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Yosemite Family Vacation Ideas
World Heritage listed Yosemite is the High Sierra at it’s best. Wonderful wildflowers in season, glacial power, granite monoliths towering impossibly into the sky spilling over with cascading waterfalls. An abundance of life life teaming from the giant Sequoia trees, valleys and meadows.
Yosemite is one of the most popular parks, it was also one of the first. John Muir was overwhelmed by the natural beauty of this place in the 1860’s and was instrumental in it becoming set aside for people to enjoy.
Yosemite Special Offers
Yosemite Family Activities
Today the park is used for a vast variety of family activities. With 12 miles of bike paths, lots of cross country skiing places and spectacular hikes are only the start. A slightly challenging mist trail leads you off to waterfalls (see below) and an the easier Valley Floor Loop trail will take you around the Yosemite Valley. These are only a part of the extensive family opportunities you can take advantage of.
Kids can even become a ranger for a day. Details of how to do this and the dozens of activities that are offered all year round are constantly updated in the Yosemite Park magazine and in the video and reviews below.
Family Camping at Yosemite
Camping is remains a viable option with campsites available if you are wise and use the best approaches to securing a spot. See our reviews of all the top family friendly campgrounds at Yosemite.
Top Yosemite Family Attractions and Getting Around
As you can imagine with literally millions of visitors each year you can expect to spend a great proportion of your time sitting in traffic if you don’t plan around this issue. Amtrak, Greyhound and regional transport are options you may not have considered but have merit.
Once you arrive at Yosemite there is a host of free shuttles, paid tours, and public transportation to get you around the park. Check out the information provided by the NPS on transport for details of what goes where and when:
Half Dome
Hiking Half Dome – Travel Blog
Half Dome is a huge granite monolith (rock) iconic to Yosemite National Park. Many Families hike to the summit but it is an especially difficult hike and not for the faint-hearted. We definitely recommend you watch the video below and wear all the correct equipment.
Video: Park ranger gives an overview of one of Yosemite’s most challenging hikes: Half Dome.
Glacier Point
This is the most famous place in Yosemite to get a view of the sunset. A huge geological formation.
Sequoia National Forest
This great forest borders with Yosemite in should make it into your itinerary if at all possible. With trees that are older than a thousand year old and as tall as a city skyline this is one spectacular spot to contemplate your place in the web of life. Or simply let the children explore and play among these amazing features of the natural planet.
Mariposa Grove
Hike the two mile road or hop on a tram tour. Situated near the south entrance to the park and about an hour from the valley itself.
Tunnel View – Wawona Road
Another great lookout in Yosemite National Park. Amazing view as you exit the tunnel. Good place set up a telescope at night to view one of the amazing meteor showers that frequently visit the park’s skies.
Hiking The Mist Trail to Vernal Falls
Hiking to Vernal Falls along the mist trail or viewing other waterfalls within the park is a great ideas a to enjoy some quality family time. The 100m waterfall on the Merced river runs all year round but is reduced a little by the end of summer. The trail takes you to the Vernal Fall Bridge. During your journey you travel through the mist of the falls to watch the waterfall.
The hike is considered a Strenuous Yosemite Valley Day Hike and is covered in the video below. Another video of some great images of the hike follow in the next video after that.
El Capitan
Rising almost a kilometer from the valley floor this is one of the most spectacular and popular attractions of the Yosemite Valley. The huge granite monolith is also an appealing and obvious attraction for families who love rock climbing.
Tuolumne Meadows
Eventually your family will need some space of their own to recharge. A hike through the Tuolumne Meadows is a great way to appreciate the diversity of plant and animal species in the park.
The video below follows the Tuolumne River from its glacial beginning to the Tuolumne Meadows.
Yosemite Falls
At over 2,425 ft these cascading upper and lower falls shure are a sight. They flow from November through July. Check out our video below for more information and some of the hikes available
Sentinel Dome
Your family will love the approximately 3 km (2 miles) long Sentinel Dome hike. If you can walk two miles, you can do this fabulous hike with the squirrels!
Yosemite National Park Campgrounds
Yosemite National Park Campgrounds are at a premium and not always easy to get. Especially since a swag (hundreds) of the best sites were lost to a flood a few years back and are awaiting replacement. We guide you through some of the pitfalls and opportunities open to families with children or teenagers in what remains despite the population pressures – one of great remaining family camping adventures.
[See Yosemite camping map] [Return to Yosemite Family Vacation Ideas]
How to get a great family campsite
Like many activities within Yosemite the prime source of much of your information should come from the NPS. Here is their advice on how to make the most of family camping opportunities in Yosemite:
A camp site may consist of up to six people and two cars. 13 Campsites exist but they are not all open all year round in Yosemite. Only four are open all year and they are quite difficult to get into without booking months or years in advance for the summer. Higher elevation campgrounds have very limited opening times. The camps are similar with fire-pits and bear proof food facilities. As it is almost impossible to get a campsite on weekends or in the summer it is best advised to keep away from these times.
The best advice we can give is to look to get into a campsite away from the valley itself. These more natural looking campsites are first in best dressed and you don’t need a reservation. May and June are even difficult in these sites as well however due to excess snow. Als it’s best to show up before 8.30 am during the busy time to get a site or call the camp status line on 209/372- 0266. Happy Camping 🙂 Below you will find video of some of the best campsites.
Valley Camping Yosemite National Park
There are four main campgrounds in the popular valley area. As mentioned they are all open all year round and have running water. Also they book out months in advance except four Camp 4 which operates on first in best served basis and does not accept RV trailers. Coin operated showers are available at nearby Camp Curry.
Upper Pines Yosemite Campground
Pretty and pretty busy – especially in the summer months. Located Near Curry Village where you can have a nice shower for a couple of dollars (at the time of writing). The camp accepts pets and RV’s.
Lower Pines Yosemite Campground
The lower pines campground like the upper is also not a quiet place. But it is set in a great location with good clean facilities.
North Pines Yosemite Campground
North Pines Campground is located by a river a little over 1km from Mirror Lake
Yosemite Wawona Campground
Yosemite Wawona Campground Review
Bridalveil Creek Yosemite Campground
Away from the busy crowds and set by a waterfall near Glacier Point, this camp is beautiful with a little snow on it.
Video: Early Cold Morning at Bridalveil Creek Yosemite Campground.
Hodgdon Meadow Yosemite Campground
Only a fer km from the tall trees, with flush toilets this is a good site to the south.
Tuolumne Meadows Yosemite Campground
One of the biggest and least crowded options for camping in the park.
For more detailed information on each of the camps than given below you can visit http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/campground.htm which has information under the following category headings: Location, Elevation, Open, Reservations, Number of sites, RV length, Trailer length, Dump station, Groceries, Showers, Pets.
Yosemite Camping Map
Map of all the great camping spots around Yosemite.
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