Yosemite National Park
Links to webpages with information about Yosemite National Park
Try an edit-find function (hold down Ctrl, then type the letter F) on your computer to ‘search’ this page.
Snow (or not) Camp (or hotel / cabin) see the main trip page for the annual Outdoor club trip to Yosemite Valley, usually in late January or early February (with links to info/prices for Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area (Badger Pass) downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding and tubing), a walking or free shuttle bus tour of the east end of Yosemite Valley, daily Ranger-naturalist walk, the Ranger-led snowshoe walk, Ansel Adams gallery free photo walks with a professional photographer, ice skating, the major hike to the top of Yosemite fall, . . . )
Things to do during a Yosemite snow storm besides hiding in your tent or the cafeteria
See the entire text of The Yosemite by John Muir
Favorite chapters for winter trip reading include:
Winter Storms and Spring Floods
Snow-storms
Snow Banners
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If driving to Yosemite National Park, you might want to consult the Parking and traffic jams in Yosemite valley tips and tricks.
The Ahwahnee Hotel has a map and pictures, descriptions of facilities, rooms, suites.
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See the logistics of where to pitch your tent, dealing with iced car door locks, staying warm and comfy overnight while winter camping (or even spring, summer, fall with interesting weather) in or out of Yosemite,
Don't want to camp? Details about, and photos of Curry Village (briefly named Half Dome Village) accommodations, including Cabin 819 and Stoneman Cottage two-story rooms, as well as Housekeeping Camp, Yosemite Valley Lodge and the Ahwahnee are at Yosemite valley overnight accommodations.
Lots of details to make your stay in a Curry Village (briefly named Half Dome Village) tent cabin more comfortable and fun are at: Yosemite valley tent cabins tips and tricks
(Camp Four)
see trail safety notes, and info about mountain lions
Conservationist John Muir, who built a cabin in a tree near the base of Yosemite Falls, wrote about a winter storm when this happened
and he counted to 190 before the wind stopped holding the water. Read what he wrote
about the experience at:
Upper Yosemite Fall held stationary in mid-air.
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Best places to take pictures in Yosemite National park:
Where can I take a photo that looks like the one on a Yosemite postcard I just bought?
Places to take photos of Clouds Rest, Half Dome, Bridalveil Fall, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls and Staircase Fal
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Links to Yosemite National Park trails include:
Vernal Falls (with the stairs of the Mist Trail) and Nevada falls
Cook’s Meadow loop
or figure eight walk / stroll
Mirror Lake Hike
How to find the location of John Muirs cabin (hang nest) in Yosemite valley
HIKING SECRETS and etiquette includes hiking in the heat, preventing and/or dealing with blisters, logistics of hiking, a day hike gear list, Half Dome hiking advice, winter hiking and the answer to the question: When is the best time of day to cross a mountain stream?
People climb over barriers meant to protect them and as a result slide over waterfalls in Yosemite. Fatal, near fatal or close call incidents/accidents in camping, backpacking, climbing and mountaineering has press releases about them, animal attacks, and much more.
Yosemite National Park regulations, policies and rules links
Yosemite Valley free shuttle bus has the route, stops and how to find the store, shower house, trailheads and hints
for saving time using the free bus by better understanding the route as well as basic
info about fee buses in Yosemite
Details about 24 hour towing within the park for some vehicles, propane service, minor emergency repairs, how to use your Auto Association card to get their help, and more are at Yosemite garage, car repairs and towing. At that page you will find a list of locations of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations at the various hotels, near campgrounds, the Welcome Center and more.
Using a campsite food storage locker
gives you ideas on how to use one, including some logistics on sharing one in a large group.
Yosemite Valley rafting advice includes rentals info and do-it-yourself
swimming in Yosemite includes thunderstorms, bacteria in the water, safety issues, favorite beaches, swimming pools with lifeguards.
Bears has how bears break into cars in Yosemite National Park and how to prevent it happening to you (with lots of photos of actual bears climbing
in to cars), what to do if you see a bear, how to store food away from bears and more.
