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1 Day in Yosemite National Park with Kids

Yosemite National Park

Day 2 of our family California and Pacific Coast Highway road trip started at the crack of dawn. We spent the night at the Springhill Suites Fresno after driving from Sequoia National Park. Our early rising children must not have gotten the memo that we were on vacation and were up and hungry at 4 am. Thus, our review of the Marriott Springhill Suites Fresno is that we slept well and the room accommodated our family of 6. Under a normal circumstances, Fresno would have provided us a great opportunity to buy groceries as they had a Costco and a Trader Joes. The bad news was that nothing was open when we were up and ready to start driving to Yosemite, so we were unable to stock up on goodies for the road. We did fill the rental gas tank at Costco, as the gas station was open at 6 am when we started our drive to Yosemite National Park.

A little background: our family is a seasoned traveling family and we traveled across the US with one small carry-on and a backpack for each person. This strategy aided in our ability to check into the hotel in Fresno with only our backpacks (I had packed overnight clothes and toiletries in the backpacks) and leave our suitcases in the car. When traveling with young children, less is more when it comes to one-night stays and need for fast transitions. I had no idea how important this actually was, until we witnessed how congested Yosemite National Park got in the afternoon. Trust me, you don’t want to dilly dally in a hotel or camp site if you want to make the most out of your day in Yosemite.

Family friendly (easy and flat) day hikes at Yosemite Valley:

Bridalveil Fall: a 0.5 round-trip; 20-minute (80 feet elevation change) hike leads from the parking area via a paved trail to the base of this waterfall.

Lower Yosemite Fall: (wheelchair accessible): 1.1-mile loop trail which takes 30 minutes with an elevation change of 50 feet.

Cook’s Meadow Loop: (wheelchair Accessible): 1 mile 30 minutes mostly level trail.

Mirror Lake Trail: 2-mile trail to the lake and back. Elevation change of 100 feet. This was our family’s favorite trail. We could have spent hours there.

Yosemite National Park is massive and is broken up in to 6 major areas: Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point, Wawona and Mariposa Grove, Tioga Road and Tuolumne Grove, Tuolumne Meadows and Hetch Hetchy. Due to our one-day trip to Yosemite, we decided to maximize our time and spend our day at Yosemite Valley prior to continuing our drive to San Francisco.

Pin for later:

Our family’s trip report of our time in Yosemite Valley.

Due to it’s location in the heart of the Yosemite National Park, this was a natural area of focus for our family. The Yosemite Valley offers unlimited array of activities that keeps the interest of young children. This impressive natural valley has the most outstanding concentration of waterfalls, granite walls – cliffs, meadows, wildflowers, trees and streams.

What we did at Yosemite Valley:

-          Yosemite Falls was flowing with the spring runoff when we visited in mid-June (please note that it may be dry if you visit later in the summer). We chose to walk near and to the base, but you can also take a strenuous trail to the top.

-          Half Dome is Yosemite’s most distinct feature as it dominates most views in the Yosemite Valley. You can enjoy stunning views of Half Dome from Cook’s Meadow, Sentinel Bridge, Tunnel View and Glacier Point. We stopped at each of these locations, but by far or favorite view from Sentinel Bridge and Swinging Bridge.

-          As we arrived at the park early, we were able to find parking at the Yosemite Village Parking. This is not an easy task in the summer months, as folks tend to park for the day and not move their vehicle.

Getting around Yosemite: due to congestion, once we parked our car at the Yosemite Valley, we used the free shuttle to get around.

Source: www.nps.gov

-          We explored the Valley Visitor Center, Bookstore, Yosemite Museum and watched one of two feature films: Ken Burns’ Yosemite: A Gathering of Spirits. Our kids loved learning about the Black Buffalo Soldiers that cared for the National Parks prior to the Rangers. We didn’t have time to watch the second film: The Spirit of Yosemite.

-          We ended our day in Yosemite with a late lunch at the Majestic Yosemite Hotel.

Where we ate: While we fed our kids breakfast, my husband and I were intentional fasting and thus were ready for a good meal after our hikes. We took the Yosemite shuttle bus to the Majestic Yosemite Hotel to look into a table for a late lunch. I guess that it’s customary for parties of 6 to make advanced reservations. Ops, we were winging it and walked right up to the hostess to inquire about a table.  If you’re foodies like us and want to have a nice meal while at Yosemite National Park, please call 209.372.1489 for reservations. We loved our time at the Majestic Yosemite Hotel and are already planning an adult only getaway there in order to tackle some of the more strenuous hikes and enjoy some rest and relaxation.

Learning about Yosemite National Park

As a homeschooling family, I was impressed by the variety of videos and educational material available online to help set the stage prior to our trip. I highly recommend that you spend some time here exploring them. 

Pro tips:

-          Arrive at Yosemite National Park as early as possible. If you don’t rise early, you are likely to encounter heavy congestion, especially in Yosemite Valley. We saw folks driving around in circles for hours attempting to find parking near the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center. Don’t be like them. The park’s printed materials warn of 2 to 3-hour delays, especially in the summer afternoons and weekends.

