Parks of the Sierras - Trip Report
Visited June 20 through July 2, 2012 See this Trip Report on Trip Advisor.
Preamble: It seems that my trip reports are getting longer and a bit more complex with each trip. The version that I posted on Trip Advisor cut across four separate forums and included links to photos, EveryTrail hiking maps and reviews. You can get to the Trip Advisor version through the link above at right. The report that I will include in WWT is a slightly edited version, but still with links to all the other pieces parts, particularly the photos. Since the photos are a favorite of mine, I have collected the links to the albums here, for ease of access (once you have accessed the album you can view the photos as a slideshow if you wish):
Days 1 and 2: Travel, Cats and Canyon.
Day 3: Caves and Big Trees. Day 4: Trees, Meadows and Moro Rock. Day 5: Transition to Yosemite and the Mariposa Grove. Day 6: Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome and on to the Valley. Day 7: The Big Hike! Day 8: Easy does it….yeah right! Days 9 and 10: Tioga Road and Leaving Yosemite. Days 10 through 12: Back to the City, Urban Hiking and Back Home. Introduction: Lynn and I took our “big” trip this year to California with the primary goal of visiting the National Parks in the Sierra region. We had been to Yosemite a few years ago, but that was just for a weekend as part of a tour bus package. This time we wanted more time to explore and also wanted to include Sequoia and Kings Canyon. Plus, we added a couple of days at the end of the trip just to look around San Francisco, one of our favorite cities.
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The short story is that we had a fantastic trip, saw a lot of amazing natural wonders including a lot of wildlife and found some great food and beer along the way.
The plan that I developed for the trip is outlined below:
- Wednesday 6/20 – Travel to CA. Early evening flight direct to SFO, arriving about 7:30. We figured to get on the road toward the parks with an overnight stay in Livermore.
- Thursday 6/21 – On to the parks! Most likely an early start, since we’ll still be on east coast time. The only stop planned before entering the parks was at Cat Haven which is not far from the Sequoia/Kings Canyon entrance. Then we’ll head into Kings Canyon for the afternoon. We’ll be staying at Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia for 3 nights.
- Friday 6/22 – Big Trees. We’ll check out the Lodgepole Visitor Center then explore the Giant Grove.
- Saturday 6/23 – Mineral King. Explore Mineral King Area; scenic drive and hiking.
- Sunday 6/24 – Kings Canyon and on to Wawona. Early departure from Wuksachi and back into Kings Canyon for most of the day, followed by a 3 hour drive to Wawona. If we get there early enough, perhaps I can sneak in a round of golf.
- Monday 6/25 – To the Valley via Glacier Point. Relaxed morning at Wawona then we’ll drive to the Valley with a detour to Glacier Point and hopefully hike Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. We’ll be staying at the Lodge at the Falls for four nights.
- Tuesday 6/26 – Glacier Point. Already reserved seats on the 8:30 AM hiker’s shuttle to Glacier point. We’ll hike back to the valley via the Panorama Trail and Mist Trail.
- Wednesday 6/27 – Road to Tioga Pass. We’ll drive up to Tuolumne Meadows and look around along the Tioga Road. Certainly want to stop at Olmsted Point and Teneya Lake and maybe we can fit in a short hike.
- Thursday 6/28 – Explore the Valley. No real plans, sort of a light day just bumming around the valley.
- Friday 6/29 –Hetch Hetchy to San Francisco. After leaving the valley, we’ll check out Hetch Hetchy then head back to SFO to ditch the rental car and take the BART into San Francisco. We have two nights booked at the Hotel Fusion near Union Square.
- Saturday 6/30 – Golden Gate. Walking tour of the Presidio and Golden Gate Bridge.
- Sunday 7/1 – San Francisco. We’re taking the red-eye home, so we still have a full day to explore. Nothing specific in mind, we’ll just play it by ear….
- Monday 7/2 – Home. Flight lands about 6:30 AM. Time to start sorting photos, writing up the notes and planning the next trip!
So that’s the plan. If you do read the rest of reports, you will note that we did not follow this exactly; as always, flexibility is a key when touring the parks. You always want to be ready to change direction in case you see something that really catches your eye. It is best to NOT schedule every minute of every day, as weather, trail conditions and closures, critters, fatigue, etc. can cause you to deviate from the plan. I like to have a general plan in mind, with a few options for alternatives, so MsHick and I don’t waste time with “I don’t know, what do you want to do?”
Just a word about us: we are a 50-ish year-old couple who have been together for over a quarter century (wow, how time flies). We truly enjoy exploring the National Parks and have made several trips out west over the past decade or so for that specific purpose. We are hikers, but not campers. We’ll walk all day, but like to come back to a comfy bed and a good meal in the evening. My wife, MsHick, is always on the lookout for critters…and she has very good animal radar. Photography is a big part of these trips as well. We usually end up with a couple thousand photos at the end of a trip like this. One other thing that is worth noting is that I am a planner. You have to be with the National Parks due to how far in advance the lodging books and because there is so much to see and do that it is tough to fit it all in. Since we like to have a relaxed pace, I do the research so that I have an idea of the best sights and sites. But we also try to have some flexibility, a key when touring the parks due to any number of circumstances.
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Wow, that was a long intro and I haven’t even gotten to the trip…I warned you! The next post in this thread will cover the travel day to CA, and then the TR will move to the destinations (links provided below).
- Day 1 - Wednesday 6/20 – On the way: Travel to San Francisco and overnight in Livermore.
- Day 2 - Thursday 6/21 – Cats and Canyon: Heading to the parks with a stop at Cat Haven before exploring Kings Canyon.
- Day 3 - Friday 6/22 – Changing Plans: Cave and Trees: First deviation of the original plan as we explored Crystal Cave and hike the Congress Trail in Sequoia.
- Day 4 - Saturday 6/23 – Trees, Meadows and Moro Rock: Hiking around Crescent and Log Meadows and to the vista from Moro Rock.
- Day 5 - Sunday 6/24 – Transition day to Yosemite: Mariposa Grove.
- Day 6 - Monday 6/25 – Glacier Point: Golf in the morning, then up to Glacier Point and hikes to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point.
- Day 7 - Tuesday 6/26 – The Big Hike! We took the shuttle bus to Glacier Point then hiked back to the Valley via the Panorama and Mist Trails.
- Day 8 - Wednesday 6/27 – Easy it does it….yeah right! An impromptu hike through the Valley.
- Day 9 - Thursday 6/28 – Tuolumne Meadows: Bus tour along the Tioga Road.
- Day 10 - Friday 6/29 – Back to the city: Pleasant drive and an evening along the waterfront.
- Day 11 - Saturday 6/30 – Urban Hiking: Along the waterfront and into Crissy Field.
- Day 12 - Sunday 7/1 – Last Day: Exploring around Union Square.
- Day 13 - Monday 7/2 – Home and Reflections.