July-August 2023: Our 5-Day Yosemite Adventure

There are so many wonderful things to do and see in Yosemite National Park! It can be a bit stressful trying to narrow it down to the top places you want to see. A lot of people prefer to hang out around Yosemite Valley because it’s easy to drive around, lots of family-friendly hiking trails, and lodging/restaurant options.

My husband and I have already experienced enough of Yosemite Valley, so we wanted to venture out to other parts of Yosemite, such as to Glacier Point, Hetch Hetchy, Mariposa Grove, Wawona area, and along Tioga Road. And I planned the perfect 5-day Yosemite adventure for us! It was actually a birthday surprise for Vikas for his 30th birthday. 🥳

Planning a trip to Yosemite in May? Read this: How to Visit Yosemite in May

The itinerary I created for our trip was focused heavily on hiking. We wanted to do a lot more hiking than what we actually did, but things didn’t go as planned and that’s ok. Everything still worked out and we had the best time exploring more of Yosemite!

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Day 1: Mariposa Grove & Check-in

July 30th, 2023

Hiking in Mariposa Grove

Location: Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California.

Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 10 miles with an elevation gain of 2,000 feet.

Hiking Time: It took us about 6 to 7 hours to complete this hike.

Route Type: This was a giant loop hike.

Difficulty Rating: Some sections were easy to moderate, and others were hard.

Pet-friendly? No, pets are not allowed.

What better way to start off our trip to Yosemite than by hiking in Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. There are so many trails which all connect to one another, so we decided to do it all and create one giant loop. We wanted to see all the famous giant trees while making our way to Wawona Point. I outlined our route on the map below.

We had to park at the Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza. The other parking lot at the Mariposa Grove Arrival Area (where all the trails start) is for individuals with a valid disability placard. There are two ways to get from the Welcome Plaza to the Arrival Area. You can either hike two miles on the Washburn Trail or take the free shuttle.

We hiked the two miles to reach Mariposa Grove Arrival Area. I’m glad we took the trail rather than the shuttle. The hike was quiet and peaceful, and we truly love just hiking in nature. Also, we didn’t know about the free shuttle until later on.

Once we got to the Arrival Area where all the trails began, we found a big map and studied the route we wanted to take. Like I said, there are quite a few trails all attached to each other, and we wanted to see all the famous touristy trees. We began our hike on the Big Trees Loop Trail where we saw the Fallen Monarch.

We veered off onto Grizzly Giant Loop Trail where we saw the Bachelor & Three Graces and the Grizzly Giant. The beginning of our hike was very crowded! It was about 9:30 AM when we started our hike. I can’t imagine how it might have been later in the day.

If places are too crowded, we usually don’t stay too long and keep going. That’s just how we roll. Sometimes we’ll come back to a spot in hopes it won’t be as crowded later. But I’m happy to see so many people enjoying nature!

The next famous tree was the California Tunnel Tree. This one was super cool because of how resilient it is. A giant hole was tunneled through it to make it a tourist attraction in 1895. Although this giant sequoia has been weakened, it shows signs of trying to heal itself by growing inward to repair the hole.

People were lined up waiting to take a picture with the tree. Thanks to the nice man for taking me and my husband’s picture!

We walked through the California Tunnel Tree onto a side trail that connected to the Mariposa Grove Trail. We continued on this trail for a little while before reaching the next few famous sequoia trees – the Faithful Couple and the Clothespin Tree.

The Clothespin Tree was my personal favorite. Vikas’s favorite was the California Tunnel Tree. We stood in awe of their size and uniqueness then continued our hike along the Mariposa Grove Trail.

We next famous tree we saw along this trail was called the Mariposa Tree. We eventually veered off onto the Guardians Loop Trail where we saw the Columbia Tree and Mariposa Grove Cabin.

We then hopped onto a side trail in order to reach the next famous tree sooner. I’m so happy we decided to take this side trail instead of the main trail because it was one of the most beautiful sections in Mariposa Grove! The wildflowers, giant sequoias, and birds chirping – it was magical.

We reached the Telescope Tree and further down the trail was the Fallen Wawona Tunnel Tree. It’s so crazy to imagine horse-drawn carriages riding up and down these trails (I guess back then they were roads) and going through those tunnel trees.

Also, can you imagine the sound a giant sequoia tree makes when it falls? Ever heard the saying, if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around, does it make a sound? The answer, in my opinion, is yes. And a giant sequoia tree would make a giant sound.

