by robinella » Tue Apr 10, 2012 1:30 pm
From my experience in the Valley it appears very crowded during the day but it is quiet enough at night. The site you have is only next to one other site and the trail and creek on the other. Yes the Valley campgrounds are crowded but so are TM and Bridalveil. Yosemite creek is probably the least.
In August bears tend to be more active in my experience. There are apple orchards near the campground and they come for that. We saw 10 bears one week in August right from #136. Last July we only saw one. We have seen birds, squirrels, deer, racoons, and ducks all in the campground. Birds include jays, owls, hawks, and yes crows too. We were awakened to the sounds of bears in North Pines before as well. Plenty of wildlife.
Hikes really depend on your ability. The Vernal Fall footbridge goes on to Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall and is a great yet challenging hike. You can walk/bike/shuttle to the trailhead from the campground. Upper Yosemite Falls is nice and challenging but you can only do half if that is what you are able to do. Four mile trail is great but very strenuous. The last two require riding your bike to the trailhead or taking a shuttle. The nps.gov/yose site has a map with all the valley trails, levels, distances. Easier hikes would be lower Yosemite falls, Mirror Lake, valley loop. Always something to see, even just walking around the campgrounds and stables.
Hope this helps! I am not usually a poster but 136 caught my attention so I had to help you out. Happy to answer any more questions if you have them.