Yosemite National Park lies in the heart of California and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. With its picturesque valleys, clear lakes, waterfalls and interesting dome, it gives a good overview of granite relief by glaciation and a chance to see a variety of flora and fauna.
Giant Sequoias
We stopped to see the Giant Sequoias at Mariposa Grove before touring around the park by tram.
Giant Sequoias are perhaps the largest living thing on earth. Some are said to be around 3,000 years old!
We reached Mariposa Grove via Yosemite’s South entrance. Some people went hiking as far as 2.1 miles to see the Fallen Tunnel tree as well as Upper Grove (1.7 mile), and the Grove Museum (1.8 mile). However, with young kids and my mom, we only went as far as the Grizzly Giant which was 0.8 mile from the car park.
The Giant Sequoias were extremely tall. From the base, it looked like it was touching the sky. The roots were more than three times my height.
Look at the cross-section of the tree.
Yosemite Valley Floor Tour
Upon reaching Yosemite National Park, we joined a Yosemite Valley Floor Tour that brought us around the park. There were several tours from a 2-hour tour, to a 4-hour one, and to an all-day tour. We took the 2-hour Valley Floor Tour.
Yosemite had some of the world’s highest waterfalls. The picture on the right is Half Dome, one of the more prominent rock formations in Yosemite.
We saw some people climbing these giant rocks.
Accommodations at Yosemite National Park
After the tour, we checked in at Yosemite Lodge at the Falls. At the time when I booked, some other accommodations were already sold out. We got a unit on the second floor. As there were bears around, we were told not to leave any food in the car, so we had to bring all the food from the car and carry up the stairs. You can also find other accommodations at Yosemite National Park.
I actually considered staying at the Curry Village which had canvas tents for rent. My kids love to go camping by the beach back home, so I thought camping at the park would provide a unique lodging experience. However, I decided against it as I did not know how cold it would be like at night and I did not want to carry extra warm clothing for an overnight stay. Furthermore, there was a possibility of bears roaming near the tent. You can get more details about the Yosemite Park and its lodging at yosemitepark.com.
NEXT DAY: We drove to San Francisco and explored the Fisherman’s Wharf.
The visit to Yosemite National Park was part of our 8-day California Adventures with Kids.
