STORIES

Featured Destinations Archive

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA

NPS Photo

.......Yosemite National Park was one of the first wilderness parks created in the United States. It covers nearly 1,200 square miles (3,110 square km) in central California. The park is known for its 3,000-foot-high (1,000-meter) cliffs in Yosemite Valley, over which pour some of the world’s most spectacular waterfalls.

.......What isn’t so well known is that the park is open year-round, and offers scenic delights at any time of year. In fact, our favorite time to visit is fall through winter. Much of the park’s wilderness areas (more than 90 percent is designated wilderness) are more difficult to reach in winter, but most visitors are most interested in the spectacular, lower-elevation Yosemite Valley. After winter snows close the east-side Tioga Pass road (usually in November) the main entrances are all on the west side of the park (California state highways 140, 120, and 41), which are the prime gateways to Yosemite Valley.

Photo © Doug Parmentier

.......There are commercial airports in Fresno, Modesto, and Merced (generally about 2 hours from the park), but the largest regional airports are San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Sacramento – all about 4-5 hours from Yosemite Valley.

.......The most spectacular way to visit the park in fall or winter (or during any season, for that matter) is to make a two-day visit and stay overnight at the famous and historic Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Valley.

Surrounding Areas

.......Yosemite can also be combined with other regional destinations to make a great, quiet fall travel week in central California. Within easy drive are the metro delights of San Francisco, the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma counties (and other wine regions in the state), and Sequoia National Park, featuring some of the largest living things on the planet – the giant redwood trees.

.......In the Sierra foothills, you can hike and bike year-round, while the higher country of Yosemite offers great cross-country skiing and snowshoeing options.

.......In the park, visitors may see deer, elk, and bear (until they go into hibernation in early winter). All park services are open during the “off season,” including shops, restaurants, and the must-see Ansel Adams gallery, featuring the famous photographer’s landscape photos of what must have been his favorite place on earth.

.......For information, see the National Park Service’s well-designed Yosemite website at www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm.

Photos above & center left © Kenneth & Francesca Hulick

Featured Destinations Archives