Yosemite in Winter?

Hi there!

I%26#39;m trying to look for info on how accessible Yosemite is in the winter. I plan to go there near the 3rd week of December and will be traveling with my parents, who are in their mid 60s. They don%26#39;t ski and can only do moderate hikes.

Here are some specific questions:

1. How accessible is the park? Are many viewpoints blocked off and requires serious hiking to get to?

2. Which lodge is best for winter time? I%26#39;m interested in staying at the one by the waterfall.

3. How many days should I budget for?

4. Any links or sites would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Yosemite in Winter?

The Lodge you are interested in is the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls which you can find through yosemitepark.com. It is often booked but you may have luck midweek. As a backup, the Yosemite View Lodge and Cedar Lodge are good choices just outside of the park.

There are still plenty of beautiful things to see through moderate walking and driving in the winter; in fact many folks love the quiet tranquility of winter best of all! If you can book at least 2 nights I think you will have a quick but enjoyable winter stay.

Yosemite in Winter?

Winter in Yosemite is our favorite time. It is just beautiful with the granite walls flocked with the white snow. We have a winter picture gallery online with a Yosemite winter activities calendar page at the bottom.

The 140 route into Yosemite is the best winter route if you must have advance reservations, it doesn%26#39;t climb and so is most likely to not suffer from winter restrictions. If you have more freedom with your schedule, you can work around the weather and either 120 and 41 are viable entrance options, both offering stunning approach views.

Glacier point road will be closed, the valley roads open and the water falls should have some flow back in them by then.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Thanks for all the great info.

Since I%26#39;ll be flying from Seattle, I have many options on where to start the trip. Is there a recommended place I should fly into first? SFO?

Thanks again!

I%26#39;m sorry to butt in - I%26#39;m researching too! I live in the bay area and fly in and out somewhat often. It%26#39;s just as easy to fly into oakland (less traffic than sfo) and southwest and alaska fly frequently from seattle or perhaps fly into sacramento?? The yosemite experts can advise how that route compares ( : in terms of efficient routes to the valley.

btw our family (kids, all ages) has been to yosemite only in the winter! We can%26#39;t deal with the craziness in summer, and the valley, especially with a fresh dusting of snow, is beautiful! Lots of easy walks (I%26#39;m partially handicapped and can%26#39;t walk for very long) to view waterfalls - running more forcefully and dramatically than the rest of the year! My only complaint is the lack of reasonable food in the park - the nicer restaurant at the lodge at the falls was great, but everything else was school-cafeteria.

Good luck to you!

iheartthissite ~ I also live in the Seattle area and fly down to CA often. I%26#39;d recommend the Sacramento airport. Alaska has frequent flights, it%26#39;s easy to hop in the shuttle van to the rental car building, and navigating the freeways is fairly easy.

Are you just coming to Yosemite, or are you going to do other sites withing CA. If Yosemite is your destination, you might check alaska directly to Fresno. They have a few non-stop flights. They cost a little more, but the drive is much shorter, and the traffic is nothing compared to either Sacramento or Oakland!

In the Winter, they do snowshoe walks up at Badger Pass. You can take a bus from the Valley to get there. I%26#39;m not sure about how stenuous the walk is, but the people I see doing it are not in the greatest shape! The website has more info.

Thanks for the tip about Fresno!

How many days do you guys think my family should spend in the park (assuming AM arrival)?

Thanks much!

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