Continuing on a bit further, the trail merged back into the Mariposa Grove Trail. There was another famous tree called the Galen Clark Tree, but we passed that one for some reason.

We finally reached our last destination – Wawona Point. This Point stands at 6,800 feet in elevation, and the views are amazing!

Now it’s time to return back to the parking lot. We finished up the loop by taking the Mariposa Grove Trail, getting onto a side trail, back onto the Grizzly Giant Loop Trail, then onto the Big Trees Loop Trail, and back to the Mariposa Grove Arrival Area.

This is where we learned about the free shuttle. Instead of hiking an extra two miles back to our car, we took the free shuttle. Our legs were thankful.

Check-in to High Sierra RV & Mobile Park

After our hike in Mariposa Grove, we drove 30 minutes to reach our campsite in Oakhurst at the High Sierra RV & Mobile Park. We didn’t have the greatest experience when we first got there and here’s why.

So, we drove up and parked at the office to check-in. No one was there but there was a white board that had our name on it and our assigned campsite number. We drove towards the tent site area and immediately regretted our decision to stay there. It was alongside a small river (which was nice) but there was zero shade. The temperature outside was well above 90 degrees. Also, the tent sites were really small and close to each other. Yes, we were complaining a lot in the beginning.

We found our campsite, but it was surrounded by a bunch of people and their Jeeps. We had to squeeze our vehicle through just to get by them. We were very confused because we thought someone else was staying at that spot. We double checked our campsite number on the white board. It was definitely our spot.

We drove back, parked in another spot, and walked down to see what was going on. It was kind of intimidating because they looked at us like we weren’t supposed to be there. But anyway, we asked one of the guys (who happened to work there) if this spot was taken and where we should go. He was also confused because he didn’t know this spot had been reserved for us. But he said they were all just hanging out and talking.

They eventually moved and we were able to set up our tent. I realized why they were all hanging out at that spot because it was the only tent site with a tree! And this tree provided ample shade! We were so thankful to have this spot. All the other tent sites were directly in the sun. We got really lucky. Also!! I didn’t realize our campsite came with potable water and electricity. All the negative thoughts we had when we first got there were now overshadowed by positive ones.

Now, our next task was to find the bathroom. The bathroom was not too far away from our tent site, but it was locked. You needed a code to open the door. We’ve never seen this before so again we were confused. Thankfully, the office was now open, and we were able to get the code with a map of the campground as well. The bathrooms were a lot nicer than expected!

There was only one for men and one for women then a small shower on the other side. We didn’t have to share it with too many people, so it wasn’t a problem. There was also another bathroom facility a little bit further away with a laundry room.

We ended the day by taking a dip in the small river beside our campsite. This river is called the Fresno River, but we referred to it as a creek all week (just because it’s so small). It was soooo cold! But in 90+ degree heat, it was perfect. Great way to end our day!

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Day 2: Sunrise & Hikes from Glacier Point

July 31st, 2023

Sunrise at Glacier Point

3:00 AM snuck up on us quick! But we were ready to go because we were excited for our plans for today. We drove 1.5 hours to reach our new destination in Yosemite National Park. We arrived at Glacier Point around 5 AM and hiked 0.25 miles to a viewing platform.

We were the first ones there! We set up our camera to catch a time-lapse then we were ready to watch sunrise. This spot was so beautiful. We were in awe as the sun started to rise.

The views were spectacular. More people showed up and joined the sunrise viewing party. We waited for the sun to rise from behind Half Dome before moving on to our next adventure.

Hike Illilouette Falls via Panorama Trail

Let the fun begin! Our plan today was to hike from sunrise to sunset. Spoiler alert… that didn’t quite happen. The first hike we did was to Illilouette Falls via the Panorama Trail.

Location: Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, California.

Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 5 miles with an elevation gain of 1,400 feet.

Hiking Time: It took us about 2.5 hours to complete this hike.

Route Type: This was an out-and-back hike.

Difficulty Rating: Hiking down to the waterfall was easy, and hiking back up was hard!

Pet-friendly? No, pets are not allowed.

I believe we started our hike to Illilouette Falls around 7:00 AM. We didn’t see another soul on the trail the entire way down to the waterfall. If you want to beat the crowds, always start hiking early! The hike on the way down to the waterfall was a breeze. All downhill!

The views were amazing throughout the entire hike. You could see Half Dome, Vernal Fall, and Nevada Fall along with many other distant peaks.

We finally reached Illilouette Falls. It didn’t take much time to get to the waterfall since it was all downhill. There was only one spot we could find where you could see the entire waterfall. It was massive! Really pretty waterfall.