-          Yosemite day visitors can park in three major parking lots: Yosemite Falls parking Lot, Yosemite Village Park Lot and at Half Dome Parking lots and then take advantage of the free shuttles to get to destination of choice.

-          Park roads are steep, narrow and winding. Make sure to downshift even when driving an automatic car, in order to prevent car damage. If you or your kids get motion sick, do take motion sickness medication. You’ll thank me later.

-          Wear sunblock and insect repellent. Ticks can carry lyme disease and prevention is key to enjoying these national parks.

-          National parks are the natural habitat of wild animals such as bears, rattlesnakes, deer, cougars and others. Please educate yourselves and your children on safety and respect prior to exploring.

Lessons learned from our 1-day trip to Yosemite with young kids:

-          You won’t get to see more than 1/6 of the park in that time, but it will still be a memorable and enjoyable trip. Planning is required and you should focus on the Yosemite Valley area. Spend time on the Yosemite National Park website getting acquainted with the locations of bathrooms, water refill stations and food. Pack a cooler with snacks and water for the drive in and out. Yosemite National Park is massive and once you cross the gate, you will have a lot of driving before you arrive at the Yosemite Valley area.

-          Stay hydrated. We had traveled cross country the day before and had spent time hiking in Sequoia National Park. We were definitely impacted by the time change, elevations change and heat.

-          Wear a hat even on overcast days. I’m naturally tanned, wore sunblock and my nose still got significantly sunburned. Reapply sunblock and insect repellent often.

-          Not everyone has the same respect for nature and common courtesy as our family. This one is a tough one to deal with, as hiking and exploring nature is usually a peaceful and isolated experience for our homeschooling family. We were aware that we were traveling to one of the most popular national parks in the middle of summer, but boy was I shocked by the lack of common courtesy, manners and hiking etiquette that we witnessed. It didn’t ruin our trip, but it did irk me at times. Rude people suck! That’s all.

-          I was also shocked by the lack of diversity at both of the California National Parks that we’ve visited. Our family loves our National Parks and we tend to spend a significant amount of time throughout the year, exploring the East Coast National Parks. While were accustomed to being one of few hikers of color, it was glaring at the lack of diversity at Sequoia and Yosemite National Park. We visited Shenandoah National Park just one week upon our return from California and compared to the west coast national parks, Shenandoah seemed like the United Nations. This observation has led me to research and follow individuals writing and documenting about brown people exploring our National Parks System. Representation matters: my mother calls us her Kennedy Kids because of our sense of adventure and desire to experience the world with our children. Thirteen years of us traveling with our kids to some underrepresented areas, has led to a passion to continue to inspire people of all backgrounds to get outdoors with their children and create a culture of exploration and adventure. These are our spaces, they’re amazing and everyone should enjoy them.

Things to do at Yosemite National Park:

-          Junior Ranger Program: wow, the Junior Ranger Program at Yosemite is serious! In order to take the Junior Ranger Oath and earn your Patch and badge all of the following must be completed:

o   Purchase a self-guided booklet at any Yosemite Conservancy Bookstore.

o   Complete the booklet.

o   Collect a bag of trash (I told you that they weren’t playing).

o   Attended a ranger guided program.

-          Take part of Yosemite Mountaineering School: provides outdoor adventures (professional guides for hiking, backpacking and rock climbing) for folks in various levels of experience. Reservations are required by calling 209.372.8433 or emailing yms@aramack.com

-          Take a photography class: Yosemite visitors can capture the beauty of the national park by taking a class by experts from The Ansel Adams Gallery. There are several free and fee-based classes offered weekly. You can learn more and sign up at Ansel Adam Gallery in Yosemite Village.

-          The Yosemite Valley offers naturalist programs, walking – hiking, ranger guided tours, rafting, bicycling and sightseeing.

Access to Yosemite for all:

For such a massive park, I was impressed with how accessible Yosemite National Park is. Travelers in need in full access should pick up an updated Yosemite Accessible Guide at the park entrance stations, any visitor center or online by clicking here You will find accessible parking spaces just west of the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center which will place you centrally located in the Yosemite Valley. Did you know that Yosemite is the first national park to establish a deaf services program? They have full year language interpreters. Check out my friends at The Thoughtful Travelers Movement to learn more about the challenges faced by travelers with disabilities. Let’s make travel accessible for all.

Camping at Yosemite National Park:

Source: www.nps.gov

If you enjoyed reading about day 2 in our California and Pacific Coast Highway road trip, click here to read about Day 1 at Sequoia National Park.  Day 3: Two Nights in San Francisco with 4 kids will be coming soon. In the meantime, click here for our live updates from our 8 day trip to California and the Pacific Coast Highway. 

Check out our Vlog of day 2 which includes Yosemite and our drive - arrival to San Francisco.