Trip to Yosemite National Park

[cianore]

Hi everybody,

is there anyone who'd like to travel to Yosemite National Park? I'm posting some images, I'd like to note that may is the best time to visit it..

we can have:
hiking/camping/bbq party/other social events


http://jo.zan.hu/poen/pictures/NA%20ITT%20A%20KERT!%20Upper%20Yosemite%20Falls,%2 0Yosemite%20National%20Park,California_1.jpg
http://www.indospectrum.com/digimages/yosemite2/cd014_yosemite_arch_rock_entrance.jpg
http://www.lulu.com/items/volume_37/476000/476364/4/preview/ElCap_Bridalveil.JPG

[benq35]

а какие расценки на проживание?

[cianore]

а какие расценки на проживание?

it depends on how many people wants to go...

[stanford]

I was there two times and it was amasing. I think it is the greatest place on earth and I strongly recommend to go there.

[cianore]

I was there two times and it was amasing. I think it is the greatest place on earth and I strongly recommend to go there.

Actually there a lot of parks in California which are "must see". I've been most of them, and wherever I go I am always fueled with the energy of amazing nature.

In few days a dozen of uzbeks are going to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, CA.

[stanford]

Actually there a lot of parks in California which are "must see". I've been most of them, and wherever I go I am always fueled with the energy of amazing nature.

In few days a dozen of uzbeks are going to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, CA.

Nice, hope you will have a wonderful time.

[Samimiy]

Guys, if I want to see sequoias in winter, which park do you recommend? Should i go to Sequoia National park, Giant Sequoia National monument, Kings Canyon National Park, or Redwood National Park? Or perhaps I should go to the Yosemite National Park? Notice that I want to go in winter (around Christmas). Thanks.

[melo]

I was there two times and it was amasing. I think it is the greatest place on earth and I strongly recommend to go there.

I'm not sre you are old enough to make claims of the "greatest place on earth" just yet. :lol: You probably need to check out some other places first.

[stanford]

I'm not sre you are old enough to make claims of the "greatest place on earth" just yet. :lol: You probably need to check out some other places first.

Dammit! I really wanted to check out other places first.

[benq35]

it depends on how many people wants to go...

ну наверное собируться мужики,
деффчонок не будем приглашать...
возьмем ящик водочки и закусочки. и в горы :D
например на июнь месяц?

[Sankoz]

Guys, if I want to see sequoias in winter, which park do you recommend? Should i go to Sequoia National park, Giant Sequoia National monument, Kings Canyon National Park, or Redwood National Park? Or perhaps I should go to the Yosemite National Park? Notice that I want to go in winter (around Christmas). Thanks.
I'm not sure about other places but Yosemite doesn't have giant sequoia's at all.

[cianore]

Guys, if I want to see sequoias in winter, which park do you recommend? Should i go to Sequoia National park, Giant Sequoia National monument, Kings Canyon National Park, or Redwood National Park? Or perhaps I should go to the Yosemite National Park? Notice that I want to go in winter (around Christmas). Thanks.

I'd prefer Sequoia National. It's somewhat 4-5 hour drive from where I am...

[cianore]

Adventures in Yosemite National Park
Overview

Of the 20 or so US National Parks I've visited, Yosemite is by far my favorite. Few experiences compare to your first view of Yosemite Valley's granite walls from Inspiration Point--with El Capitan on the left, Half Dome on the right, waterfalls cascading down both sides. The valley is the park's centerpiece, a hiker's paradise and probably the most beautiful place I've seen in this country. But other sections of the park demand attention as well: Tuolumne Meadows and Tioga Road to the north and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias to the south.
Quick Tips:
Yosemite receives 4 million visitors annually, but I've managed to avoid the busiest times by scheduling both my visits for September when many families have left and the weather is still warm. If you're a dedicated outdoors person, you'll want to spend at least 4 or 5 days here. The casual sightseer can see it in two, but will miss out on a lot of the fun.

