Yosemite Forum

My husband and I are headed out next year for our first trip to Yosemite. We're hoping to spend 3-4 days at Yosemite and then head out to San Francisco. We love backpacking and are in pretty good shape, but we weren't sure if it would be best to spend our time backpacking or setting up a base camp and just doing day hikes. We're wanting to see as much as possible in our short time there...waterfalls, lakes, panoramic views. Any suggestions?
Thanks!!!

Well, I would dayhike for my first trip, as you wouldn't see as much, and don't know the park well enough. A dayhike up Little Yosemite Valley is nice--you can reach the top of Nevada Falls easily. It's less crowded the earlier you start.

Glacier Point has a good view of the Valley. You can also take a daily bus from the Yosemite Valley hotels in the morning to Glacier Point and hike down the Four Mile Trail, or for a longer hike, hike down Little Yosemite Valley via Illiouette(sp) Creek.

Mariposa Grove is worth a day, but it's a distance from Yosemite Valley (Yosemite is a big park). Smaller groves are north of Yosemite (Merced Grove) and not as heavily visited.

Tuolumne Valley is a good, high jumping-off point for High Sierra backpacks and dayhikes. Hike north along the Tuolumne River to Glen Aulin and Waterwheel Falls, or south along the Lyell Fork.