Category: Tips

  • Float Tubing in Yosemite

    Brice writes in to ask: “We will be camping near Fish Camp on the weekend of August 3rd. I was wondering if you know what level the Merced is at about now. We’d like to do a leisurely float trip with tubes and such while we’re there if it’s safe and doable. Or if you…

  • Want To Do Something Different? Go Rafting!

    Most people don’t associate Yosemite with white water rafting but hey, some of the best white water in California is just outside the park and this year construction projects up river mean you’ll be able to raft all summer long! Zephyr White Water Expeditions: Due to the lowering of upstream reservoirs for routine maintenance (done…

  • Don’t Feed ’em

    Don’t do this. No matter how much you want to, don’t. Animals who become dependent on human handouts soon forget to forage for themselves and when they’re not able to obtain human food in the winter months often die. Don’t even get me started on rabies, hantavirus or the bubonic plague. Just don’t feed ’em.…

  • Kai’s First Trip to Yosemite: Will I find a campground to stay in?

    Kai writes in: I have a friend visiting soon and we wish to visit Yosemite during the first weekend of August. We’re looking to camp and I know it’s busy during summer, the problem is it seems like all the campgrounds are fully booked, but that’ll be the only time available as my friend will…

  • More Smoke in the Valley

    The smoke you’re seeing in the Valley and on the webcams is from a controlled burn set to take place this morning. The burn is approximately 36 acres and runs between the Merced River and Southside Drive, from El Cap Crossover to the Sentinel Beach Picnic Area and is projected to last one day. If…

  • Mail Call: Steven and Frank in the High Sierra

    Steven writes in: “I’ve been reading your blog off and on in preparation for my hiking trip with my son last week. Great job, with lots of insight into the “real Yosemite”. Frank and I hiked into Sunrise HSC to open it. We were the first registered guests to sign in for the 2007 season…

  • Campground Highlight: North Pines

    North Pines Open: April through September Reservations: Required Cost: $20/night for each campsite (maximum 6 people per site) Number of sites: 81 RV length: up to 40 ft Trailer length: up to 35 ft Pets: Yes Description: Located Yosemite Valley at 4000ft (1200m), North Pines is set in pine woodlands along the Merced River near…

  • Take the Bus

  • Smoke in the Valley

    Just got word that the controlled burns by Bridal Veil Falls are filling the valley with thick smoke. Visibility is poor. You’re unable to see Half Dome from Ahwahnee meadow. If you have asthma or are sensitive to smoke you may not want to be out hiking around the Valley. Thanks, Edie. Technorati Tags: yosemite,…

  • Don’t Just Drive Through, Stop. You Won’t Regret It

    A lot of time travelers are so focused on their destination they miss things around them. The little resort community of Groveland just outside Yosemite on Route 120 is one of those things often overlooked. But Groveland has a lot to offer as pointed out in this article in