SPRING ITINERARY

TRANSPORTATION: Access to Yosemite National Park is without restrictions using a car.   Use the free shuttles on the entire Yosemite Valley loop drive once inside the Park.  YARTS can be taken inclusive of the Entrance Fee and Vehicle Reservation at the bus stop at the end of our driveway.

JUNE BUG CAFE: opens at 7am-10:30am for breakfast, trail lunches and water to go, lunch is 11:30am to 1pm and dinner is open 6:00pm to 8:30pm Sunday-Thursday 5:30pm-8:30pm Friday-Saturday. Dinner weekend service closing time is 9pm starting May 1st.  The Yosemite Health Spa is open from 3pm to 10pm.

FIRST DAY YOSEMITE VALLEY:  Standard Sightseeing With Some Hiking, Waterfalls & Overlook Point In Yosemite Valley

Valley Loop Drive for sightseeing:  Half day. About 1 hour + bus ride around.  We recommend finding a place to park and taking a free Valley Shuttle Bus around Yosemite Valley for your camera to explore. It goes around to the El Capitan Meadow on the Loop now.  Get out where you want, another bus is 20 minutes behind.  Try to make the Tunnel View just a bit south on Highway 41.

SPRINGTIME Columbia Rock and Upper Yosemite Falls:  Park at Camp 4,  and start up the switchbacks to Columbia Rock for a warmer south facing Valley view half day 1000 ft gain hike. You can go around the next long corner to view the Upper Yosemite Falls trail for an up close view of the large Upper Yosemite Falls or continue the full hike to the top for another 2000 ft.

SPRINGTIME Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls:  You will have to catch the Valley shuttle for these places but can easily walk from Half Dome Village Parking Lot or Hiker’s Lot.   Take the John Muir Trail both ways since the Mist Trail may be icy and closed for the winter..  You can take families just to the bridge on a paved trail for a view of Vernal Falls.

SPRINGTIME Mirror Lake and Snow Creek Trail:  Mirror Lake is full over the winter and spring.  Plenty of Half Dome reflection pictures here.  Take the Mirror Lake Loop Trail for a couple of hours unless it’s flooded.  Consider going up the Snow Creek Falls Trail at the end of the canyon for impressive views of Half Dome and Cloud’s Rest on the way up to the top.

SECOND DAY:  WHOLE DAY SOUTHERN YOSEMITE:  Hiking & Overlook Point, Waterfalls, Sequoia Groves or use this route going out to Los Angeles:

Mariposa Sequoia Grove:  The access & interpretive renovated Mariposa Grove is open now off of Highway 41 at the South Entrance to Yosemite.  Go early using the Highways 140/49/41 through Mariposa and Oakhurst. This big grove got much needed attention to it’s facilities last year, you will be impressed.  If the road is closed for winter, consider hiking to the Lower Mariposa grove trees 3 to 4 miles round trip.  The shuttle bus starts in April this year.

Wawona Covered Bridge & Pioneer Center:  The bridge is 150 years old!  The assembly of the historical cabins from the first superintendent’s cabin to the Wells Fargo cabin do excite.  The stagecoach rides starts in late May.

Glacier Point Road will open in April this year.  Keep and eye on road openings.

THIRD DAY:  Hetch Hetchy:  Hiking, Viewpoint and Lake walk for half  day or use this route of Highway 120 West going to San Francisco:

SPRINGTIME Hetch Hetchy & Wildflowers:   If you are driving from Yosemite Valley to San Francisco or want a day visit, Hetch Hetchy is a warmer and fascinating visit!  The reservoir’s waters against the cliffs background are stunning.  Walk along the north side of the lake and enjoy it as far as you want to go until returning.  The beautiful waterfalls flow winter and spring.

The Tioga Pass road over the high country will be open in May sometime this year.

HALF DAY or GOING HOME on HIGHWAY 140: Mariposa and Merced River Wild & Scenic Area and Wildflowers

At The Bug: Soak your weary and cold limbs at the spa!  We have specialty baths for soreness, skin health and colds.  The Sauna is great to heat you up and clear out the head cold or lungs.  Scheduling a massage or one of our private therapeutic soaks is an excellent way to work out the kinks before or after your winter activities as well!

Maybe take the two hour Bug Loop trail in the daytime. It can be very difficult, slippery, wet, steep and narrow.  Look for the green diamond marker on the trees every 50 feet about 12 feet up and at intersections.  Red markers are trails back to the lod

1. The blue marker is a short cut halving the walk. The swimming hole is getting slower but listen for the water falls and trail that zig zags down to see anyway.  If you get lost, head back down to the Bear Creek and look up the taller slope at the Lodge.

SPRINGTIME Whitewater Rafting:  For the Merced River below us in the canyon a couple of miles away, Zephyr Whitewater is across Highway 140 and All Outdoors and OARS Whitewater is on property here for running the rapids.  Contact them and make bookings now!

SPRINGTIME Merced River Wild and Scenic Area:  From Briceburg Bridge upstream there is a single track trail for dogs or Mountain Bikes.  You can also mountain bike or dirt bike up the Burma Grade going up right there or cycle downstream on the dirt road (5 miles each way).

SPRINGTIME Hite Cove Trail Wildflowers:  About 10 miles towards Yosemite from the Bug, Highway 140 crosses the Merced River South Fork bridge.  Park on the left once across and walk over the highway and up the lane to start the hike at the sign on a single track trail.  At 3.5 miles long you can turn around anytime.  Near the end at Hite Cove, which was once the Ahwahnee tribe’s winter camp, you will find remains of a gold mine here and there.  Flowers through May and then it is closed for the summer.

Mariposa Old Gold Town & Museums: Shop along the old 1850’s era block and see the Old Jail and the oldest operating western Courthouse.  The Mariposa History Museum takes you back to the Gold Rush, whereas the California State Gem and Mineral Museum at the Mariposa Fairgrounds shows what was dug up here and the rest of California. Activities on weekends at the bars and saloons in town, too.  Do some road bicycling on the Old Toll Road from Bear Valley to Hornitos for some fun.

Mariposa Airport Skydiving and Planes Rides:
For exciting views of Yosemite, Yosemite Valley and the central part of California call
Skydive Yosemite at 209.372.5001 or fly in small plane with Yosemite Airways Scenic Tours at 209.966.2143.