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As a little travel blog if you have ever been or purposely avoided going to Yosemite on a free entrance weekend- I wanted to share my experience.
The wonderful thing about going to Yosemite from highway 49/120 is that it naturally builds anticipation. From the steep climb up to Groveland to the vistas and tunnels on the way into the valley, everyone in the car is excited to get out and explore.
When we got to the entrance gate where you pay, there was quite a line. As we waited we started to loose hope, perhaps we had heard wrong. As we approached to booth the ranger said hello. It was Father's Day weekend, and with three kids in the back it was pretty clear my husband who was driving was the proud Daddy of the day. They handed us a map and waved us through. Yay! We were in!
From there it seemed like forever until we were at the valley floor we had intended on going to Glacier point but the gas tank was only half full, plus traffic was tied up well before the turn off.
With a busy weekend all parking spots are taken and then some. We ate the lunch we packed at the car at the horse stable and rode the bus to the different museums and to the lovely Ahwahnee. There is even more about Yosemite in our destination guide. It was a really great day, very picturesque and just warm enough for t-shirts.
List of Things to Remember
- Gas- fill it up / top it off
- Water- bring some AND buy some!
- Wear good shoes and sunscreen
- Bring your bike
- Give your kids a whistle
- Carry a flash light
For a complete backpacking list on myMotherLode go here.
On the way out of the park in the evening there was quite a bit of traffic. We noticed a lot of cars and people stopped by the side of the road. Sure enough in a green meadow off the road was a small brown bear. I'll have to admit secretly I was excited to witness a Yosemite bear. The really funny thing was a whole lot of other people were really excited to see a bear. Everyone I saw was keeping a respectable distance and the bear didn't pay us any attention. For more myMotherLode information about bears go here. We got that priceless video- more or less a tiny brown dot in a green field.
A trip to Yosemite is very fun, it doesn't take too much planning. Mostly remember someone needs to have enough energy for the drive home. Since you saved some money on the park entrance do yourself a favor and stay at a lovely local hotel!
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