We left our Airbnb in SF at 9:45am to hit to road for 3.5 hours until arriving to our little nice hotel in Yosemite called Yosemite Bug Rustic Mountain. In the road, we stopped in Home Depot because our europeans visitors (my in laws) were intrigued about this place.
Lunch in Sugar Pine in Mariposa, close to our hotel, and after doing our checkin we went straight to Glacier Point in Yosemite (1.5 hours from our hotel) arriving just 10minutes before the sunset, perfect timing although we over speed in certain points.
This point is beautiful, the road also, although it has lots of curves and it is about an hour driving from the enter point of the park.
From Glacier Point you get an spectacular panoramic vista of Yosemite Valley. There is also a trail that has a Geology Hut exhibit along it, together with other interpretive exhibits pointing out Half Dome, waterfalls, and views of the High Sierra. The shortest trail is 4.6 miles, descending 3200ft in elevation, walking time 2-3 hours, steep switchbacks will lead you down into Yosemite Valley near Yosemite Lodge.
Yosemite granites cooled miles beneath the earth’s surface as early as 100 million years ago. As tectonic forces uplifted the Sierra Nevada, powerful rivers and creeks cut Yosemite’s canyons and valleys, carving the landscape int V-shaped canyons (10 to 3 million years ago). As the climate cooled, a series of glaciers entered river – carved valleys – plucking, polishing, and transporting rocks. The largest glaciers filled Yosemite Valley almost to the top of Half Dome. Repeated glaciations eroded valleys, steepened granite walls, and sculpted many of the dramatic landforms we see today (3 million to 20000 years ago). As the last major glacier melted and receded, Yosemite Valley filled with water and sediment, turning the Valley floor into a shallow lake. The lake eventually filled with sediment, creating a flat valley floor (20000 to 10000 years ago). The extensive work of glaciers is visible throughout the park. Waterfalls leap from hanging valleys. Rockfalls from the glacially-steepened cliffs widen the Valley (10000 years ago to present).
The park entry is 35$ per vehicle, but we have the annual pass, which it’s perfect if you are planning to visit 3 or more parks in US in the same trip/year. Also, you can write 2 names in this annual pass and as long as one of those persons is in the card (you have to show your ID) you are good to go. We were lucky enough that the friend we visited in SF had this pass with only one name, so we wrote down my name, use it for our trip, and mailed it to him after.
The dinner was in our hippie hotel. We love the vibe of this little hotel that also has tents and a little nice restaurant with vegetarian/gluten free options and affordable prices. They also offered lunch bags to make your day easier at Yosemite.
Next post: “Day 7: Yosemite – Sequoia National Parks”
Back to: “3 Days / 2 nights in San Francisco”
Bella Ispirazione 