley there. We had been avoiding the valley all summer because of the hoards of people everywhere. I enjoy people watching to a degree, but we…
Valley Floor Day Hike instead of unpacking!
Trailhead: Parked by Bridal Veil Falls (parallel because parking area was full) in the Valley.
Distance: ~4 miles ( we walked there on the trail and back partially along the road/bike paths) Flat with but unexpected hills compared to the road.
Hello! I am a 30-something outdoors-lady, backpacker, and resident of Groveland, California - 
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