Hikes, bites, & our magical Mariposa Grove engagement
Our 5-Day Yosemite Itinerary
We stayed in Yosemite National Park for five nights total. I’m calling our first day “Day 0” because it was spent entirely on getting to the park. After that, we had almost five full days to enjoy the park. On our final day (technically Day 6 but I’m calling it Day 5 in the park), we got to enjoy the sites of the valley for a good chunk of the day before heading back towards SFO to catch our overnight flight back home.
Our Lodging:
Day 0 – From New York City to the Yosemite Valley
After approximately six and a half hours in non-stop, leg-cramping flight from JFK to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and an additional three and a half hour drive after picking up our rental car at the airport, we reached the famed tunnel that shoots travelers out directly into the Yosemite Valley, now empty and eerily lit around nine p.m. on a chilly April night. Finally, we had arrived, completely exhausted but eager for our stay at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel.
Upon exiting the orange-lit tunnel, we were not greeted by the spectacular Tunnel View that we had traveled 10+ hours to see, but it was magic all the same as we wound around forested, unlit bends towards our hotel, towering conifers and huge, mysterious slabs of shadow looming above us.
For weeks leading up to this trip I had been rankled with anxiety as the park faced historic levels of snowfall and perilously icy conditions. I was disappointed when I learned that Glacier Point Road would be closed for the duration of our trip, and that many of the trails I’d be researching for months were covered in snow and ice. But I was determined that we wouldn’t let the conditions put a damper on our trip, and we certainly weren’t about to postpone or cancel; instead, we packed for every possible weather and purchased microspikes for our hiking boots online that would enable us to traverse any snow or ice we encountered on the trails I was still dead-set on hiking no matter what.
We descended into the valley into the dark, worry gnawing at my gut at the sight of the 6+ ft. tall snowbanks bordering the high mountain roads. Before my cell phone service completely disappeared, the NPS website had informed me that many roads and trails were still closed. When we arrived at the beautiful Ahwahnee Hotel starving and exhausted, we learned that the hotel restaurant and bar had already closed for the night, the famous dining room was closed for renovations (though we already knew this), and the wifi was down thanks to the winter weather.
So, needless to say, “Day 0” was not our best day in Yosemite National Park, but we still had fun wandering around the Ahwahnee and the surrounding pitch-black grounds, listening to the thunderous rush of waterfalls that we couldn’t see, surrounded by impossibly tall granite cliffs underneath sprinkles of bright pinpoint stars on the sprawling velvety canvas of night. We found chirping frogs by a swift, swollen creek tumbling through the Ahwahnee’s backyard and marveled at the hotel’s storied rustic interior. Even though we were hangry and tired, we felt blessed to be there, breathing clean mountain air and knowing that tomorrow when we woke up we would already be in the park, and our week of adventures would finally begin.
Day 1 – The Ahwahnee, Valley Floor & Mirror Lake
On our first full day in Yosemite, we awoke to the sound of rushing water, and I ran to the window like a kid on Christmas morning to peer outside and see the magnificent Yosemite Falls visible from our hotel room!
Day One was largely spent getting a lay of the land and exploring our new surroundings, since we hadn’t been able to do so the previous night. We took the shuttle from the Ahwahnee to the NPS Visitor Center and spoke to a park ranger who marked up a map for us and gave us valuable advice regarding the trail conditions and how we should plot out the trails we planned to do that week.
Armed with the trail snacks we’d purchased at a Wal-Mart on our way in from the California coast, we set off along the Valley Floor Loop, a flat 12-mile trail that takes you on a tour of all of the valley’s great landmarks.
The ranger we spoke to advised us that a lot of the loop trail was not in the best condition due to recent weather; it was muddy and strewn with fallen trees and branches. This was fine, because we hadn’t planned to cover the whole loop anyway – our target for the day was Mirror Lake. We took the Valley Floor trail until it linked up with the Mirror Lake loop until we arrived at our destination (but not before navigating a tricky and unexpected waterfall crossing) and had a rewarding lakeside picnic while watching Stellar’s jays and the reflections of North Dome and Half Dome* in the mirrored lake. I’ve heard that this is an amazing hike for sunrise, but even in the middle of the day it was still well worth it, and I was grateful to get to do this hike at any time of day, as it was one of the lower priority hikes that was in danger of getting bumped off of our itinerary due to time restrictions.
