It took me 9 years of living in California to finally make it to Yosemite. I know, it’s blasphemous. But I finally made it there in September 2019 and it was certainly worth the wait. And while we only had 2(ish) days in the park, we made the most of it, and I managed to pull together another great itinerary, if I do say so myself.

Day 01 - Los Angeles to Yosemite

We left Los Angeles for Yosemite around 8am (my itinerary called for 7am, but that was merely wishful thinking) and we made it to the park entrance by 2pm. Our first stop was in Wawona to stretch our legs at the Visitor Center and re-fill our water bottles at the Wawona Hotel (they have spigots behind the main building) . We thought about straying from the itinerary and visiting Mariposa grove, but I promised Mark we’d make it there on our next visit–we still had a few more stops before settling in at our cabin in Curry Village.

Next up, we headed toward the Taft Point trailhead. Depending on park traffic, driving from Wawona to Taft Point should take you about 45 mins to an hour. This was a must on our trip. At just 2.3 miles RT and 410 ft. of elevation gain, this is a fairly easy trail to some incredible panoramic views above the valley. You do need to be careful though - there are a lot of steep drop offs (especially around the Fissures). We arrived at the Taft Point trailhead around 3pm and stuck around for about 45mins as the light turned golden and slack liners attempt their walks.

After Taft Point, we made our way up to Glacier Point. During this trip (August 2019) the road to Glacier Point was open for cars. There are times throughout the year due to weather and crowds when the road is closed and you have to take a shuttle to access. Glacier Point is a much busier tourist attraction, but a must-see nonetheless. The views of half-dome are incredible from this spot.

As the sun was getting lower, we decided to head down to the Valley in an attempt to make it to Curry Village before dark. However, after about 30 minutes of driving, we exited Wawona Tunnel and absolutely had to pull off and stop at Tunnel View - the sunset colors washing over the valley were just too beautiful to pass by in the car. Another must-see, iconic park vista (TBH they all are) looking out over both El Capitan and Half Dome in the distance, you can’t help but suddenly feel so very small.

We finally made it down to Curry Village around 8pm. It was in fact dark as we checked into our cabin, and one of us was a little hangry. The Curry Village patio was the only option nearby for dinner, and the line was incredibly long, but after a long wait, and some grumbling, we managed to grab a table and some tasty pizza and all was right in the world again.

Day 02 - Vernal and Nevada Falls via the Mist Trail

Our second day in the park would be our only full day, so I of course, planned a nice big hike. We woke up early and had a hardy breakfast in the Village and then caught a quick bus ride to the Happy Isles stop (YARTS stop #16).

Vernal and Nevada Falls via the Mist Trail is a big, fairly difficult trail. We clocked 9.2 miles and 2,664 ft. of elevation, not to mention, at least 1/4 of the trail is on a very slippery stone staircase skirting up towards the top of Vernal falls. In most cases, you will want some water-resistant clothing. However, water flow was fairly low during our trip, so we opted to just bring our raincoats along in our packs to be safe.

The beginning of this trail takes you along the Merced River for a bit before hiking up a fairly steep section that leads to a wooden footbridge. The footbridge has some beautiful views. Around .8 miles in you will arrive at another bridge where you will get your first view of Vernal falls. This is always a good time to re-stock on water or take a breather before continuing on.

Around 1.5 miles into your hike you’ll arrive at the top of Vernal Falls. The last .5 mile should have been a good indicator of why the trail is called Mist Trail. From the top of Vernal Falls, you will continue on to Nevada Falls. As we headed out, we decided to have a break next to Emerald Pool. This was a great spot to give our legs a rest and refuel with some snacks.

After another 2 miles (and some seriously steep, rocky switchbacks (that Mark might have considered grounds for divorce) we made it to the top of Nevada Falls. The view from the top of these falls is incredible. We spent some time here taking pictures, picking up trash (not so fun) and meeting friendly squirrels. After a good half hour taking in the views, it was time to descend back to camp.

We opted to take the John Muir Trail back down to get some fresh scenery - plus the idea of walking back down the slippery Vernal Falls steps didn’t seem like a great idea. It is another 4 miles back down from the John Muir Trail, but the views of Liberty Cap and Nevada Falls made it 100% worth it.

When we finally arrived back at camp, our feet and legs were spent. We went straight to the patio to grab a lite late lunch and give our dogs a break.

That night, we planned to have a nice dinner at the Ahwahnee Hotel. After our big hike, we deserved it.

Day 03 - Exploring the Valley + Back to Los Angeles

I always wake up on the last day of a short trip trying to convince myself to stay just one more day. It’s never easy to get back on the road - especially when you’re in a place like Yosemite.

Nonetheless, after one last big breakfast, we packed up the car and began our departure from the park. Don’t get me wrong though, it was a very long and drawn out departure. Our first stop was to investigate Yosemite Valley Village. We popped into the village market to purchase some souvenirs of course and also made our way to the Ansel Adams Gallery (highlight recommend).

As we continued around the loop, we made sure to get out and do some exploring by foot around the El Capitan Picnic Area. There, we spent some time with other visitors straining our eyes searching for the tiny specks of climbers dotted along El Cap’s sheer wall.

Our last stop for the day was Bridalveil Falls. This year-long flowing waterfall, named for the mist that wafts off it when the breeze blows, resembles the veil of a bride. There is a designated parking area, however it does tend to fill up during busier seasons, and in that case you may find parking further down the road. To get to the base of the falls follow the paved trail, taking a right at the only junction. If you take the trail to the left you will cross a series of bridges over Bridalveil Creek and get nice views of the waterfall on the way to an alternate trailhead along Highway 41 (without a parking lot). The trail to the right rises gradually through the forest along Bridalveil Creek, and drops you closer to the waterfall with every step. The trail ends at a viewpoint that is incredibly close to the falls - if you’re hear during the spring or summer months, you will certainly feel the mist. By late fall (which is when we were visiting), the waterfall slows but it still a beautiful site to see! *Bridalveil Falls is currently closed until May 2021 due to a restoration project.

After spending sometime at Bridalveil Falls we begrudgingly decided it was time to head back to Los Angeles the same way we came (if you want to read about taking Tioga road out of the park see my post about our 2020 visit). Of course, as we continued out of the park, we couldn’t help but stop for more photos at Tunnel View and various other turnouts.