Carlon Falls Trail is one of the most rewarding hikes because at the end, there is a beautiful…read morewaterfall and cold pool of water to swim in. The hike is about 3 miles and starts off in Groveland, in Stanislaus National Forest, and goes into Yosemite National Park. You will have to go on a dirt trail and go up and down a couple of rocky hills so make sure to wear good hiking shoes. There are spots along the river that you can stop at if you don't want to hike all the way to the end. But it's worth it to go to the end. There are waterfalls (not super tall), but very pretty, especially with the surrounding trees and nature. In the summer, when the temperature is hot, the water is very refreshing, but it is very cold. A lot of people enjoy swimming in the waters at Carlon Falls. Not only is this one of the prettiest hikes in Yosemite, it's free to hike this trail. Also, if you park your car up the road, the parking would be free too. I've done this hike 3 times in the past 4 years and have enjoyed it each time.

Really beautiful river trail that ends at a spectacular waterfall, not too far from Hetch Hetchy…read more Carlon falls trail begins outside the Carlon Day Use area with a small roadside lot. If it's full, you can park, for a fee, in the day use area. That's $10, cash only. There was a remarkably clean pit toilet as well as some picnic areas in the day use area. The trail itself is easy to navigate and only goes one direction along the river and to the falls. It's mostly flat and well shaded, until the end when you have to scramble up a rocky hillside. In May 2023, the cascades prior to the falls are running pretty intensely as were the falls. The surrounding forest was a bit gloomy as it's recovering from the Rim Fire. Still, the tall trees, new growth and some pops of wildflowers made for a fun hike. You also get some lovely river views. My fitness tracker put it at almost 3.5 miles. Nice little side trip when in the area and don't want to go from Hetch Hetchy down to Yosemite valley but still want to get some miles in.

We enjoyed our visit to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir located in the northwest corner of Yosemite National…read morePark. If staying at Evergreen Lodge at Yosemite, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is about a 7 minute drive to the main entrance of the park and it's about an 8 mile drive until you get to the reservoir. The views are incredible getting there. We recommend parking near the restrooms and walking down towards the entrance of the dam it's not very far. Hetch Hetchy is known for its stunning scenery, waterfalls (like Wapama and Tueeulala Falls), and hiking trails, but it is also famous for the controversial O'Shaughnessy Dam, which created a reservoir to supply water to San Francisco. There's a cool tunnel you can walk through to get to the other side of the dam where people start their hike. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is a must visit if staying at the Evergreen Lodge at Yosemite since it's very close to it! The location is kid and stroller friendly. Happy Yelping :)

This review is about the hike around the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir (not my personal opinion that it…read moreshould not exist). Hetch Hetchy is part of Yosemite National Park, but it has its own separate entrance. From Yosemite Valley, Big Oak Flat Road takes you out of Yosemite, through Stanislaus National Forest, and then through the dedicated Hetch Hetchy entrance gate back into Yosemite. The fees and reservations to visit Hetch Hetchy are included in/the same as the fees to visit Yosemite. If you have a reservation to visit the valley, it counts for Hetch Hetchy, too (and vice versa). Lucky for me, I have a lifetime pass and an NPS pass, so I was just waved on through. I think there were only two other cars in front of me, so I barely had to wait to get in. Seeing Hetch Hetchy was on my bucket list for this summer, since I've read so much about it over so many years, and have such strong opinions that the reservoir should never have been created in the first place. I drove out here expecting to be heartbroken. I expected to feel whatever it was that killed John Muir. But, all I saw was a beautiful lake in the mountains that I wanted to hike around (sorry not sorry). I had read somewhere that, before the creation of the reservoir, Hetch Hetchy was like a second Yosemite Valley. I tried to imagine the valley floor unflooded with over three hundred feet of water, but it was hard to envision. Even though I came in late September, I still some some wildflowers-- mostly the same tiny purple flowers and yellow grass blooms which saturate the meadows in the valley. In order to get to the hiking trail, first, you hike across the top of the dam, and then through a tunnel with lights. Unlike most of the tunnels I've hiked through, this one didn't smell very much like bats. I was surprised that hiking across the dam is open to the public, since it has been banned in my hometown Folsom since shortly after 9/11. It was cool to see the spillway from the top of the bridge, though. I also wanted to hike the hundreds of stairs to the bottom (and back up, I love climbing stairs), but this was prohibited. My goal was to hike out to Wapama Falls, which I thought I did. I saw a sign saying that the waterfall was a couple of miles away, I felt like I hiked a couple of miles, and I found the scar of a dry waterfall. The mountain under the dry waterfall reminded me of the Royal Arches, which is my favorite rock surface in the valley. When I heard the group passing by me say that the waterfall was still half a mile away, I thought that they must have mis-navigated. Anyone could see that there was clearly a dried up waterfall here. Also, I wanted an excuse to turn around. So, I chose to believe that this was the waterfall. I made it. Later, I learned that I was actually at Tueeulala Falls, just about half a mile short of Wapama Falls, which flows year round. Guess I'll have to go back. I actually wasn't prepared to go hiking at all, so a couple of miles in each direction was not bad. I would definitely want to come back to backpack and explore this valley more in spring. In spite of my personal feelings about the illegal creation of the dam, I loved hiking around Hetch Hetchy. It was gorgeous, and there was barely anyone else here. It was so nice to get away from the crowds in the valley.

