This is our itinerary for the best way to spend the best 72 hours in Yosemite National Park. We just spent three amazing days exploring Yosemite and want to share these breathtaking views with you!
Day 1: Chasing Waterfalls and Tunnel View
John Muir Trail -Nevada Falls- Mist Trail- Vernal Falls
We visited the park at the end of September. This means that the iconic Yosemite Falls was dried up for the summer. The best time to see this waterfall is in the spring after the snow melts and the rivers are flowing. We were able to check out Vernal and Nevada waterfalls though! We took the John Muir trail to Clark Point. It was a little steep going up the switchbacks and overall a moderate climb, but nothing like Angels Landing at Zion. Then we headed over to the mist trail for an epic view of Nevada Falls.
We decided not to hike to the top and instead explore the falls from the river below which did not disappoint. On the mist trail upstream from Vernal falls, once you hear water flowing that’s your spot. Instead of following the trail up and to the left towards Nevada, head down and towards the right to the rocky stream for the fascinating view of the face.
Then, we headed down the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls. There were epic views of Vernal falls throughout the trail. The entire route took us about 5 1/2 hours with tons of photography spots along the way.
We headed over to Mirror Lake for a beautiful view of half dome from below. In the late summer and fall the lake dries up, but we still had a wonderful sight of half dome.
We finished the day with sunset at Tunnel View. It was a jaw-dropping view of Yosemite Valley! While exiting the park after sundown the colors were popping through the winding road back to the park entrance.
Day 2: The Top Views and the Trees
We started our day with Glacier Point and it was such an incredible panoramic view! The hike was about a mile total, and there were so many good viewpoints along the way. We ended up spending over an hour here. There was a little bit of haze because of the California wildfires, which is heartbreaking. The views were still epic!
Next was Sentential Dome and Taft Point. This hike was about 4 miles total. We decided to go to Sentential Dome first. There is a bit of an incline at the top, but nothing crazy, and yes, more epic views! Check it out!
Taft Point is next. Here are the views:
Next, we headed over to Mariposa Grove and the Giant Sequoias. These trees are amazing and there are only a few thousand in the world! Unfortunately, we had to park at the visitor’s center instead of the trailhead. This added four miles round trip to our journey. We recommend bikes for this initial climb if you have to park at the visitors center. It was completely worth it though!
This is California Tunnel Tree. This was the second tree tunneled in the park. We learned that the tree actually repairs itself from the inside out which is how it is still standing.
This is The California Tunnel Tree, estimated to be older than 1,000 years old.
See PIC
Day 3: The Valley Floor, Watching rock climbers, and Yosemite Falls
Shortly after we entered the park, we had a special moment and came across a black bear and her two cubs. We were lucky enough to watch them for about 5 minutes and block off the road to make sure they crossed safely.
Things to note with bears: we stayed in our car and watched them from afar. Definitely, do not try to go up to a momma bear and her cubs. Also, several bears are hit by cars every year, so keep your eyes peeled while driving through national parks!
For our last day, we decided on an easier hike. The Valley Loop is an 11 miles loop that has amazing views from the valley.
Here is the view of El Capitan from the meadow across the way. It was great to lay under a tree and watch the rock climbers scale this!
We had to check out Yosemite Falls too. Although there was no water, it was still a pretty great view.
Here are is another meadow we had to stop and take pictures of!
Overall Yosemite is one of the most beautiful places we’ve been to, and we definitely deem it to be a must-see destination!
Until next time,
Dez and Jordan
If you want to check out more adventures:
What a great thing to see the bear and her cubs from the safety of your car!