We wanted to see if we could get closer or find a different angle to view the waterfall. We kept hiking along the Panorama Trail. We crossed a bridge and a little bit further down we found a “day use area” spot.

We made our way down towards Illilouette Creek. We could see where the creek runs off to form the waterfall, but it wasn’t a really good view of the entire waterfall. It was still a pretty spot to relax and rest before making the trek back up to Glacier Point.

Ughhhhhh we have to hike all the way back UP!? What goes down, must come up. This is where you gain all the elevation. Plus, the temperature increased a lot! It was so hot as we were hiking back up. There wasn’t much shade either, so you are exposed to the sun for most of the hike.

It was tough hiking back up, but we did it. My husband was having a much more difficult time than me. He had a few blisters on his feet from our Mt. Whitney adventure which was about 2.5 weeks prior to this trip. I taped up his feet before the hike and redid the tape after the hike.

Hike to Taft Point and Sentinel Dome via Pohono Trail

Location: Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, California.

Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 8 miles with an elevation gain of 2,000 feet.

Hiking Time: It took us about 4 hours to complete this hike.

Route Type: This was an out-and-back hike.

Difficulty Rating: It was moderately difficult.

Pet-friendly? No, pets are not allowed.

Another hike?? Um, yes please. After returning from our hike to Illilouette Falls, we rested for about 2 hours. We were in no rush. Plus, Vikas wanted to rest his feet. He decided we should hike to Sentinel Dome first and if he felt up to it, then we would go further to Taft Point.

Just to be clear, it was HIS idea to continue hiking! I told him we could be done for today if it was that bad. He ended up changing his hiking boots out for tennis shoes which provided some relief.

We began making our way towards Sentinel Dome from Glacier Point. There were more people on the trail, but still not too crowded. After 1.5 miles of hiking, we made it to a junction in the trail where one way goes towards Sentinel Dome and the other way towards Taft Point. Vikas decided he wanted to hike all the way to Taft Point which was 2.5 miles from that junction. So onward we went!

This trail was just as beautiful as the Panorama Trail. Lots of stunning views along the way. The Pohono Trail had more coverage from the sun which was such a blessing!

We reached Taft Point and… just wow. This place was amazing! The landscape was so interesting. The fissures were really cool. There was a viewing platform where you could see Yosemite Valley.

If you go further towards the left, there is a famous “Instagram spot”. Just don’t get too close to the edge! Taft Point is probably one of my favorite spots in Yosemite. The summit is huge and there are plenty of spots to sit and enjoy the views without feeling crowded by all the other people.

It’s time to head to the next summit. We retraced our steps down the trail. Before reaching the junction where the trail splits, we stopped at a place called Roosevelt Point. It’s another spot with incredible views of Yosemite Valley.

Once we reached the same junction in the trail as earlier, we veered off to the right and made our way towards Sentinel Dome. It was only 0.5 miles from the junction. But that 0.5 miles was STEEP! It was a good climb to reach the top of Sentinel Dome.

Again, the views were spectacular! Wouldn’t expect anything less from a summit (or dome) in Yosemite. This is where we had planned to watch sunset, but it was only 5 PM at the time, and the sun wouldn’t set until about 8 PM. We didn’t feel like waiting around for 3 hours, so we headed back down to Glacier Point.

We finished the day off by relaxing at our campsite and taking a quick cold dip in the creek.

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Day 3: Lewis Creek Trail & Birthday Dinner

August 1st, 2023

Our original plan for today was to hike to Clouds Rest, polar plunge in Tenaya Lake, and watch sunset at Olmsted Point along Tioga Road. But Vikas’s feet were still in a lot of pain from the blisters, so we decided to take a “rest day” and go on a shorter, easier hike.

Hike to Corlieu Falls and Red Rock Falls via Lewis Creek National Scenic Trail

Location: Oakhurst, California.

Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 3.8 miles with an elevation gain of 520 feet.

Hiking Time: It took us about 2 hours to complete this hike.

Route Type: This was an out-and-back hike.

Difficulty Rating: It was an easy to moderate hike.

Pet-friendly? Yes, must be on leash!

We discovered this hike on AllTrails and decided it would be the perfect “rest-day hike”. We made it to the parking area of the trailhead. We immediately noticed… trash. All over the parking lot! It was so sad. And there was a dumpster right there! I was already annoyed. Anyway, we made our way to the first waterfall – Corlieu Falls.

