Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park had been high on our bucket list for a while.
We were so excited to go in April, and were really hoping we wouldn’t think it was overrated! After all, for the past 2.5 years we’ve been frequently exploring 30 National Parks as well as some of the other most incredible spots around the US.
I’m pleased to report that Yosemite lived up to all the hype and knocked our socks off!
Where we stayed
We stayed at Yosemite Lakes RV Resort in Groveland, CA. Since we have a Thousand Trails membership, it was free! We scored a river site by our friends, and enjoyed being on the water, even though the water was pretty chilly. We basically lived outside the entire time, as it was so pretty, and we love traveling with friends!
Our RV resort was about 6 miles from the entrance to Yosemite. It was a beautiful drive in. There are also some gorgeous camping spots inside Yosemite National Park that you can stay at if you want to be closer.
Spring is the BEST time to visit Yosemite! You beat the summer crowds and the waterfalls are gushing in full force due to the melting snow! The park has several hiking trails that we really enjoyed. We got to experience live music and s’mores twice during our stay and even participated in a miniature golf tournament (that we won second place in!)
Cell signal & WIFI: There was no cell signal at the RV resort, and the WiFi you could purchase was spotty at best. About two miles west on HWY 120 (the opposite direction from Yosemite), there was very good cell signal at a small gravel pull-off area. It has beautiful views and it was easy to back and forth to the campground. Update: our latest visit in 2022 had great signal, thanks to our new Starlink! We chose a site with more open sky and stayed connected.
Our Favorite Difficult Hike
One day we did an adults only hike and it was the longest hike we’ve ever done! At the end of the day we had clocked just under 9 miles.
Half of that was a very steep climb up! We hiked the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls. I can’t recommend this hike enough. Jaw dropping waterfalls in spring, rainbows due to the mist, and some of the most incredible views I’ve ever seen.
Our Favorite Easy Hike
We took the kids to Lower Yosemite Falls and they had a blast climbing over to the falls and getting soaking wet! It’s an easy paved path the whole way with very little elevation, but the views and closeness to the falls is amazing!
A little longer but still easy option is Mirror Lake. It’s also paved and has drive up access and parking for handicap visitors. If you don’t fit that criteria, it’s a little over a mile walk along a moderate uphill road (for staff and handicap) to get there.
Lower Yosemite Falls
Lower Yosemite Falls
Our favorite Spot to Lounge and relax
Swinging Bridge Picnic Area was so beautiful and so…perfect!
We skipped out on a hike with friends to just spend some family time relaxing on a sandy beach.
We parked in the parking lot at the bridge (it's a small parking lot so it can take some patience to find a spot), rode our e-bikes around some of the bike paths for a bit, then set up our chairs on the beach. It was a perfect place to enjoy some sunshine, get little work done (yes we brought our laptops and the cell signal in the Yosemite Valley is pleasantly fast!), and played game with the kids.
This area arguably has some of the best views of any place in the park.
Backpacking to Half dome
During our second trip to Yosemite in May of 2022, one of our friends scored the lottery to hike Half Dome! She secured 4 tickets and invited me and 2 other moms in the campground to join. We found out the night before, and scrambled to get the gear we needed. We decided to hike part of the way up, tent camp in Little Yosemite Valley Campground and then complete the hike and climb to the top of Half Dome the next morning!
Two important items to have if you decide to climb Half Dome are gloves to grip the cables (I used thin gardening gloves with little grips on the palm and fingers) and solid hiking shoes/boots. You can find a large selection of top of the line women’s hiking shoes on the adidas website.
It was truly a bucketlist experience and one I’d recommend to anyone. We clocked in a total of 19 miles after our adventure, and our hearts were full even though our bodies were tired. You can see two reels I made about the trip HERE and HERE.
If Yosemite isn’t on your bucket list, add it!
I guarantee it’s an experience you’ll never forget! If you want an ultimate guide to Yosemite, check out California Through My Lense’s Yosemite guide and all that they have done there.
What is your favorite part of Yosemite?
*Some products discussed in this blog were gifted to me by adidas however, all opinions are entirely my own.