The Blog of Ms. Mercer

I don’t always put up family pics here, but I recently went on a day trip to Yosemite. Since it is a popular destination for anyone traveling to California (it makes up one point on the California triangle that Europeans take through here: Disneyland, Yosemite, San Francisco). I wanted to share some tips for traveling here, since it can be grueling especially in summer (which is definitely high season). First, if you are going anytime between Memorial Day (end of May) and Labor Day (beginning of September), you and what will feel like half the planet will be there. When you go to any place, especially to high demand sites, get there before 10 a.m. to beat the crowds. Many people will want to climb half-dome, or climb the Mist Trail (to Nevada/Vernal Falls), or the Yosemite Falls trail. If you have children under the age of 12 (or any age really) who are not gung-ho hikers, this will not be a pleasant experience. These are extremely vertical, and you will definitely have a sense of accomplishment (and exhaustion) at the end, but it’s a lot of work, and may not be worth. There are other possibilities.Try to get out early to Bridal Veil Falls to beat the crowds. It’s the most accessible of the falls. Then, go to Happy Isles. First, it has a really nice nature center with great displays, and crafts for kids. There are a series of trails, some of which lead to the Mist Trail (to Nevada and Vernal Falls). The Mist Trail will be crammed with hundreds of people, trying to get up the trail. If you want to instill a love of nature in your kid, going up a vertical incline with hundreds of other sweating, panting humans is not likely to do it. Yes, it’s beautiful at the end, but there are still hundreds of people there at the first falls (Vernal). On the other hand, Happy Isles trail is flat, there aren’t a lot of people (cause they are all huffing up the Mist Trail), and it winds around the Merced River. I noticed too that it let my son move through an area, exploring the different nooks and crannies. The fall trails are much to vertical and narrow to allow this exploration. If one of the members of your party is hell bent on going up the trail, you can spend the day down at Happy Isles while they make the climb.

Once June rolls around, it heats up during the day. The way to deal with this, is to rent a raft, or just go down to the river during the day. This also has the advantage of getting you off the trails during the heavy use times in the middle of the day (although I should warn you, the river will not be empty).