It was a short 0.5-mile hike to the first waterfall. There was one steep section but nothing too crazy. Thinking back, I’m not sure which part was the waterfall. There were two different spots you could get to, and each one had a waterfall (or cascade).

At the beginning of the trailhead, there was a sign about a washed-out bridge. Well, we found that bridge. It got carried all the way down to Corlieu Falls. This year’s (2023) rainy season must have been crazy everywhere!

We didn’t stay too long here. We made our way back to the start of the trailhead then off we went towards the second waterfall – Red Rock Falls.

This trail needed some work done because of the washed-out bridge, overgrown areas, and… trash!! There was SO MUCH TRASH on this trail! Why do some people have to be like this?? If you cannot go out in nature without littering, then don’t go! It literally infuriates me more than anything. If you don’t know about the Leave No Trace principles, I suggest you go learn about it before stepping foot outside. Little rant over. Thanks for listening.

We made it to Red Rock Falls. This waterfall was a lot nicer than Corlieu Falls. No offense Corlieu! It was super pretty, and we had the whole place to ourselves. I wish we had water shoes because stepping on the rocks in the water was not very comfortable. And the water was freezing cold but also refreshing.

We found a spot at the top of the waterfall to relax and eat some snacks before heading back to our car. It was a peaceful spot. All you could hear was the water flowing and birds chirping. Now, if only we could keep it clean. Once again, please pack out your trash. Thank you.

Relax in the creek at our campsite

When we got back from our hike, we immediately jumped in the creek near our campsite. It was so refreshing! We stopped at a gas station and bought a few snacks. We sat in the creek, cooled off, and ate some yummy snackies. Chilling in this creek by our campsite was one of our favorite memories from our trip.

There was a swimming hole at the campground, but we didn’t go there. Our spot was a bit more secluded, and we had it all to ourselves.

Vikas’s birthday dinner!

I’ve been looking forward to this all day! Since it was Vikas’s birthday week, I let him choose any restaurant he wanted to eat at. He picked the South Gate Brewing Company. We read a lot of really good reviews about this place, so we were excited to try it out.

We ordered two beers, pretzels and beer cheese for an appetizer, and vegan burgers with fries for our meal. We ate it all. It was delicious! We definitely recommend eating here if you are in Oakhurst, California.

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Day 4: Hetch Hetchy Waterfalls

August 2nd, 2023

The drive from our campsite in Oakhurst to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir was about 2.5 hours. I was not aware of this prior, but we went for it away. Since we didn’t drive all the way to Tenaya Lake on Tioga Road, we decided to put in the miles to explore Hetch Hetchy.

Hike to Wapama Falls and Rancheria Falls

Location: Hetch Hetchy, Yosemite National Park, California.

Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 13 miles with an elevation gain of 2,000(ish) feet.

Hiking Time: It took us about 8 hours to complete this hike.

Route Type: This was an out-and-back hike.

Difficulty Rating: This hike was hard.

Pet-friendly? No, pets are not allowed.

Anyone else ever had issues with Google Maps only providing one route rather than other routes? The route we took to reach Hetch Hetchy was the farthest one. The shorter route which goes through Yosemite Valley did not show up for us that morning. It was odd. But anyway, I guess we took a different scenic route. We went on this super sketchy road through some mountains. It was giving “Million Dollar Highway of Colorado” vibes. Really pretty drive though!

We finally reached the parking lot of Hetch Hetchy between 7 and 8 AM. There was only one other car there. We made breakfast in the back of our little SUV and got ready for a long hike. Ok so… this was so dumb. I almost don’t want to admit we did this, but… we only packed two water bottles full of water.

I looked on Google maps and saw a few stream crossings so I figured we would have plenty of water sources long the way. We had two water filters ready to be used. Let’s just say… I was sadly mistaken. What happened to us? Well, keep reading to find out!

We started our hike by crossing the O’Shaughnessy Dam and through a tunnel. Despite the history, it was a really beautiful site to see. The water looked so blue and pretty. As much as I wanted to jump in, swimming is not allowed here! This reservoir is supposed to provide a clean water source for some parts of California.

On this hike, we would see three waterfalls. The first one is called Tueeulala Falls, then you will reach Wapama Falls, and the final one is Rancheria Falls. You can see both Tueeulala Falls and Wapama Falls from the walkway of the Dam.

After about 2.5 miles of hiking, we reached the first waterfall – Tueeulala Falls. It was not flowing at its fullest but still a pretty sight to see. A short distance later, we reached Wapama Falls. It was magnificent, and totally blew us away!

