Globetrotting A to Z: Yosemite

This article originally appeared on Examiner.com, Feb. 5, 2015. It has been lightly edited.

California's Yosemite National Park made international news in January when two climbers successfully "free climbed" El Capitan's "Dawn Wall". The park had also made some sad news in Aug. 2013 when the Rim Fire scorched thousands of non-touristed acres.

However, for those of us who grew up in the Golden State and had the pleasure of vacationing at Yosemite, it is much more than a news story. It's the memories made at Tuolomne Meadows with our romantic partners, the excitement of seeing wildlife race across our paths, the hikes up to Lower Yosemite Falls or the breathtaking sunsets over Half Dome.

For anyone planning the quintessential bucket list vacation, Yosemite should be one, two, and three on your list. If you go nowhere else this spring, visit this gorgeous national park.

Ah-wah-nee nice place to stay

Jim Nash, a retired teacher from Stockton, Calif. who used to give tours at Yosemite, cites the Ahwahnee Hotel* as a fabulous place to stay, but be forewarned: "The Ahwahnee Hotel books up to one year ahead!"

The hotel offers world-class accommodations while still allowing one to be, well, one with nature. It is pricey, though — several hundred dollars per night usually — but for those who like creature comforts as much as creatures, this if for you. For those who are born to rough it, who love the idea of coming nose-to-nose with wildlife, forgo Ahwahnee and consider camping or staying in a tent cabin at the park.

Visitors to Curry Village** can sleep in either a regular cabin or a canvas tent cabin. This reporter recommends the latter for its more "campy" experience. You may not be tough enough (or talented enough) to erect a tent yourself, so this is for you. Yet you may also want to tell people you camped rather than went all glammipoo on your spring vacay. Note: If you do visit while it's still winter, check out the ice skating rink at Curry Village.

You can also stay at Yosemite Lodge for a less expensive stay than Ahwahnee but still enjoy a bug-less night's sleep. Nash suggests staying just outside the park if one wants to avoid the crowds, save money perhaps and have better luck booking.

"People need to realize that there are many very nice accommodations just outside Yosemite on Highway 140, which is the route in from Merced, as well as off Highway 41, the route into Yosemite from Fresno," he explains.

Visit Expedia or Travelocity and key in "Yosemite" and look within a 20-mile radius. Note: If you are traveling in the winter be sure to check the safety of driving on possibly slick roads. Right now, it's a very safe 55 degrees in the park.

Hike, bike, and swim

One of the most popular and family-friendly hikes you can take at Yosemite is to journey to Lower Yosemite Falls. While there are certain age and or health limitations, more or less, this is for everyone. Also consider hikes to Glacier Point Rd., White Wolf, Hetch Hetchy, and the Wawona Mariposa Loop to see the giant Sequoias. These are of varying lengths and difficulty; for example Wawona is a 3.5 mile (5.6 km) loop; which takes about two hours. It's fine to bring leashed pets. More information is available on the National Park Service website.

Bicyclists can bring their own wheels or rent at the park. Nothing more envigorating and life-affirming than meandering through open roads surrounded by fragrant wildflowers and butterflies. It is also a recommended departure from the standard hike-with-the-family trap.

Some of us are solo artists used to doing our own thing for at least part of a getaway. Take advantage. Rates are $11.50 for the hour or $32.00 for an entire day. Check out the trails map for the range of bike paths to meander. From Yosemite Lodge to the Falls it's five miles round-trip.

Swimmers will be equally happy to enjoy the pools at Yosemite, especially if you're smart and don't visit on overly busy weekends or holidays (go mid-week, too, if you can.) If you are staying at Yosemite Lodge there is a huge pool on site and from it, you'll look up at the falls. It's magnificent for kids and kids-at-heart.

Tips for the traveler

Jim Nash has several decades' experience not only working at the park as a young man, but photographing it and visiting with friends. He advises visitors to make sure to avoid Yosemite in the summer, when it's super crowded. He does want the visitor to realize that the lack of precipitation in Northern California has affected Yosemite's snowfall and thus, waterfalls will not be nearly what they should be. That said, he says: "If people want to enjoy the waterfalls at their crest, then late spring is a great time to visit. If people like solitude and nature’s beautiful natural color, then fall is the time to visit."

He enthuses that the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, which is located very near the southern entrance to Yosemite, just off Highway 41 inside the south park entrance gates, is a must-see.

"People need to know that the drive from Yosemite Valley to the giant Sequoia grove is one and a half hours long. They need to spend the day there, or begin their Yosemite trip with a visit to the Sequoias before they drive down to Yosemite Valley," he advises.

Nash also suggests that visitors trek through the aforementioned Tuolumne Meadows, which he says is a "High Sierra Alpine heaven". The meadows are located just an hour and a half from Yosemite Valley on what Motor Trend magazine named the “Most Scenic Highway in America,” says Nash. This is the Tioga Pass Highway 120 East.

"At 40 feet short of 10,000, Tioga Pass is California’s highest!" he enthuses.

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Here is a link to directions to the park, approximately four and a half hours northeast of L.A. by car or three and a quarter hours east of San Francisco. You might also want to consider flying into Sacramento and renting a car.

* - Since this original publication, the Ahwahnee was renamed the Majestic Yosemite Hotel

**Curry Village was renamed Half Dome Village since this original publication.

Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Images: Brocken Inaglory - Own work. California Mule Deer, Odocoileus hemionus californicus and Yosemite Falls at a very early morning. Dec. 31, 2007