After taking our time at Mirror Lake, we hiked back to the Ahwahnee and purchased delicious cocktails from The Ahwahnee Bar, which we savored on the back patio while gazing up at Half Dome. Even if you are unable to snag a reservation at the Ahwahnee, I highly recommend stopping by to admire its architectural beauty and maybe stop by the bar for a ginger margarita.
We had some time to kill before dinner, so we walked roughly 1 mile to Curry Village, one of Yosemite’s more rustic lodging options, which is also home to fast-casual food and drink options as well as gift shops to peruse for souvenirs.
Day 2 – Mariposa Grove
On Day 2, we awoke to softly falling snow. Our original plan for our second full day was to hike to Upper Yosemite Falls, but we feared that potentially icy and snowy conditions would thwart our efforts. Instead, we opted to travel outside of the Yosemite Valley to visit Mariposa Grove, a secluded cluster of giant ancient sequoias situated inside of the park, and one of our most anticipated stops on the trip. I think that one of the most important things to remember when planning a trip where you are largely at the mercy of nature is to create an itinerary that is flexible and easily interchangeable. Changing our Yosemite Falls day for our Mariposa Grove day was no problem at all. The only thing that we had to adjust was our dinner plans; we decided to switch around reservations in order to eat at Jackalope’s Bar & Grill at Tenaya Lodge, which happened to be relatively close to the Wawona / Mariposa Grove area.
I knew that this was going to be the best day of my life when we had our first major wildlife sighting. At the start of this trip, I’d written out a bucket list of things that I wanted to do in Yosemite, and high up on my list was seeing a coyote, because I had never seen one before and I had recently accomplished my dream of seeing a bear in Glacier National Park.
Sure enough, a coyote turned up! I was positively squealing and shaking with excitement as we pulled over to observe the coyote from inside of our rental car. Its yellow-green eyes locked on mine for long enough for me to snap some photos, and then he trotted along, likely in search of food.
Side Note: In a way, it was a bit sad to see the coyote hanging out so close to the road, because we had observed many cars positively flying around tight turns with no regard for wildlife, and we also later saw people throwing food out their car windows to the coyotes. It’s disappointing to see people behave like that in a National Park, thinking only of their amusement instead of what the consequences could be for a coyote that has become overly habituated to humans and is encouraged to hang out along the busy, perilous road leading in and out of the Yosemite Valley.
An hour or so later, we pulled into the busy parking lot of the Mariposa Grove Visitor Center. Here, we stopped inside and I learned from a friendly Yosemite Conservancy shop clerk how I could tell the difference between the tall cedars common in the area from the famed sequoias. How would I know, for instance, when the sequoia grove began? She explained the key aesthetic differences, but added, “You’ll know. About two miles up the road you’ll see the biggest trees like nothing you have ever seen.”
So we started walking, buzzing with excitement in anticipation of seeing some Certifiably Cool Trees. Usually, a shuttle winds its way up Mariposa Grove Road to the Sequoias, but it was not running during our visit due to winter weather and road damage, so we hiked the extra two miles up the paved road to get to the start of the Mariposa Grove boardwalk trail. I’d seen quite a lot of negative comments about the added distance on AllTrails and the various Yosemite Facebook groups I joined for intel leading up to this trip, but it turned out not to be that much of an inconvenience (for us, I should specify; it may present a challenge in terms of accessibility to individuals with physical handicaps, health conditions, or advanced age. An elderly gentleman we talked to later in the trip expressed disappointment because he was not able to go due to the lack of accessibility. All this to say, we’re lucky and thankful to be in good physical health). The extra two miles only served to build anticipation as we hiked up the road to Mariposa Grove.