Best Way To Get Around:
Yosemite Valley is fairly developed by National Park standards with its campgrounds, hotels, restaurants, a supermarket, museums and other visitor services. A convenient shuttle bus service makes it possible to leave your car at your campsite for most of your trip while you hike, bike, swim, rock climb or horseback ride. As stunning as the vistas from the valley floor are, you'll have to hike up to the rim to get the best views.
Rating by Adventures With Adam on July 15, 2004

[cianore]

Standing at the base of the Yosemite Falls, the country's tallest, it doesn't look possible that a trail leads to the top. But there is a great path that snakes around and brings you up 2,700 feet from the valley floor to the brink of the falls. The hike begins at Sunnyside Walk-In Campground. The shuttle bus stops here, so no need to drive to the trailhead. This is your last chance to use a restroom before starting on the trail. Otherwise you'll have to do as the proverbial bear does.
Almost immediately, the trail rises steeply over a series of switchbacks. Don't despair -- the whole ascent is not like this. After a mile or so, you'll get to catch your breath at Columbia Rock and enjoy the wonderful views of the valley below and the Three Brothers formation behind you. Less ambitious hikers might want to turn around here, but I recommend continuing to the top.

Soon after Columbia Rock, a less-steep section brings you close to the Lower Falls and Middle Cascade. I hiked this trail in late September when crowds are lighter. Unfortunately, so is the water flow -- mighty Yosemite Falls is reduced to a trickle in late summer. Still, you can imagine feeling the spray from the falls if you hiked the trail in May or June. For the last uphill mile, the trail winds and steepens again. As you reach the top, a short spur path brings you to the brink of the falls. (A railing here keeps you from falling over as well.) Watch for soaring hawks here.

Continuing on the trail, a wooden bridge carries you over the creek feeding the falls and points you toward Yosemite Point, which offers sweeping views of the valley. Most hikers turn around at this point for a 7-mile round trip, but with a lot of water, energy and daylight left, I decided to continue on to North Dome. Here the trail retreats a bit into the forest and you lose the valley vistas for the next 2.5 miles until you reach the North Dome spur. This short path puts you on top of the granite dome and provides dead-on views of Half Dome across the valley. It's a great place to break for lunch. Returning from here, it's about a 12-mile round-trip hike. But. . . .

While eating my sandwich, yogurt, and fruit on the top of North Dome, I examined my trail map and saw I could make a loop hike out of this instead of retracing my steps past Yosemite Falls. It would be over 18 miles for the entire loop -- a large undertaking considering all the ups and downs -- versus 12 miles for the out-and-back hike. But I still had some daylight ahead of me and was feeling revived after lunch, so I decided to tackle it. (Don't try this unless you have plenty of water remaining.) I returned to the North Dome trail heading east and was soon back in the forest and moving away from the valley rim.
The feeling here greatly differs from the valley rim trails: no granite, lots of green, the smell of pine needles all over, rolling landscape and very few other hikers. The scenery doesn't change must in the forest, but it's nice to stop here for a while, sit on a fallen tree and listen for wildlife. After a few minutes your notice birds (and deer if you're lucky) that you would have missed if you just hurried through.

At one point, the trail takes you within a mile of Tioga Road in the northern section of the park. There, you will hook into the Snow Creek Trail, which parallels the eponymous creek and leads back into the valley. After a couple hours in the woods, you'll finally emerge at a point on the rim between Snow Creek Falls and Basket Dome, revealing your reward: the best views of the hike with Half Dome and the Quarter Domes looming across the way.

The trail then descends quickly down a series of switchbacks, so tighten your laces first. Once you reach the valley floor, you've still got a couple of easy, flat miles to go before ending at bus stop #17. The last section of this monster hike passes Mirror Lake where many artists and photographers set up their easels and tripods to capture Half Dome at the golden hour preceding sunset. Two bus stops later, I was back at my campsite, gratefully reaching into my cooler and rewarding myself with a cold can of Budweiser. The entire hike with stops took me between 8 and 9 hours to complete. I move pretty fast, so allow an extra hour or so if you don't.

[cianore]

Sequoias of Mariposa Grove
Activity

As if spectacular Yosemite Valley weren't enough, Yosemite National Park offers another of nature's greatest wonders: the giant sequoia trees. They can grow as tall as a 25-story building and live as long as 3,500 years. Coastal redwoods grow taller and bristlecone pines live longer, but no tree has greater volume. These are the world's largest living things, and they grow only on the western slopes of the Sierras at elevations of 5,000 - 8,000 feet.
The Tuolumne Grove of sequoias, near Crane Flat, is closest to the valley, but Mariposa Grove at the park's south end is more impressive with more, older and bigger trees. It lies just over 30 miles south of the valley, but allow more than an hour each way to navigate winding, hilly Wawona Road. If you enter the park from the south, make this your first stop.