We came from Tenaya lake and it was my favorite hike in Yosemite. The trail and the rock…read moreformations were utterly stunning. Summit allows you to have an amazing view of Half Dome. Please come and create your own adventure.

My first hike in Yosemite, and it happened to be this one...I didn't know what I was getting myself…read moreinto. Cloud's Rest is a strenuous and challenging hike that will exhaust you for a couple days or more! This hike isn't for beginners, if you want to attempt this, you will have to actually enjoy hiking. Cloud's Rest takes around 6-8 hours to complete and is a 14 miles hike with an elevation gain of 2,700 ft. Parking - We arrived around 9:30 AM and found parking at the Sunrise Lakes Trailhead. The earlier you arrive, the better, to avoid crowds and get a good spot to park. There is one pit toilet at the trailhead and would be my first stop after arriving because you're going to be consuming plenty of water during this hike, including many more bathroom breaks in nature. Don't be afraid to take plenty of breaks during the hike, rest stops are great to enjoy some snacks and water. After crossing the wooden bridge, follow the signs pointed towards Cloud's Rest and you'll be right on your way! What I like about this hike is the changes in scenery throughout the hike. It was like a different hike every couple of miles! The first part takes you through a forest-like scenery and then the incline switchbacks, which were extremely tiring and difficult. After conquering that part, the trail takes you through a well-deserved flat area with a nice view of a lake. The final stretch includes a steep, straight incline and then finally the granite steps, which requires a bit of climbing to reach the summit. The views are spectacular at the summit, you will be able to see Half Dome and the Yosemite Valley. We arrived at the top around 1 PM and took a lunch break as well as many pictures. The descent was just as challenging as the ascent, if not more, because you're already pretty tired. Take your time and pace yourself, I think we took ever longer breaks on the way down. Overall, if you're looking for a challenging hike in Yosemite, Cloud's Rest is that hike! Great views at the summit and changing sceneries makes this hike a great one to reflect back on and tell stories.

Our tour guides were absolutely amazing (John and Mia) and they were very knowledgeable and helped…read moreanswer all of our questions (about Yosemite in general, specific famous features on our hike, and even random questions about birds and plant life). The hike is as advertised (in terms of ratings and what features you will see). They always put safety first and even offered to help carry our back packs when we got tired or were crossing a small stream! They treated us like close family/friends, were encouraging us along the way, and adapted to our pace and schedule. Our group ranged from age 6 to adult and we couldn't have made it to the end of the hike without them! Book them for your tours and have fun on your Yosemite Vacation!

Will definitely be booking again with John and Y Explore!!! Honestly when we booked the guided half…read moredome hike I went into it thinking we were just utilizing the purchased permits as hadn't won the lottery ourselves but as the day progressed I became more and more grateful for the wisdom and knowledge of our guide. From breathing techniques and tips for ascending and descending the cables to the order of of our group and perfectly timed rest breaks this was worth every penny as we had not only a successful summit but an overwhelming positive experience! Hubby and I are excited to travel again to more destination with Y Explore in the near future!

Activity Type: Hiking Nearby City: YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK…read moreLength: 13 total miles Elevation Gain: 3700 Trail Type: Out n Back Skill Level: Moderately Strenuous Duration: 3.5-4.0 Season: Year-round Smith Peak is the highest point in the area and offers outstanding views. It has two trail head options. One route begins 6 miles beyond the entrance station. This trail is 13 miles round trip with 3700 feet elevation gain. Patches of snow the week of Thanksgiving day was everywhere. This is a very much less visited area of Hetch Hetchy. The trail to go up the peak itself is not very clear so a GPS is highly recommended. The beginning of the hike starts on an almost vertical switch back from the start. The trail head is the last one on your right as you're driving in before you reach the reservoir. The top boasts of an expansive view of the Hetch Hetchy area. The sun was shining and it was warm when we got to the top. A "seal" that was placed there in the 1940's was at the very highest point. Rocks to sit and enjoy the view was everywhere. Definitely a vertical fall if one is not careful. This is definitely a place to visit and to enjoy solitude. NO ONE was on the trail except us. The other route begins at the entrance station is 16 miles round trip with 3300 feet gain. The Smith Peak trails can be used to access the high country.

