I had to admit that I had a very high expectation for Yosemite National Park. I heard about this place since I was studying in college and had visualized to visit it one day.

It wasn’t my original intention to visit Yosemite in the winter but I was glad that I did. It was a quiet season that the park was less crowded and some areas were covered in snow… and it looked so romantic! It was fine to do the hiking though some trails were closed. The day was shorter yet I had enough time to explore Yosemite since I didn’t do any long track.

 

The easy lazy way to visit in the winter – joined a tour

It was challenging to visit Yosemite National Park in the winter because many shuttles only operate in the summer. I could drive but some roads were too steep and foggy (in which I literally cannot see anything) so I didn’t want to take the risk.

The easiest and safest way is to join a tour. I took the 2 day 1 night tour from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park with Incredible Adventures for USD$399. It was the most expensive activity of my entire US trip, so I had to be very careful in my spending for the rest of my trip.

My tour included a 1-night stay at Single Room Tent Cabin, but then I received a free upgrade to Yosemite Valley Lodge due to there weren’t enough bookings to operate that property… Lucky me! 😀 I guessed winter was really not a popular season for Yosemite National Park which was a huge advantage for me.

 

The ignored warning signs

Lower Yosemite Waterfall is perhaps the most visited place in Yosemite National Park. To be honest, I thought the waterfall was so-so only but it could be because I was not so much of a ‘waterfall person’.

One thing that caught my attention was the warning sign “Dangerous to climb beyond here” in front of the waterfall. I saw many people ignored it and climbed over even when they were with kids.

A video that I watched at Yosemite Theatre showed that some people died in Yosemite because they ignored those warning signs. They were complacent as they thought they were well-trained but that could be even more dangerous. Since there were fewer people in the winter, there may be no one around to offer help when needed.

The most important thing is to be responsible for your own safety!

Another warning sign that I saw all the times was about the “Bear Encounters”. Although it was in the winter, the bears still could come out hunting for food because they don’t really hibernate in Yosemite (Source: Undiscovered Yosemite).

But don’t worry – Yosemite is well-maintained and is very safe. Just don’t ignore the warning signs because Yosemite is still a wild area. 🙂

 

Seeing that famous Mirror Lake that is actually not a lake

Seeing the Mirror Lake was the best experience I had had in Yosemite. I had never seen a lake that looked so much like a mirror before! I could see the reflections very clearly with my own eyes. Mirror Lake was definitely unique and stunning.

However, I was a bit disappointed to learn that the mirror lake is in fact, not a lake. It is just a big pool in Tenaya Creek. (source: YosemiteHikes) But well, I thought it was still beautiful and loved it.

The mirror lake trail was nice too – I especially loved the green lake just before reaching mirror lake. During my visit, there wasn’t any snow on the trails so I didn’t have to wear extreme winter clothes.

 

The trade-offs of visiting Yosemite National Park in the winter

Although winter is an amazing season to visit Yosemite, there were downsides.

First, the Mist Trail was closed. Mist Trail is one of the signature trails in Yosemite. I was disappointed to see the ‘closed’ sign when I reached the starting point despite that the lady at the reception told me that it would still be open in the winter… She was wrong. I was able to get a small glimpse of Vernal Fall from Vernal Fall Bridge but that was hardly satisfying. 🙁

Second, the free shuttle bus is less frequent. There was once I missed a bus, then I had to wait for half an hour for another bus to come.

Apart from the 2 downsides above, I thought it was wonderful to visit Yosemite in the winter.

 

Is Yosemite good?

Yosemite would have exceeded my expectation if it was not that expensive (I paid USD$399 for the tour). I had to say Yosemite looked nicer on the photos as compared to seeing it with my eyes, except Mirror Lake. I also found the park quite commercialised and that lost a bit of its charm.

Nonetheless, Yosemite National Park was beautiful. I enjoyed my visit and didn’t regret it because it might be my only chance to see Yosemite – one of my dream destinations. I would still choose to do it again if I had the choice. 🙂