Try to arrive early in the day, as the parking lot fills up quickly. Several big trees are visible from the lot, but you'll have to walk a couple miles along the nature trail to see the most famous trees. Be prepared for some uphill terrain, although it will seem fairly mild if you've already conquered the walls of Yosemite Valley.

The greatest of these sequoias is the Grizzly Giant, about a mile up the path. At an estimated 2,700 years old, it measures 209 feet high, 92.5 feet in circumference and 33 feet in diameter. Visitors often look for the "drive-through" tree, but this sequoia fell decades ago. You can now see it in its recumbent position. But you can still walk through the popular California tree.

One of the most remarkable things you'll notice about these trees is the amount of scorching on them. Their bark is flame retardant, so in the course of their long lives, sequoias will likely endure many fires. They also resist disease very well, contributing to their longevity. However, even though they are the largest trees, they possess rather shallow root systems, making them susceptible to toppling. Hence, some of the trees like the Grizzly Giant are surrounded by fencing to prevent visitors from trampling the roots.

I caught part of a ranger talk and learned more about the sequoias. The first white travelers to see these trees were both awed and frightened by the forest. If the trees were this large, then maybe the animals were too, they reasoned. Once these fears were disproved, they looked at the trees with dollar signs in their eyes; just one of these giants could provide as much timber as dozens of ordinary trees. Fortunately, the grove was soon protected by a federal land grant, which led to the eventual formation of the park.

Give yourself a couple hours to enjoy Mariposa Grove. If time allows, on the way back to Yosemite Valley, turn off on Glacier Point Road, take it to the end and enjoy one of the most inspiring views of Yosemite.

[Samimiy]

I'm not sure about other places but Yosemite doesn't have giant sequoia's at all.

This is not true.

he park has three groves of ancient Giant Sequoia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Sequoia) (Sequoiadendron giganteum) trees (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree); the Mariposa Grove (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariposa_Grove) (200 trees), the Tuolumne Grove (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tuolumne_Grove&action=edit&redlink=1) (25 trees), and the Merced Grove (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Merced_Grove&action=edit&redlink=1) (20 trees).[12] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_National_Park#cite_note-GeologyNP340-11) Giant Sequoia are the most massive trees in the world and are one of the tallest and longest-lived (Coast Redwoods (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast_Redwood) that live along the Northern Californian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_California) coast are the tallest and the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Basin_Bristlecone_Pine) of Eastern California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_California) are the oldest). These trees were much more widespread before the start of the last Ice Age.[13] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_National_Park#cite_note-Kiver227-12)

(from Wikipedia)

I'd prefer Sequoia National. It's somewhat 4-5 hour drive from where I am...

Thanks, I think I would also prefer this park, it would be closer than Redwoods N.P.

[stanford]

Actually there a lot of parks in California which are "must see". I've been most of them, and wherever I go I am always fueled with the energy of amazing nature.

In few days a dozen of uzbeks are going to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, CA.

if you can share any of your "image formats" that would be great.

[cianore]

Thanks, I think I would also prefer this park, it would be closer than Redwoods N.P.

Where do u live?

[cianore]

if you can share any of your "image formats" that would be great.

Just give me few days I might upload some videos to youtube...

[MUHLIS]

Why aim a star? If you shoot, shoot for the Moon. Why not Yellowstone?

[cianore]

Why aim a star? If you shoot, shoot for the Moon. Why not Yellowstone?

Good question. Here is the main reason why I picked Yosemite..

1. It's 5-6 hour drive from where I am
2. There are already few guys ready to camp for few days. And they all live nearby me.
...

[Samimiy]

Where do u live?

I live in State College, PA - home of the Nittany Lions :)

[cianore]

I live in State College, PA - home of the Nittany Lions :)

Then pick Redwood National, which is also a UNESCO World heritage site and exremely beautiful... I'm sure, you gonna love it

[Qizil-Gul]

I was there past winter. It was OK. Maybe winter is not the right time. But, my husband really and really liked the place. He was so happy to see those enormousely tall trees.