How much water will there be in the Yosemite waterfalls?
Yosemite valley flooding, spring runoff and snow pack/ snow water content for various years.
The same shot of Yosemite Falls in three pictures: a flooded Sentinel Meadow taken May 16, June, 2005 and a snow covered February 4, 2008.
Yosemite Valley is an attempt to show the grandeur of the depth and width of the valley through photos of Yosemite Falls. It has a map of the Yosemite Lodge area.
The view from Glacier Point down to Yosemite Valley, day time and night time
Yosemite nature and photo links has links for wildflower, mammal, bird, geology, star guides and more
common Yosemite birds shows side-by-side photos, for comparison, of Scrub Jay and Steller's Jay, Acorn Woodpecker and Downy Woodpecker, finches, sparrows, warblers, nuthatches and more
Rock Falls in Yosemite 2008 to the most recent report and safety tips for hikers
Backpacking advice has these sections: Must bring for each large group (or perhaps for each couple or person), Must bring backpacking for each person, Some (crazy?) people think these are optional for backpacking, Backpacking luxuries(?), Do not bring these backpacking, To keep down on weight backpacking, Don’t rush out and buy, BACKBACKING FOOD, Low-cook backpacking foods, Yosemite National Park WILDERNESS PERMITS, Leave no trace camping has these basic principles.
climbing advice: Staying Alive – by NPS Ranger John Dill, includes:
“No Yosemite climber has died from heat, but a half-dozen parties have come close.
Too exhausted to move, they survived only because death by drying-up is a relatively
slow process, allowing rescuers time to get there.”
Cell phones can be helpful in the wilderness or they can contribute to problems when people take risks they would not otherwise. The page has advice on how/when to use a cell phone to contact 911 in the wilderness and a warning about interference between cell phones, iPods and avalanche beacons
The use of cell phones for photography (with or without a selfie stick) has made preventable injury or even death by selfie common They were just taking a selfie . . .
Road trip advice and etiquette has ideas for limiting boredom, getting along on a road trip and some packing and safety tips.
Depending on a GPS unit to intentionally be separated from your hiking partners can lead to confusion or even disaster. Be certain that the people you are with are happy with this prospect. GPS is not infallible
At altitude you will probably feel out of breath at first and may even get a headache and lose appetite. You can get more sunburned. Your tent mate might seem to stop breathing.
Camping solutions for women answers questions such as: Can menstruating women camp or backpack around bears? How do I wash my hair when camping?
At have more fun camping you can learn how to build campfires that don’t smoke too much, how to pack an ice chest, do dishes in camp and lots more. The page has a list of some of the biggest meteor showers
Can a person who is prescribed an epi-pen risk going into the wilderness? and some sting prevention notes are at Anaphylaxis
Thunderstorm and lightning safety includes the answer to the question: Why can’t you swim during a lightning storm? A strike on a lake doesn’t kill all the fish in the lake. AND What is it like when lightning strikes?
A summer equipment checklist for campers and/or dayhikers
Details about equipment, clothes for winter trips, or just for any time of the year when it might rain or be cold
See a checklist of all of the winter camping gear (but without all the reasons and descriptions)
Tuolumne trip and see:
How to drive to Tuolumne Meadows via highway 120 from the Silicon Valley area
A short walk from the campground, a great swimming hole
a favorite Tuolumne area hike to Mount Hoffman
a shorter hike to the top of Lembert Dome
Cow Parsnip, Coneflower, Pussypaws, Penstemon, Phlox, Columbine, Monkeyflower, Sulphur Flower, Iris, Groundsel and Lupine Tuolumne trip wildflowers
At Tuolumne we camp at 8,600 plus feet elevation. You will probably feel out of breath at first and may even get a headache and lose appetite. You can get more sunburned. Read At Altitude
for advice. It includes why your tent mate might seem to stop breathing.
For a laugh The answer to the question…How many people can you fit in an eight person tent? …from twentyfive-plus years of De Anza College Outdoor Club camping trips.
For an even bigger laugh: Camping Blunders