[Renowned for its magnificence, Yosemite is the country's most-revisited national park. Its towering granite domes and peaks, cascading water-falls, glacial lakes and giant trees attract close to four million visitors annually, including many families who return year after year, so advance reservations for all accommodations are essential. Smart travelers can avoid the crowds. Seventy percent of the park's visitors arrive during summer, and most never venture outside the seven square miles of Yosemite Valley. The secret to discovering an uncrowded Yosemite is to visit between October and April (spring will find you knee-deep in wild-flowers when the waterfalls are at their crashing best) and avoid holiday weekends. If you do visit in the summer, try the less-traveled but equally attractive areas of the Park, such as Tuolumne and Wawona.
All hotels will accept reservations one year before your intended date of arrival, so if you plan ahead you will have a good chance of getting the schedule you want. Other tips from veteran Yosemite visitors: if you want to stay over a weekend, plan your arrival for a weekday; be flexible and have several arrival dates in mind; call to make reservations on weekends, when Yosemite Reservations receives the fewest calls; call thirty, fifteen, or seven days in advance of your planned arrival date, as these are common times when previously reserved rooms become avail-able through cancellations. Your efforts will be worthwhile—the park is truly spectacular.
The park has many programs for families, from campfire talks to guided nature walks. For children five through seven, a special hour with a ranger is offered each day in summer, while eight- through twelve-year-olds can join a national park ranger in search of "secret places" in Yosemite. There are also ranger-led family discovery walks. Sign up for all at the Happy Isle Nature Center (shuttle stop no. 16), which sponsors many other programs designed especially for children. You can leave kids at the center for these free programs on Feathered Friends, Art in Nature, and many other subjects. At the Happy Isle Bookstore (or any visitor center) pick up an Explorer Pack, a day-pack filled with guide-books and activity suggestions for families. Each pack has a theme, such as "Rocking in Yosemite" or "Featuring Feathers."
During spring and summer, guided saddle rides for children seven and up depart from the Yosemite Valley Stables (Easter to mid-October) and at Wawona, White Wolf, and Tuolumne Meadows (summer only). Rides range from two hours ($35) to half a day ($45) to all day ($67). Four- and six-day rides to the High Sierra Camps are available, too. Call 209-454-2002 for information.
The Indian Cultural Museum, next to the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, has an authentic recreated Ahwahneechee Indian village. The Art Activity Center holds free art classes next to the village store from spring through fall; the Yosemite Theater offers live performances and movies. The Pioneer Yosemite History Center, at Wawona, has historic park buildings from the 1800s, and rangers and docents in period costume lead participatory crafts projects such as candle making during the summer and at Christmas time.
Among the many tours of the park are a two-hour tour in an open-air tram and a full-day tour of Glacier Point, 3,214, feet above the valley floor. Stop by a tour desk at any hotel or call 209—372—1240 for information. Tour costs range from $ 16 to $42; children twelve and under are half price, and those under five are free.
River rafting on the Merced River is a wonderful experience, especially in Yosemite Valley, where at every river bend there's another spectacular view. In early summer, rental rafts complete with life jackets and paddles are available at Curry Village. The Merced has many sandy beaches open mid- to late summer. You also can swim at the Curry Village and Yosemite Lodge swimming pools. The valley has miles of bike paths; bike rental is $5.25 per hour or $20 per day at Yosemite Lodge or Curry Village.
The park is renowned for rock climbing, an excellent sport for building teamwork. Children under fourteen participate in a group lesson; older kids can enroll in a private class. Classes are offered daily from June through September at the Yosemite Mountaineering School in Tuolumne Meadows. Classes are held at Curry Village from October through May.
A winter visit to the park is your chance to soak up its grandeur during a more peaceful season. Coyotes and mule deer are easy to see, hotel rates drop twenty-five percent, low-cost ski packages are available, and the park has far fewer visitors. Take advantage of Yosemite's Midweek Ski Lesson Package: lift tickets and ski lessons at the Badger Pass resort, cross-country ski lessons, bus transportation from one point to another, ice-skating, ski area baby-sitting, and ranger-led nature, history, and wild-life programs are available at a fraction of the cost for similar services at other ski centers. Downhill skiing at Badger Pass, a small resort with a gentle terrain, is great for beginners. The Midweek Ski Lesson Package and children's Badger Pups Package is $25 per day added to the price of the lodging you choose; lodge rooms with the ski package start at $73 per night, double occupancy. There is also a "Ski Free" program; hotel guests receive coupons redeemable the next day at Badger Pass for all-day lift tickets. Many of the 350 miles of trails for cross-country skiing in the park also begin at Badger Pass. Trail passes are free. Call 209—372—1000 for ski information.
The Curry Village Ice Rink is an outdoor rink where families can skate in the shadow of Glacier Point with a spectacular view of Half Dome. An open fire next to the rink is ideal for warming chilled little hands and wet bottoms. Open daily November through March; call 209—372— 8341 for information. Winter is also time for ranger-led snowshoe walks and the evening "Discover Yosemite" talk, an interactive program suitable for the entire family.
Note: In addition to the lodgings listed in Yosemite, there is a family camp in the Sierra Nevadas near the park run by San Jose Family Camps..
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