There was a long footbridge we crossed which provided different views of Wapama Falls. It was a bit beaten up from the insane weather earlier in the year but appeared safe. The waterflow of Wapama Falls was still rushing powerfully unlike Tueeulala Falls which was almost a trickle at this point.

We continued on towards the next waterfall – Rancheria Falls. We had about 4 more miles to go before reaching this waterfall. The rest of the hike was mostly exposed to the sun. And the few spots in forest with shade had so many gnats. I kept telling Vikas I would much rather hike in the heat of the sun than deal with those gnats. They were awful!

We did end up crossing a few streams, but they were not accessible. At least, not safely accessible. They were further down in the gorge and not easily within reach. This is why I messed up. I didn’t know the streams were not easy to get to!

We had to ration the rest of our water supply. It was hot and the sun was beating down on us. We began to see more of the Rancheria Creek as we got closer to Rancheria Falls. We saw what looked to be Rancheria Falls (we didn’t see pictures beforehand, so we had no idea what the waterfall actually looked like). But it was not. According to Google Maps, it was further up the trail.

We kept hiking and passed a few campsites. We passed a group of Girl Scouts earlier in our hike who camped near Rancheria Falls. We knew we were getting close. We were almost out of water and so thirsty.

We finally reached Rancheria Falls. We were in awe of its beauty but at the same time we were trying to figure out a way to safely get to the water. The creek was raging and there was a safe spot to get to the water. We got a few pictures and videos then scanned the area for a safe spot to fill up our water bottles.

Vikas noticed an opening in the forest by the creek which looked to be near the campsites we passed earlier. We drank our last few sips of water and headed that way. Thankfully it wasn’t too far and not too hard to find. It was a really beautiful area for wilderness camping.

We finally found access to the creek at the far end of the camping area. We were ecstatic! We filled up all four of our water bottles and ate a lot of snacks. We were so happy. The happiest we’ve been that whole day.

We retraced our steps back to the parking lot. It was quite the journey! We made a huge mistake by not packing enough water but the search for water led us to a beautiful spot in the woods beside Rancheria Creek. Everything thankfully worked out.

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Day 5: Check-out & Hike to Chilnualna Falls

August 3rd, 2023

Check-out of campground

Today was the last day of our 5-day Yosemite adventure. We were so sad but also ready to get back to our fur babies. Don’t worry, they had a really great cat sitter! We took down our tent and packed everything up in the car. It took us no time, and we were back on the road heading towards… Yosemite! Yup, we decided to make one more stop in the Park before heading home.

Hike to Chilnualna Falls

Just because it’s our last day and we’re heading home, doesn’t mean we’re not going to squeeze in one more hike! We were debating on whether or not we should do this hike or just go home. We were pretty tired from all the hikes we’ve done this week. But we knew this would be our last time in Yosemite for the unforeseeable future, so we wanted to make the most of it.

Location: Wawona, Yosemite National Park, California.

Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 8.5 miles with an elevation gain of 2,400 feet.

Hiking Time: It took us about 5 hours to complete this hike.

Route Type: This was an out-and-back hike.

Difficulty Rating: This hike was hard.

Pet-friendly? No, pets are not allowed.

We didn’t know much about this hike. Only the length and the elevation gain thanks to AllTrails. The information wasn’t quite accurate but nevertheless we were going to hike to this waterfall!

We read more about this hike and the waterfall at the trailhead thanks to an informational board. It seemed like it would be a fairly tough hike, but we were ready!

The climb was slow and gradual but constant. The beauty along the trail distracted us from our already fatigued legs. We quickly reached the lower portion of Chilnualna Falls. It was beautiful!

We continued along the trail, one foot in front of another. We crossed a few small streams and filled up our Lifestraw bottles with fresh, cold water.

We saw the middle portion of Chilnualna Falls in the distance from the trail. This would be the best view of the middle falls. It’s the tallest part of Chilnualna Falls!

We continued our uphill battle and navigated up a few sets of granite steps. We finally reached the top of the middle falls!

We saw a few people up here, but it wasn’t too crowded. We continued up the trail towards the upper falls of Chilnualna Falls.

This was our favorite part! It was beautiful. We tried to find a spot to sit and eat our snacks, but the bugs were too much here. So, we went back down the trail and found a spot near the river just upstream from the middle falls.

This was one of our favorite hikes this week. Perfect way to end our amazing 5-day Yosemite adventure!

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