Yosemite Valley

For millennia, this place has been home to the Ahwahneechee people for generations. Then in the mid-18th century, Europeans began to arrive. With its challenging terrain, the site posed a significant challenge to the first Europeans who arrived. From the mid-1850s to the mid-1860s, access to this place was only possible by horse. In 1907, a road was built from Merced to El Capital, and today over 4 million people visit the site each year.

I realized I would be visiting Yosemite again about two weeks before the trip. I saw a photo of Mirror Lake on the Yosemite page and decided to go right away.

After it was clear that we had to go, we invited 9 friends from San Francisco to join us. So we needed 2 cars to go.

Our journey began in San Francisco, where we embarked on a four-hour walk to Yosemite Village. En route, we made a pit stop at Walmart in Manteca, a conveniently located town on our way to Yosemite, to stock up on supplies.

We left San Francisco around 9:00 AM and arrived at Yosemite around 2:00 PM. The journey took longer than expected due to stops for shopping, lunch, and refueling.

Our first stop in Yosemite was a hike to Mirror Lake. We went in late January, when many trails were still closed due to snow and ice, making them unsafe. However, Mirror Lake Trail was our goal. But before we started the hike, the group wanted to take photos at Upper Yosemite Fall, which we happened to drive past.

The parking lot is quite a distance from the start of the Mirror Lake trail. The closest parking options are the Camp Curry Village parking lot and the Happy Isles Trailhead parking lot, which is located just beyond Curry Village on a road that is closed to private vehicles (only shuttle buses are allowed). The Happy Isles Trailhead parking lot has a parking area and a bus stop. You can either walk or take the shuttle bus to the start of the Mirror Lake Trail.

From the parking lot, walk to the start of the trail.

The Mirror Lake Trail is approximately 3.2 km round trip. If you want to walk around the lake, it will be about 8 km round trip. To get to Mirror Lake, we will walk along the Snow Creek Trail. The starting point is Bus Stop No. 17. The trail will run alongside Tanaya Creek until you reach Mirror Lake.

Tanaya Creek

Mirror Lake

The hike took about 2 hours, including the time it took to walk the trail and take pictures. The trail was quite icy, making it difficult to walk.

The sun had almost set by the time we emerged from the trail, so we headed straight to the hotel. We'll come back tomorrow to explore the rest.

We stayed at Yosemite View Lodge. The hotel is about half an hour (20 km) from Yosemite Village, near the park entrance. The route will take you to Highway 140, El Portal Road.

I love this hotel. The rooms can accommodate 4 people and have a kitchen equipped with plates, bowls, cutlery, a microwave, a stove, and a pan, so you can cook in your room. The rooms are quite large, so that night we had a party with food from Isan that we brought from home.

Notably, the hotel is right next to the Merced River, so you can take beautiful pictures when you wake up in the morning.

The next morning we woke up a little late because we played Werewolf until late last night. We started our Yosemite adventure again, but we stopped to take photos by the Merced River next to the hotel for almost an hour.

The first stop of our day is Tunnel View.

Tunnel View

Tunnel View is a stunning viewpoint in Yosemite National Park, but it has been renovated twice, in 1933 and 2008. This viewpoint is considered a historic Scenic View of Yosemite. Importantly, this point offers views of Yosemite Valley, El Capital, Bridalveil Falls, and Half Dome. This viewpoint is particularly notable for its design, having been designated as a National Park Service Historic Landmark in 1986. Notably, the 2008 renovation improved accessibility for people with disabilities, increased traffic flow, and added educational exhibits.

This viewpoint is quite crowded because it is easily accessible. There is a spacious parking lot where tour buses can park and passengers can enjoy the view. As a result, there are many tourists.

The next stop we went to was Bridalveil Falls, which is not far from Tunnel View. It's about 3 km to the parking lot, and the distance from the parking lot to the falls is about 800 meters. It's a waterfall with a height of about 189 meters.

From Bridalveil Falls, it was time for lunch. We went to the Yosemite Visitor Center, where there is a supermarket and a restaurant. However, the restaurant was closed during the winter season, so we bought food from the supermarket and ate it outside.

After a satisfying meal, we continued our trail to Yosemite Lower Falls. We parked our car by the side of the road near the entrance to Yosemite Falls. The round-trip distance is approximately 1.6 km, and the trail is relatively flat and easy to walk. The waterfall in this section is about 98 meters high and is located in the heart of Yosemite Village. As we entered Yosemite Village, we could see Upper Yosemite Falls from afar.

It didn't take us long to walk back and forth, but we spent a long time taking pictures on the bridge where we could see the waterfall. Because I wanted to climb the rocks and take pictures of the waterfall up close.

Near the road where we parked, there was a small snowfield with no one playing on it, so we decided to have some fun throwing snowballs. I asked to make a snowman, and the team helped me make it. It turned out to be a Snow Bear instead.

The last stop we will make is the Merced River Bridge on Sentinel Drive. But before we get to the bridge, we will stop to take another picture of Upper Yosemite Falls.

This spot offers parking right by the bus stop at the Merced River bridge on Sentinel Drive. From the bridge, you can see Half Dome and the Merced River. Turning around, you'll be treated to views of Upper Yosemite Falls, making this another highlight.

From here, it's time to turn around and see you again in the spring with Yosemite (I'll be back again).