About the Yosemite National Park

In honour of Railbookers’ new itinerary ‘Yellowstone to Yosemite by Rail’ I thought I could share some handy tips and anecdotes from my trip to the captivating National Park in California two years ago with you.

First of all: The Park is humongous (my try at American English, sorry, I will stop). I know that it is obvious and not really a necessary comment, but still. It is h-u-g-e. We drove there from San Francisco, which took us about two hours, and then it took us another two hours to get to the Yosemite Village, in my opinion, one of the most interesting places especially if you are on a day trip. It is quite easy to get there, even though it took us a bit longer because we drove there with three cars and had to make sure nobody in our convoy got lost. Seeing the hairpin bends, I was quite happy that I did not have to drive myself, but could just lean back and enjoy the spectacular scenery. If you do not go there by hire car, you can also make use of the practical shuttle service.

On arrival in the Village, we browsed the little shops and enjoyed a food break at the observation point, during which we were joined by loads of squirrels, casually running around everywhere. I think there might have been more than in Hyde Park, which says a lot. In addition to the entertainment from our cute new friends, the view we had was absolutely breathtaking. Afterwards, we tried to figure out which route would be best to take to get to Yosemite Falls. Unfortunately, nobody in our squad of nine people had the incomparable talent to properly read a map, which resulted in two of them running back to the car to get all the sunblock, water and provisions they could carry for the assumingly three to four hours long walk. Luckily, another German tourist eavesdropped on our discussion about whether or not it is worth going there (we are a bunch of couch potatoes after all). He kindly pointed out that we did not have to take the long hiking path, leading to god knows where, but could follow the sign right in front of us, pointing to a path that everyone around us was taking at that exact same moment. You know, the one saying ‘To the Lower Yosemite Falls: 5 minutes’ or something similar. Well, well, the unbelievably important ability to read signs. Obviously not in our collection of talents either. It is much appreciated that it was not a long walk though; can you imagine a group with our orientation skills wandering around in a 1,168.681 square mile park? We would have got lost faster than you can spell the word squirrel!

After our confusion, we were finally on the right way and walked to the Lower Yosemite Falls as we figured that none of us was motivated enough to get to the Upper one. Not only was the walk to the falls quite scenic, seeing the giant trees and beautiful wildlife, but it was also absolutely stunning when the waterfall came into sight; and having never seen one from close up, it was even more impressive for me. Plus, getting there is very easy and you do not need to be an experienced hiker. But the next cause of confusion appeared directly in front of us: There were loads of people who had apparently climbed over the fence and were on their way over the rocks to get even closer. Once again, a little discussion emerged on whether or not to do it because it did not particularly look like a recommended side trip and also because... well, we are a bunch of couch potatoes after all. However, everybody did it and nobody seemed to have a problem with it, so we figured why not give it a try. It only took us 5 minutes (it is not long-distance at all, just a bit rocky). We had to be careful with our cameras, not wanting to get them wet, but we had a great time taking pictures and going up and down the heap of stones. We continued to stroll through the surrounding area, where we found ourselves opposite a rather unexpected scenario: newlyweds taking wedding pictures in a meadow in bridal gown and suit. It seemed a bit random to us at that point in time, driving for hours to get there for a couple of pictures.

Having researched this afterwards, lots of people actually do get married in the park as they even have their own team of wedding planners and of course magnificent countryside. To finish this off, a few useful hints concerning your journey: Make sure you know which route to take if you travel by car. Even though not everybody is as bad at reading maps and signs as we are, it is quite tempting to get lost in the landscape instead of focusing on signs. So get an idea of where you want to go first. Also check if you will need a petrol station and if so, where the next one is. You can better research everything you need to know and send all necessary texts before entering the park because getting a signal in the middle of nowhere is not very likely. Always take enough water and maybe some snacks with you. Even though you might be on a guided tour and getting lost is impossible, you will still need it as the sun can be hot and exhausting. The climate is very pleasant though; we were there in June and found it to be the perfect hiking weather: A light breeze, plenty of sunshine and approximately 23 degrees. I can definitely recommend an excursion to the Yosemite National Park; you will surely have an as fantastic time as we did!