The best mountain I have ever climbed was Mt.Whitney. However, I remember Mt.Dana more often. I…read moreclimbed Mt.Dana to acclimatize two days before I climbed Mt.Whitney. Because the purpose of our trip was Mt.Whitney, I was not very excited about climbing Mt.Dana. I know that responsible hikers should always prepare for the trails they plan to hike, but I had been too lazy to print out the trail map of Mt.Dana. Another reason I thought I didn't need to do such preparation was that our leader had done the same trip six years in a row with exactly the same itinerary. So I was planning to follow him and actually I did follow him. It was quite an interesting trail. During the first half, we were able to see a lot of plants and flowers that were specific for high altitudes. On the last half of the trail were only rocks because plants couldn't survive in the higher altitude. There were no obvious trails through the rocks although there were some cairns and flags to show hikers a good path to the summit. I really like this primitive kind of trail. It was stereotypic Eastern Sierra summer scenery; bone dry, brown, and quiet, with strong sunlight. The higher we climbed, the thinner the air became. That made it harder for us to breathe and we stopped talking. I knew that it was only six miles to the crest, but I couldn't see the top. I felt like it would take forever to reach the top. That made me psychologically exhausted. At the same time, I got more time to think by myself. It was hard but I really like this solitude for some reason. When I finally reached the summit, I forgot all the pain. Surprisingly, I was able to see the whole Mono Lake from the top. I had been to Mono Lake but never saw all the lake at one time. It was the most beautiful lake I had ever seen. Because I had not looked up any photos from the summit of Mt.Dana, I was able to be surprised by the scenery. Nature rewards me with great scenery and several kinds of emotion that I never have in daily life. This is the reason I can't stop climbing mountains. Some people believe that mountains have some spiritual power and some places such as Mt.Shasta are known as power spots. I still don't really understand or feel that kind of power, but I got a sense of mountain's strength a little.

You won't find the Mt. Dana Summit Trail on your National Park Service map and you're unlikely to…read morefind it in your hiking guidebook either. What you will find on this trail however, is a challenging trip up the second highest peak in Yosemite National Park which rewards with some of the best panoramic views you'll experience anywhere.

Fun for kids, but not for parents. Kiosk opens at 8am, but families are queued up before 7am to get…read morerafts or bikes. Only one person at cash register, so the line looks like it could take about an hour to pay. If you get a bike, only one person there too, so you wait another 30 minutes or so to get a bike. If you raft, you need to go 30 minutes early for safety briefing that lasts maybe 5 minutes. They tell you to stop and enjoy the beaches, but get to the raft shuttle back in two hours. We got in the water around 12:05pm and finished around 1:49pm. Then, no shuttle came to take us back until around 3:17pm. That was almost 90 minutes waiting around with kids and no water. Better bring sneakers with you and be prepared to walk back 2.5 to 3 miles to Curry Village. Don't believe Aramark if they say you can also take the free shuttle. The families left stranded by the raft shuttle waited 90 minutes for those too. Most of those were so full, they only took two of the 30 people waiting at the four mile stop, or drove past without stopping. The shuttle driver didn't have a phone or radio. Customer service from the contact us page was no help. They called back after 30 minutes, then put me on hold for another 15 minutes. The manager Skye wouldn't talk to the families who were left stranded. She sent four other people (two at the shuttle area and two in Curry Village) to talk to us, but not help us. They wrote down her email address and told us to email her.

This was by far our favorite experience in Yosemite! We were there mid June and the water was…read moreperfect for rafting. You have 2 hours from the time you start until you're expected to be at the end for pick up. That gives you enough time to stop a few places and enjoy the ride. The kids absolutely loved it and ask to go back!

We had an excellent day with David. We booked a private tour for my wife and me. We are not so…read moreyoung so David tailored it to our pace and abilities (still made it to the top of Sentinel Dome- well worth the effort!). Literally went from the valley floor to the peak of sentinel dome. His knowledge of the park is outstanding. He picked us up at our lodge and dropped us there at the end of the day- even gave us the picnic we couldn't eat during the trip because clouds blocked the astrophotography portion. He even apologized for the clouds! An all day adventure; we were happily exhausted when we got back to Evergreen Lodge. Highly recommend.

Dave is AMAZING! We had the best day with him on our private tour of Yosemite. He is so fun,…read moreknowledgeable, a great conversationalist and made the day fabulous. I had the best time and felt like we got to really see Yosemite and get to know the park. I would 100% recommend booking with him and his company. Hands down the BEST!!