Yosemite Park in California is now one of my all-time favorite places in the world. We are so lucky to have this wonderful park so close by. We went with 2 other couples and made sort of last-minute arrangements so had to stay at a motel 60 minutes outside the park, but it was still worth the driving. We flew in to a small airport in Mariposa, CA, about 5 minutes from our hotel.
There are lots of short hikes that take you to breath-taking vantage points. Most hikes were from 1 to 3 miles each way. I would recommend shelling out the $25 or so to take what they call the 'tram' ride through the valley floor with a ranger who points things out and tells you the history of Yosemite. There are also free shuttle buses to get you around as well. One day we went around and came in through the south entrance instead of the west entrance and drove to the trailhead leading to a fantastic grove of giant sequoias. We met up with a nice young ranger and went with him on the hiking tour of the grove. We had a nice lunch at the Wawona Hotel which is over 100 years old.
Because of the cool Spring and extra snow and rain, the park looked as if it was still April instead of August. The falls which are usually dried up or semi-dried up by now were in full force and there were meadows with millions of lupine flowers about 2 ft. tall. I will try to find that picture and add it below. We spent 3 full days there and next year hope to take some of our kids and grandchildren and let Gary go up half-dome.