What the shop clerk had said about knowing which trees were the giant sequoias once we saw them turned out to be absolutely true. After turning around the final bend in the road we were greeted by the tallest, stateliest, chonkiest trees we’ve ever seen, standing like sentinels at the gate of this sacred grove. Beholding these ancient behemoths was truly breathtaking, and what followed was the most memorable hike I have been on to date … for more reasons than one!
Not required for your Yosemite National Park trip if you use this itinerary: getting engaged at the Grizzly Giant tree in Mariposa Grove! My now-fiancé, Dillon, chose the most perfect and special place to pop the question after successfully tricking me to search for a really cool woodpecker in a nearby tree. When I finally stopped scanning the nearby branches for this alleged woodpecker and turned around, he was on one knee! It was an absolutely perfect moment, and one I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Day 3 – The Mist Trail
Our third full day at Yosemite National Park was blessed with sun and clear blue skies. We headed out from our Yosemite West airbnb accommodations to hike the famous Mist Trail, which climbs to spectacular views of Vernal and Nevada Falls, as well as awe-inspiring panoramic views along the way up! This hike is an absolute must in the Yosemite Valley, and one I would happily repeat. The trail was spectacular, with stunning views all around, albeit very crowded, even in the off-peak season. We contended with huge groups of school field trip groups and other hikers. And this was in April after an unseasonably rough winter and late snowmelt, so I can’t even fathom how crowded this trail might be during the peak tourism season. Still, such is the reality in any popular National Park, and one we’re always prepared for and patient with, since the National Parks belong to everyone and everyone is drawn there by the same natural beauty.
We unfortunately were not able to complete the trail past the slippery steps to Vernal Fall due to dangerous, icy conditions. We’re usually not so risk averse, but the slick stone stairs were absolutely treacherous, encased in ice that was hard to see. We saw several folks fall and decided not to continue. The rest of the way was closed, with a detour via the John Muir Trail available to Nevada Fall, which we opted not to take, instead picnicking on some rocks with a lovely view of Vernal Fall.
Day 4 – Upper & Lower Yosemite Falls
Our final full day was spent exploring the Lower Yosemite Falls area and hiking the Upper Yosemite Falls trail to the Columbia Rock vista. In hindsight, I do wish we had ventured to the top of Yosemite Falls, but this hike took place at the tail end of our trip, and after an entirely uphill climb of seemingly endless switchbacks, we decided to call it quits at Columbia Rock, at which point we ate our packed lunches and then headed back down to the Valley floor to wander among the towering trees at the base of Yosemite Falls some more.
We were once again blessed with uncannily fortuitous timing. As we were walking away from the billowing Lower Falls along a paved path, I was scanning the brush for signs of wildlife (as I had been all day been all day because I really wanted to see a black bear in Yosemite) and was surprised to find the two yellow-green cat eyes of a small, adorably ferocious North American Bobcat staring back at me, well camouflaged among the debris of pine needles and fallen branches! It crouched and stalked forward, seemingly following a small rodent that I couldn’t see, before crossing directly in front of us and then retreating into the forest. What a treat!
Day 5 – Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite Valley & Going Home
Our fifth and final day in Yosemite National Park was short and sweet. Bittersweet, really. We drove around the Valley Floor and lingered a little longer at stops that we hadn’t had time for earlier in the trip, such as El Cap Meadow, where we sat and watched the climbers on the face of the huge granite rockface. We also walked to the base of Bridalveil Fall, where a gorgeous misty veil of waterfall spray sparkled in the air with a million tiny rainbows. Finally, we made our last rounds at the Visitor Center, gift shops, and the Ansel Adams Gallery, which predominantly features prints of Ansel Adams famous Yosemite snaps as well as the work of other artists past and present. And, of course, we stopped to gaze upon Yosemite Falls and Tunnel View one very last time before leaving Yosemite National Park in the rearview.
The final highlight of the trip was hitting In-N-Out Burger on the road back to SFO. We don’t have In-N-Out in New York, so it was a real treat, and a satisfying end to an absolutely amazing trip. It was sad to close out this chapter, but we know with absolute certitude that we will be back!
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