Five Simple Steps to Enjoy Yosemite on a Crowded Weekend

Five Simple Steps to Enjoy Yosemite on a Crowded Weekend

If you love Mammoth, you'll probably love Yosemite too!  The reality is we all love Yosemite to death.

Yosemite is one of the most beautiful and relaxing places on Earth.  Except when it is Labor Day weekend and a third of all the inhabitants on the planet are in the park, at the same time, looking at the exact same things.  

Now you have traveled 3,000 miles to the Sierras on your “Holiday” (doesn’t Holiday sound so much more exotic than vacation!) It is Labor Day Weekend.  One of the items on your bucket list is to see Yosemite. Unfortunately  10,000 other people have the same idea.  You have two ways on how to visit Yosemite:

1. A Tourist that wants a picture of every water fall in the valley
2. A Sane Human Being that wants to have an enjoyable time

A Tourist

You sleep to nine in the morning.  You have breakfast. Then go straight for the valley floor to see the water falls.  You and those 10,000 other people are going to spend the day enjoying:

• an immersion into primitive and wild environments
• a high degree of solitude
• natural sounds
• natural smells
• great views

Yea right.  

Traffic on the Valley Floor

Your experience will be more like smelling car fumes in more traffic than you will ever find in Los Angeles, the traffic capital of the world.  By the end of the day, you will come out of Yosemite more stressed than you ever were at work.

A Sane Human Being

It takes a little bit of work and planning but even on a busy weekend like Labor Day you can get a lot out of Yosemite and miss most if not all the crowds.  

Here are Five Simple Steps to see Yosemite as it should be seen:

One - Get up early

I mean before sunrise.  Get into the park early. Pick a spot in advance, preferably up in the high country like Tuolumne Meadows, Glacier Point, etc. Get there just before sunrise.  For the next two to four hours, ninety five (95) percent of the “Tourists” will be:

• Still asleep
• Cooking breakfast in camp or ordering breakfast at a crowded food stand

East Side of Tuolumne Meadows

Seeing a sunrise in Yosemite is an unforgettable experience; seeing a Yosemite sunrise in quite solitude is “priceless.”

Deer in Tuolumne Meadows 

If you choose to go to a meadow area there is a good chance that deer will be out and about.  Seeing a deer up close will stop the kids whining  (about getting up so dang early) faster than anything on earth.  For the rest of the morning they will be occupied  scouring their surroundings to see if they can find more deer.

More importantly you will get the chance to experience that primitive environment and with a high degree of solitude that makes Yosemite heaven on Earth.

Trail Head for Lyle Canyon

Two - Take a Hike

After the sunrise take a short hike on one of the many trails in the park.  You don’t have to hike seven or eight miles to get away from the crowds.  Just a half mile or so will do.  Remember by now the most of the masses are still in their camp just now washing their breakfast dishes!  Walking through Tuolumne Meadows, Lyle Canyon, or the Panorama Trail (Glacier Point) are great.  You go for as long  a distance as you like then simply turn around and come back.

Three - Stay In One Spot a While

So many people rush through the park get to one of the famous scenic spots, take a picture of themselves in front of it, and then rush to the next spot.  I highly recommend finding a picnic table in a quite area and sit for a while.  Bring some snacks, sit back, and soak up the park; the views, the smells. You will be amazed on how much the look and feel of a single location will change as the sun rises in the sky.

Wine at Lake Tenaya

If you stay in the park late enough in the day, bring a bottle of your favorite wine and some plastic wine glasses.  We did this once at Lake Tenaya.  A flustered lady, in the middle of a death march to see every single thing in Yosemite in one day, stopped and looked at us.  She said with a big smile “You must be locals because you know how to do this right!”.  We agreed.  She took her picture and marched on.  We on the other hand  continued to enjoy our wine for a spell.  Really don’t know how long that spell was because we were having such fun we lost track of the time!
Four - Talk to to People You Meet

I think you will find the people you meet in the high country this early in the morning will be:

• Friendly, as they are not being stressed out by big crowds
• Interesting, maybe hiking the entire John Muir Trail and have great stories to tell
• Helpful, probably know way more than you do about where to go and what to see

We have met the nicest people from all over the world at this time of day.

The Line to get in the East Gate at 11:30 was over a mile long!

Five - Get the Heck Out of Dodge Before the Hoards Arrive

You have been in the park for several hours now.  You have seen an incredible sunrise, were able to watch deer on a meadow, and have possibly met some friendly interesting new friends.  Just like a casino if you are ahead - take your winnings, cash out, and leave before you lose it all!

Go back to your campsite or condo and take a nap (you deserve it you were up before the sunrise!) and dream of the laid back and wonderful adventure you just had.  

If you are leaving the Yosemite Park going east I highly recommend stopping at Whoa Nelli Deli, in the Mobil Gas Station. It is near the intersection of Hwy 120 and Hwy 395.  They have incredible food and you can sit out in a grass yard over looking magnificent Mono Lake.

In closing a couple of ground rules about Yosemite:

1. Its not Disneyland it is nature. Always be careful.
2. Never leave food in your car.  Locked cars will not stop a hungry bear.
3. Be careful around large streams.  It is probably moving faster than it looks and can be dangerous.
4. The falls are stunningly beautiful but they are not the only thing to see in the park.

If you are looking for a condo to stay at in Mammoth look up Snow Flower 13 to rent.  If you like this blog become a member by clicking the “Join This Site” button on the top right side of the blog’s page!  There will be regular posts and pictures about other places to see in the Eastern Sierras!

Have a great time in Yosemite!

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