After our time in Los Angeles which you can see here, we moved on to our next stop.  We had no idea what to expect in Yosemite National Park, but our whole family agreed, this was one of the most amazing places on our road trip!  We would also have a jaw-dropping moment by the end of the day.  

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

We had a good 4 to 5 hour drive in from L.A.  and we didn’t want to drive at night.  So we stayed a couple of hours outside of the park at the Sierra Sky Ranch in Oakhurst, California.  This turned out to be a very nice hotel that accommodated our family of five pretty well.  

Bright and early the next morning, we headed out on a two and a half hour drive into Yosemite.  Just a note, that if you head into this area, you will probably not have internet access just in case you are relying on Google Maps.  So it’s good to have some old school maps handy.  Our kids were a little tired of riding in the car at this point.  But as we headed into the park, all of that changed.  You could see the excitement on our kids’ faces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNFqGhrzcyE

Once we were in the park, we parked our car as my kids were ecstatic!  We would be doing a lot of walking, but there really wasn’t any humidity and the temperature was only going to get into the eighties.  

When they spotted the first waterfall, they were so amazed.  The look on their faces was priceless!

After seeing some beautiful creeks, rocks and trees, we came into a clearing and could see El Capitan.  That’s the moment we had an understanding that Yosemite National Park was a majestic place.  The views were just stunning.

Then we saw Yosemite Falls, which was one of the larger ones.  Our kids wanted to go right up to it, but we told them that we probably couldn’t get that close to a waterfall.  But the day wasn’t over.  Who knows what would happen?

The Trails are absolutely stunning as you can imagine.  We trekked the High Sierra Loop Trail to the Vernal Fall Bridge.  This was a little under a mile, so I was sure our five-year-old would be fine to walk it.  However, it was a pretty steep walk and the parents had the biggest struggle walking it.  We realized we need to do a little more cardio when we get back home.  But walking that steep trail would have a huge payoff.

We were getting a little sweaty and then just in time the temperature dropped like 10 degrees and we could feel a light mist.  We knew we were in for another amazing scene.

The Vernal Falls Bridge was waiting for us.

Continuing on, we headed into the Yosemite Valley where the views would be even more breathtaking.  

Once we were in the valley, we were able to get a really good view of the gigantic granite Half Dome.

Our kids couldn’t believe their eyes.

We love our vacations.  And that’s because it’s usually one of the most memorable things of my childhood and I think it will be for our kids as well.  And Yosemite was definitely helping deliver those memories.

Right at the bottom of one of the waterfalls were all kinds of giant boulders and rocks with areas of water all around them.  So many people were climbing the rocks and taking a dip in the water.  So we decided to do so as well.

The trees were so huge and awesome which led us to even more photo opportunities.  

Our day was coming to an end as we didn’t want to drive back to our hotel in the dark.
Everyone agreed that we flat out loved Yosemite National Park.  But there was one more moment waiting for us that would be the best of all.  After a short trek, we came upon the Yosemite waterfall.  It was the closest we had been to any of the waterfalls.

Could we get closer? Yes.  People were walking back from the waterfall soaking wet.  

The kids nor the parents could believe our eyes!  We just kept getting closer and closer.

And then the jaw-dropping moment came when we got as close as we possibly could and still keep the kids safe.  You could see how fast the water actually was falling.  And the cold mist was showering us. 

Our family had so much joy.  My kids started dancing, literally.  They couldn’t contain it.

What an unbelievable experience we had at Yosemite National Park!  The next adventure was just around the corner.

We felt pretty safe the whole time.  One piece of advice I would give is to hold on to the little ones who like to run off.  Especially when you are climbing the steep trails or are near water. 

There was so much more to explore, but we only had one day.  I am sure we will be back.  Here is the official site for more of all the amazing places and activities you can see and do at Yosemite.

Have you been to Yosemite National Park?