Selecting Hikes

[rnbeck52]

Hello all,

I am planning a family vacation to Yosemite in June 2015. We have a variety of interests and abilities so won't get to do all the hiking we would like. We prefer to hike the "less traveled" path away from crowds. If you could only do one hike, your first in Yosemite, which would you recommend for the following "sub groups" of our family:

Gramma/Grandpa: My husband and I are experienced hikers, logging about 300 miles a year on average. Most of our hiking is in the desert and mountains around Tucson. We have hiked North Kaibab to Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon several times, most recently last year. We are used to hiking at altitude (8-10,000 feet) and climbing (500 feet per mile is comfortable for us).
We would like a day long--10 mile or so---hike. We would go a little longer if there wasn't much climbing; a little shorter with a lot of climbing.

With the kids: We will have a 5 year old with us. She is starting to hike with us and should be able to handle at least 3-4 miles by next year.

The whole group: We will also have an 8 month old with us and a couple of "less fit" adults. This would be something akin to a nature walk, since we will be taking turns carrying the little one.

Thank you for your thoughts.
Rosemary

[balzaccom]

If you take one hike in Yosemite, it should be the one that everyone takes--but the trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls, if you get that far.

And if you start early in the morning, you can avoid most of the crowds.

But there are so many hikes in Yosemite! If you go to our website, you'll find a list of hikes that we've done, and some specifically avoid people. There's lots to choose from!