After living in the Bay Area for about 9 years, we had still never been to Yosemite National Park. Since we had a guest in town who always wanted to go, it really encouraged us to finally do it.
We have gotten pretty used to doing trips with our 4yr old but we had never spent the whole day in a remote park. We are usually bound to find convenience stores around every corner or at the airports, to pick up anything we had forgotten on regular trips, but for the park I wanted to be as prepared as possible.
We packed LOTS of water and LOTS of snacks. Lower down on this post is a typical list of items we took with us. I was a bit over-prepared which was not really a bad thing. We had planned to get out of the house by at least 6:00 am to make the 2.5 - 3 hour drive to the park - we only ended up leaving at 8:00 am (not a huge surprise for those with kids, lol).
TIP #1 - Aim to leave early if you can. The park gets busy and parking fills up. We visited on a Saturday in August which is a busy season.
TIP #2- Prepare for winding roads. If motion makes you queasy or uncomfortable, like it does for me, take a non-drowsy Dramamine or equivalent ahead of time. This way you get to enjoy the gorgeous views without feeling sick from all the turns.
TIP #3 - Be sure to have enough fuel. The drive into the park on those curvy roads around the mountains can be 1.5 hrs long (we drove in on the Highway 120). We noted the length on the way in and planned to leave the park before sunset to avoid a stressful and dangerous drive back in the dark. We also had to stop at a Subway along the way for a potty stop.
There was a line of cars at the entrance when we got there around 11:00 am. Entering the park cost $35 per car. Thanks to some great advice on some mum groups, I knew ahead of time the hikes we were going to attempt with my son. The first one was Bridalveil Falls. It was located before the Yosemite Village. Notice how the the South Side and North Side are one way? If you miss something and want to go back, you need to loop around - which isn't too bad but knowing ahead of time helps plan better.
It was extremely difficult to find a spot to park in the main lot at the Bridalveil Falls trail head but we eventually found a safe space to park further down the road. I had heard the bathrooms at the trail head were disgusting but I, regrettably, wanted to take a peek for myself so I could report back in my blog. They were indeed super gross! There are clean bathrooms further down at Yosemite village.
Hilariously, and like an over anxious mum, we geared up. I had everyone slather sunscreen on and all the adults carry backpacks filled with water, snacks and supplies. We began our hike and a few minutes later we were at our destination.. haha.. thankfully my son who saw us carry the snacks requested one, so the preparation was not completely in vain... The Bridalveil Falls trail is gorgeous but also short and easy (I'm not complaining, just shorter than expected). The trees also made the heat and sun manageable.
The falls were probably not as full as they are in Spring but they were still pretty awesome. It’s hard to capture in a picture but even walking among the trees felt great. The place was pretty crowded with people hanging out, dipping their feet in the water or climbing the rocks. I would warn everyone to practice safety and caution if you do plan to be adventurous.
We then headed to Yosemite Village area - the parking lots were unfortunately full with other cars waiting for spots. There is a "Village Store" where we wanted to grab some food and something cold to drink, with a parking lot in front of it. The store was bigger than I expected and basically a good size grocery store with lots of souvenir options as well. My husband circled the lot trying to find a spot for some time while I quickly ran out, used the bathroom and grabbed us some sandwiches and fruit. As I was running back out to the car, he finally found a spot, so we went back through the store to a lovely seating area under some shady trees to eat. Being overwhelmed with the parking situation and a little one who was ready to eat again we didn't explore too much before we ate. The sandwiches did the job but were a little dry and it would have been better to have gotten something from the "Village Grill" right next to the store or other places we found out about later.
While eating we saw some squirrels who were frequenting tables to get a bite to eat. We had read earlier that you should not feed or try to attract the squirrels as they carry diseases and can bite. We did take pics but were careful not to encourage them over.
After eating, we wanted to do a final bathroom break before we headed out again but the nearest bathrooms were closed for cleaning. We ended up walking further away from the store and came across a wonderfully air conditioned and modern looking food court type building called Degnan’s Kitchen and The Loft. We know better for next time :) The bathrooms were clean and there was purified local water refilling stations as well.
TIP #4: There are good food options in the park. The Loft, Degnan’s Kitchen and The Village Grill have lots of hot food items and are not far from each other. Random picnics are great but sometimes with a little one you do want to sit down at a table. Bottom line there are food options and good bathrooms.
Right next to this was a few other buildings and amenities but more importantly an information desk with an extremely helpful guide. He showed us how to get to the Lower Yosemite Falls trail (not far from Degnan's Kitchen), told us about the free shuttle system and also recommended we see Tunnel View. He also advised us that we could take the stroller on the Lower Yosemite Falls trail - my 4 yr old was already complaining about not wanting to walk and we did not want to carry him - so glad we took the stroller with us. In his defense the heat and increase in altitude does tire you out faster and make you super thirsty, so he part rode in the stroller and part walked. We took along his binoculars which he was thrilled to use to try to spot some birds and other animals. This trail was longer than Bridalveil Falls trail and a little less crowded while walking but got crowded again at the falls. The trees help to provide some shade as you walk making it a pleasant walk.
We then headed back down to the bus stop at the trail head. Our intention was to ride the bus, which was about a 1 hr 15 min loop and take in the sites. The bus apparently stopped every 20 minutes to pick up at the stop we were waiting. We actually had a few buses pass us in a shorter time period but unfortunately they were so full they did not stop. We abandoned the idea since it was getting late and we had a goal to leave the park by 5:30 pm based on the 7:30 pm sunset we anticipated. We really wanted to do Tunnel View before we left which was also kind of in the direction we were leaving.
Tunnel View was gorgeous - definitely the cherry on the top. I had seen pictures before I went but it did not compare to taking it all in in person.
TIP #5: Definitely go to Tunnel View: You will be able to see Half Dome, Bridalveil Falls and El Capitan. You drive to it, park and are immediately able to enjoy the views.
And with that, we hit our goal of leaving at 5:30 pm. My son was exhausted - admittedly, I pushed him through a nap at the end but I knew he would have a nice long one on the way back home. We did end up drinking a lot of the water so I was glad we had extra. The snacks were beneficial especially for my son and also on the ride to and from the park.
You could say our trip was a Yosemite Lite trip but we were satisfied being there and doing manageable activities with my little one in tow. We also managed perfectly well it in 1 day without having to stay over, even though we left home later than desired. We wanted to take our guest to Napa the next day (another post to follow) so we avoided staying over and were quite pleased with our decision.
List of items to carry on trip to Yosemite National Park with kids:
Water
Sunscreen
Hats
Sunglasses
Umbrella
Stroller
Light Sweaters (Didn’t need it in late August but came in handy to block the sun on the drive back)
Change of clothes for adults (just in case you get adventurous near the water - can just have it in the car)
2x Change of clothes for kid
Change of shoes for kid
Towel
Advil
Dramamine
Allergy medication
Bug spray
Kids Tylenol
Thermometer
Small first aid kit
Hand Sanitizer
Wet wipes
Head torch (my son insisted)
Binoculars
Bike helmets (we played with the idea of renting bikes but didn’t want to when we got there)
Cash
Bananas
Halos/Cuties
Snack Bars
Chips/Nuts
As I mentioned above we probably didn’t use it all but there was no harm in being over prepared.
If you do decide to go, have fun, be safe and enjoy. I hope this gives you some insight on what to expect when going with a kid.
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