The family vacation can often turn into the family headache if you do not plan correctly. Too much planning and then everyone can feel rushed. Too little planning and you can end up sleeping in your vehicle for a night or two worrying about grizzly bears. This guide will help you prepare for a good family vacation in Yosemite by giving you basic guidelines, tips and hints. This guide is for people who plan on driving to Yosemite National Park.
Step One: Pack what you don’t want to buy later. Although Yosemite National Park is a beautiful area where God spared no time designing magnificent wonders, our capitalist society has taken advantage of the fact that many people will visit and inevitably forget things. The Yosemite General Store in Yosemite Valley tends to overprice a few of the essentials. Deodorant that’s normally $3 was $6. If you forget your S’mores supplies, they have a pre-packed set with 2 candy bars, 1 small pack of graham crackers and about 10 marshmallows for 8 dollars. Juice boxes were marked up at least $3. My goodness! And the store even ran out of regular boxes of graham crackers! How does a National Park run out of graham crackers in the off-season?
Because of this, invest in a cooler and a large backpack to bring the essentials. For your cooler, grab a bag of ice and throw in some hot dogs, sandwich meat, burger patties, juice boxes, soda in small plastic bottles. I’d even consider charcoal and lighter fluid just in case you decide to snack at a viewpoint that has a grill. In your backpack bring extra film, extra batteries and put them in a plastic bag. Put them in an easily reachable part of your backpack. Yosemite National Park has so many landmarks and photo moments that your batteries could easily die from all the pictures. Trust me; you DO NOT want to buy batteries anywhere else in the Valley. Sunscreen and bug spray could also be essential depending on what season you travel in.
Step Two: Drive Careful! If you stay anywhere outside Yosemite Valley or decide you want to see Glacier Park or any of the Sequoia groves, you will encounter some pretty mountainous driving. In fact, just getting into the valley from any direction other than south is pretty curvy. When you hit the last towns before the valley on highways 120 or 140, take a break, use the bathroom, and stretch every part of your body. You may find yourself gripping the steering wheel with never-before-seen focus. If you do the speed limit and watch out for the winds you should be o.k. However that doesn’t guarantee the other guys on the road will. Also there are many spectacular views of Yosemite from all the mountains. Rubbernecking can be very tempting especially with Brideveil Falls, El Capitan and Half Dome there to distract you. Just know that with every good view there will be a place to pull over, park, and take pictures. So please avoid rubbernecking. Leave it up to your passengers to say “woaaaaah!” to clue you into when you should pull over.
Step Three: Prepare To Walk For A Long Time. It sounds ridiculous but many people don’t properly prepare to walk or hike at Yosemite. I saw so many people in flip-flops trying to get by in the woods. Some people were more concerned about looking cute rather than being comfortable. In Yosemite you’ll really want to opt for comfortable in order to properly enjoy the view.
First off, choose the right shoes and socks. Some people like to buy hiking boots and spend hundreds of dollars for them just to see them get ruined in mud. If you’re with a young family that isn’t going to last more than 3 hours on a trail, make sure you get sturdy shoes with good tread. I hiked Yosemite in steel toe military boots and I couldn’t have been happier. They aren’t expensive, very protective and very breathable. If you are going for the cute factor, black goes with blue jeans very well. For your little kids, expect to give a few piggy back rides because many parts of the trails get hilly. Their legs aren’t nearly as long as yours so don’t roll your eyes if your kids can’t walk as far in the Yosemite trails. Just get them shoes with good tread and if they are wearing shorts put on high socks for them.
Before you hike, drink a lot of water and then go use the restroom. You won’t find many port-a-potties in the Yosemite National Park areas. Make sure you have small water bottles to take with you. Avoid snacks and foods. You may get unlucky and attract some extra campers with sharp teeth. Also, bring a large mag-lite flashlight, an easily-foldable blanket and matches. A heavy flashlight could come in handy should you run into one of those special visitors. I packed all those items plus a few others (band-aids, extra socks, etc) and I didn’t feel weighed down. Yosemite has so many beautiful trails you don’t want an excuse to have to turn around for anything.
Yosemite National Park can be a beautiful experience if you pack well, drive well and hike well. No matter the size of the family I recommend Yosemite for an excellent getaway. Just prepare ahead of time so you spend less hours being frustrated and more hours having fun.
