Destination Guide: Yosemite National Park

This is a guest post! Please join me in welcoming Kara of Whimsy Soul! This week in Travel Month, we shift to mountain towns and nearby destinations.

Hi everyone! I’m Kara of Whimsy Soul and I’m delighted to be here today. You probably know of Yosemite from your desktop background in the macOS X El Capitan era of computers. That’s pretty much all I knew about Yosemite before I moved to San Francisco 3 years ago from Wisconsin. Yosemite National Park is about a 4-hour drive from San Francisco. When you drive along the valley floor, there are mountains on either side towering over you. It’s hard not to feel small, humble and at peace. Summer is obviously a great time to visit Yosemite. The weather is nice, all of the trails and lookout points are open, flowers are blooming. But what about winter?

My husband and I headed out to Yosemite on the last weekend of November this year to experience what it’s like during the offseason. It snowed the first day and hardly anyone was there. I swear I could feel the mountains breathing. This time of year the Lower Yosemite Falls are actually flowing (they’re all dried up in the summer) and in the evenings it’s easy to find a chair next to a fire to sip wine or hot cocoa in.

After 4 days in the park, I knew that winter is the best season to visit Yosemite. Find out all about winter hiking, killer viewpoints, and fun things to do (like ice skating!) in my Things To Do In Yosemite In The Fall/Winter blog post!

12 Comments

  1. McKenna
    January 29, 2018 / 10:26 am

    This was one of my favorite parks I visited as a kid! So gorgeous and I would love to see it in the winter!

  2. Emily Wilkinson
    January 29, 2018 / 11:10 am

    I haven't visited since I was little- but would love to go back as an adult!

  3. Annette Dattilo
    January 29, 2018 / 11:33 am

    Wow – so beautiful. I bet it was amazing to experience all that practically to yourself. #travelgoals

  4. sylvs
    January 29, 2018 / 11:36 am

    the pictures are gorgeous! some of them look like they're out of an Anthropologie catalog

  5. January 29, 2018 / 3:13 pm

    Wow that is such a gorgeous photo!!!

  6. Britt Whit
    January 29, 2018 / 5:19 pm

    This is def on my bucket list!

    love,
    Britt+Whit

  7. Louella Reese
    January 29, 2018 / 5:34 pm

    Definitely on my list of places to go! My husband is dying to go.

    xo Laura Leigh

  8. tanviidotcom
    January 29, 2018 / 6:31 pm

    Thanks for the guide. It is on our list of places to visit this year 🙂

    ❥ tanvii

  9. Ruth Ridley
    January 30, 2018 / 10:38 am

    First of all I love this picture!! I will never forget our first time at Yosemite. We felt like we were in Jurassic Park…. Every structure is larger than life. CAn't wait to go back!!

  10. medicinemanicures
    January 30, 2018 / 5:15 pm

    I want to visit there so bad!!I I have a friend who is an EMT out there and loves it!

    xo, Kristina

  11. Lauren
    January 30, 2018 / 9:58 pm

    This looks picture perfect! I've been wanting to visit there forever!

  12. January 31, 2018 / 11:53 am

    These pics are amazing. I want to go there so badly.


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